Brussels sprouts

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 6 hours daily.

Water

Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged; water deeply during dry spells, especially while sprouts are forming.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, preferably pH 6.5-7.5. Avoid acidic soil and ground with a history of clubroot.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Foliage

Large, rounded, blue-green leaves carried on long stalks around a stout upright stem.

Growth

Moderate; needs a long season to produce firm sprouts.

Care needed

Medium

• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Growth rate

Moderate

• Space plants 18-24 in (45-60 cm) apart in firm soil, watering well after transplanting.
• Water at soil level during dry weather so growth does not stall.
• Work compost into the bed before planting and apply a vegetable fertiliser according to its label; avoid excessive late nitrogen, which encourages loose sprouts.
• Mulch once the soil is moist, keeping mulch clear of the stem.
• Stake tall plants in exposed gardens before autumn winds loosen their roots.
• Rotate with unrelated crops and use insect mesh to exclude cabbage butterflies.

Pruning. Remove yellowing or diseased lower leaves, but retain healthy foliage to feed the crop. For a more concentrated final harvest, pinch out the growing tip about 3-4 weeks before you want the remaining sprouts to mature.

Pick sprouts when they are firm and about 1-1.5 in (2.5-4 cm) across, usually around 90-120 days after transplanting, depending on the variety and conditions. Start at the bottom of the stem and twist or cut each sprout off before its leaves loosen; continue upwards as more mature.

Spring

In cool-summer regions, sow seed under cover about 4-6 weeks before transplanting.

Late spring

Harden off young plants and transplant into prepared beds in cool-summer regions.

Summer

Keep spring-planted crops watered, inspect leaves for caterpillars, and stake plants before they become top-heavy.

Late summer

In warmer regions with mild winters, set out young plants for a cool-season crop; avoid having sprouts develop in summer heat.

Autumn

Harvest firm lower sprouts regularly and remove yellowing leaves.

Winter

Continue harvesting where weather allows; harvest remaining usable sprouts before prolonged severe freezes and remove finished plants.

• Plant in orderly rows in a potager, where upright stems give structure through autumn.
• Use at the back of vegetable beds so shorter crops remain accessible.
• Pair blue-green leaves with calendulas or nasturtiums for colour in an edible border.
• Grow a small group in a dedicated raised bed, allowing room for wide leaves and harvest access.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Edible landscape, Homestead, Cottage garden, Farmhouse and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Spinach, Beetroot, Dill, Calendula and Nasturtium.

Wildlife: Leaves feed cabbage butterfly caterpillars and may attract pigeons, rabbits and deer. Plants left to flower in their second year provide yellow flowers visited by bees and other insects.

• Cabbage caterpillars chew holes in leaves: cover plants with insect mesh before butterflies lay eggs, or hand-pick caterpillars and eggs.
• Cabbage aphids cluster on growing tips and sprouts: inspect regularly, wash off small colonies, and remove badly infested leaves.
• Clubroot causes swollen roots, wilting and poor growth: avoid moving contaminated soil, improve drainage, and use resistant varieties and a long rotation away from brassicas.
• Loose, leafy sprouts commonly follow hot weather, overcrowding or excessive nitrogen: time the crop for cool weather, give plants adequate space and avoid heavy late feeding.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats or dogs in normal food quantities; large servings can cause gas or digestive upset. Large amounts of brassica foliage can harm horses and other grazing animals, including causing digestive, thyroid or blood problems, so do not offer crop waste as feed.

• Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

  Forms one main head at the growing tip rather than many small heads along a tall stem.

• Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)

  Produces open leaves along its stems without the tight, rounded buds characteristic of Brussels sprouts.

• Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes)

  Has one conspicuously swollen stem near soil level, with leaves projecting from it, rather than numerous small sprouts.

The common name refers to Brussels in Belgium, where the crop became well established, while gemmifera means bud-bearing.

Propagation. Grow from seed, sown about 0.5 in (1 cm) deep in modules or a seedbed. Start early enough for a long growing season, choosing a sowing date that brings sprout development into cool weather; saved seed may cross with other flowering Brassica oleracea crops.

Accepted botanical name

Brassica oleracea Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera is an older name for Brassica oleracea.

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states, Pacific Basin and Puerto Rico.

Native range

France, Great Britain and Spain.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 50 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.