We picked up a 6 pack of  brussel sprout plants. This is a good time of year to plant them here in Kansas.  I planted them a week or so ago and they are looking quite happy, which is nice.

According to my square foot gardening I planted one per square foot section.  It takes about 90 days for it to produce and you know when it’s ready by whether or not the sprouts pull off easily.

Depending on the variety  you buy they may all mature at the same time. Which is good in some ways and bad in others. You have a bunch you can freeze at the same time, but you also have a bunch at the same time. It’s that good old gardening catch 22.

To make sure your brussel sprouts grow into healthy plants make sure, if you are starting from seed, you star them very early. You want to make sure you have your plants out in the garden early spring. As growing in the heat of summer can turn your brussel sprouts bitter. If you are going for a fall harvest, make sure you plant at least 100 days before the possibility of the first frost.

Brussels sprouts are grown much like the related cole crops, cabbage and broccoli. Apply one side-dress application of nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are 12 inches tall and water to keep the crop growing vigorously during the heat of summer. Without ample soil moisture, the crop fails. Insect control is also very important at this stage to keep the plants growing vigorously. Cultivate shallowly around the plants to prevent root damage. The sprouts form in the axils of the leaves (the space between the base of the leaf and the stem above it).

Commercial gardeners remove the leaves to accelerate harvest, but this practice is not essential in the home garden. Some gardeners believe that the sprouts develop better if the lowermost six to eight leaves are removed from the sides of the stalk as the sprouts develop. Two or three additional leaves can be removed each week, but several of the largest, healthiest, fully expanded upper leaves should always be left intact on top to continue feeding the plant. About 3 weeks before harvest, the plants may be topped (the growing point removed) to speed the completion of sprout development on the lower-stem area.

I hope you try growing brussel sprouts this year, I’ll let you know how my crop is doing as the year goes on.