In Britain at least, the humble Brussels sprouts are a vegetable that is often eaten at Christmas and Christmas only for many people. For a lot of those people, they only eat sprouts with their Christmas lunch because it is ‘traditional’-something that is a great thing in any culture, but can also do a disservice to that particular cultural aspect too-in the case of sprouts in Britain, they are often boiled well past their best (no wonder they can taste awful!).
Personally, I love a few sprouts. As a kid I didn’t, but taste changes as you get older and I now love them! I don’t eat them much, but I have decided to change that by growing some. Unfortunately for me, I haven’t eaten them for Christmas lunch this year. In Australia, Christmas is in summer and that is when I have sown my sprouts seeds, so I’ll have to wait until winter as they need around six months growing time.
Reading about sprouts has lead me to the conclusion that the history of sprouts is a little debatable at times. One book I read states that sprouts appeared as a random sport off a cabbage in Brussels, Belgium around 1750. A website says one variety I’m growing, Long Island, was recorded for the first time in 1587 in the Netherlands, and thought to have been grown from the thirteenth century in neighbouring Belgium. It’s interesting to see how different these dates are! As usual, I like to say what the binomial names mean, just to try and reduce people’s strange reaction to these words. Brassica is Latin for cabbage, while oleracea is Latin for vegetable or herbal.
Propagation
Seed can be sown in situ but it’s better to sow seeds in seed trays. Seedlings take between four and six weeks to become mature enough to transplant to their final location.
Seeds need sowing in December, January or February. When sowing your seeds, sow seeds to 2cm deep in moist seed rising mix. To me, this seems a little deep, as the standard advice is to sow the seed twice as deep as it is wide and brassica seeds are tiny. Also, the seeds I’ve sown were not sown that deeply and have still germinated. Seeds, especially smaller ones do need light, water and warmth to germinate-a seed this small won’t necessarily get all three at 2cm small. But, you can play a little and see what works best for you.
The sprouts form as the weather starts to cool.
Cultivation and growing
Sprouts prefer a climate that is cooler, so cold and temperate regions and apparently the cooler parts of sub-tropical areas. Where I am in Sydney, I’m probably at the higher temperature end of having happy sprout plants. There is a tradition where sprouts are classified as early, mid and late season varieties where this comes from the ideal harvest times. In Australia, there is some overlapping because of the range of climates within the country, along with some modern hybrids more adaptable to seasons. This is why you need to look at sowing times on your seed packet and seed company websites which often have some really good information on them.
Sprouts like a sunny spot to grow in that’s sheltered. They like soil that is rich, fertile and being free draining while also being reliably moist. Before transplanting seedlings, ensure well-rotted organic matter is dug in a few weeks before seedlings are transplanted. Sprouts prefer a pH of 6.5-7.-5.
When transplanting, space the seedlings 70-80 cm apart with the lowest leaves just above the soil surface. Firm the soil down well-if the seedling moves when you gently tug it, it needs firming more. Also water well as soon as you have finished transplanting and add a layer of mulch.
Fertilising every two weeks will help your plants thrive. This needs to be complete-providing the full range of nutrients a plant needs to be healthy. When sprouts form, be careful with nitrogen levels-if they are too high your sprouts will be a loose mass of leaves rather than a dense ball.
For extra support against the wind for your sprout plant, earth up the soil at the base of the stem. Taller varieties will need staking.
As with any garden, regular weeding is required-little and often is the way to go. Keep your plants well watered. Remove any dead and diseased leaves when they appear. When sprouts form, remove the leaves around sprouts to allow them space to grow. After all sprouts are harvested, remove the plant, break it into smaller pieces and put them onto your compost heap if you have one.
Harvest and storage
Depending on the variety of sprouts, the season and climate, you will have them anywhere between three to ten months. When picking them, pick from the base first, but modern hybrids are ready all at the same time. When they reach the size of a walnut-all you need to do is snap them off with a tug or cut with a knife.
Sprouts can store well in the fridge for up to ten days. If you want to freeze them, remove outer leaves, blanch for 4-5 minutes, put up a freezer proof container and put in the freezer until required.
Pests and diseases
Sprouts do suffer from some pests and diseases. As with other brassicas, cabbage white butterfly and cabbage moth caterpillars are a problem, as is clubroot. Downy mildew and powdery mildew are fungal problems that sprouts can attract.
Variety choices for me
As with most veg when you grow them from seed, there are so many choices if you look, that is part of what I enjoy the most. With sprouts I am growing two different varieties.
The first is ‘Red Rubine’ which is an open pollinated variety that was released for the first time in the 1940’s. You don’t see red/purple sprouts in the shops, or I haven’t seen them at least. The purple leaves are higher in antioxidants, which are also less attractive to any pests in the area.
The other variety is ‘Long Island’. This is a compact variety and is the usual green colour. This variety was apparently first reco
Why am I growing them?
First and foremost, I really like sprouts, both the taste and the happy Christmas memories that they bring.
Brussels sprouts are also nutritious-they are a good source of vitamin C, while also being a good source of beta carotene, folic acid, potassium and vitamin E. Having nutritious food is important.