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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Brussels Sprouts
Learn how to grow brussels sprouts, a cool-weather crop that is planted in early spring or mid- to late summer for a crop that matures in the fall. These nutritious vegetables taste even better after a few light frosts! Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest brussels sprouts in your garden.
About Brussels Sprouts
Named for Brussels, Belgium, where they were first cultivated in the 16th century, brussels sprouts are a vegetable that is commonly seen in the grocery store, but not-as-commonly seen in the home garden. This is probably because they aren’t the easiest vegetable to grow! They require a fairly long growing season (80–100 days to harvest) and are a cool-season crop, meaning that they produce best when grown for a fall or early winter harvest. The sprouts improve in flavor after a light frost or two.
As long as you plant them at the right time, keep them cool and well watered during the heat of summer, and protect them from pests, brussels sprouts are a rewarding vegetable crop to grow—an accomplishment!
Brussels sprouts are a cultivar (cultivated variety) of wild cabbage, Brassica oleracea, which is the same plant species that cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, and a number of other popular food crops stem from. Over generations and generations, this versatile plant has been bred in different ways to highlight its different features—flowers, leaves, buds, stem, and root—to provide us with a wide variety of foods! Brussels sprouts form as buds along the main stem of the plant, just above each leaf axil.
Growing
- Thin young plants to 12 to 24 inches apart when they reach 6 inches tall.
- Fertilize with a nitrogen-rich product after thinning. Repeat every 3 to 4 weeks.
- Mulch to retain moisture and keep the soil temperature cool through summer.
- If growing during hot weather, be sure to keep the plants well watered. Inconsistent moisture can lead to subpar sprout development. Brussels sprouts should receive about 1 to 1½ inches of water per square foot per week.
- Consider using row covers to protect young plants from pests. Brussels sprouts are usually planted outdoors right when pests are at their worst!
- Do not disturb the soil around the plants; roots are shallow and susceptible to damage.
- Brussels sprout plants usually reach heights of 2 to 3 feet, so plan accordingly; they may require staking.
- Remove yellowing leaves at the bottom of the plant to allow for more sunlight on the stalk and to focus plant energy on healthy growth.
- To encourage the sprouts to mature faster, cut off the top leaves 3 to 4 weeks before harvest.
- Note: If you intend to harvest sprouts into winter, leave the top leaves of the plant intact; they provide protection from snow. Also, cover plants with 10 to 12 inches of mulch.
Harvesting
- Sprouts mature from the bottom of the stalk upwards. Harvest sprouts from the bottom when they reach about 1 inch in diameter.
- If desired, after a moderate frost, pull up the entire stalk, roots and all. (Remove leaves first.) Then hang stalk upside down in a cool, dry basement or garage or barn.
- Store stalks (no roots) for about 1 month in a root cellar or basement.
How to Store Brussels Sprouts
- Do not wash the sprouts before storing them, only right before use.
- Keep fresh-picked sprouts in a plastic bag for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Cooking Notes
We prefer roasting sprouts—they have a lovely carmelized flavor!
Catherine Boeckmann
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I have Brussel Sprouts growing. There are plenty small Brussel Sprouts, but the plant is beginning to seed. Should l cut the seed off will the sprouts grow or not
I am starting my brussel sprouts indoors but can not find any info on how to start them indoors. Do they need heat to germinate? any help would be appreciated.
Hi All,
This is my first year growing brussel sprouts. Actually did it on a whim. What a surprise I was in for!
The seller I bought the house from in 2020, were not Gardner’s, but I found raised beds on the side of the house. (3) 5X8’. I found everything in there from old dish towels, broken and rusted steel pipes, an old broken weed eater, plastic bags… you name it.
When the Brussels Sprout package said to plant of thin to 12-24”, they mean it!
Next year I’ll stretch it out to maybe 30-35 inches.
I removed the garbage, weeds and everything else.
I put in 3 bags of commercial compost, mixed it into the existing soil, and experimented.
On one side of the bed I planted carrots, the other side I put in 3 Sprout plants.
3 plants in 8 feet is not enough room. ( Best 60 carrots I’ve every grown!)
The plants are every bit of 3 feet high and have hundreds of sprouts on each.
One of them, I suppose he felt squished, started growing side shoots next to the ground and those created their own root and are baring sprouts all on their own.
The first frost has come and gone.
I light snow.
So Today I’m going to start harvesting dinner size portions off the main stalk.
We’ll see how it goes.
This was our first year growing brussel sprouts. We kept waiting for them to show up above the plant. We finally realized they were below the large leaves. So funny! We also grow carrots and I can’t believe how delicious they are! Enjoy your gardening.
I planted Brussel Sprouts last summer as an experiment and the plants did not do very well, possibly due to weather condition. Had no sign of sprouts. After the snow melted this spring, I was surprised to see them come alive, specially one particular one that grew very tall within a month and then it flowered. However many plants have started to come out of the stem (which has become quite thick and tough by now). Can I grow them from what looks like new plants? If so, how?
One of these have grown 1 feet tall but again no sign of sprouts formation. Can I relocate it to a more fertile location?
Loads of large leaves , where are the sprouts hiding? Do I trim back any leaves? It is the end of September but no frost yet?
The sprouts appear underneath the leaves—look at the bas of each leaf and a small sprout should be forming.
Hi there,
Due to beetles that came off canola fields in spring, I tried three times to plant seedlings, and it finally took in late June. We just had a few weeks of hot weather (30+C). The Brussels sprouts seemed to stop growing, but still had a crown of leaves. Now that it’s cooled down, the crown has opened and the stems have thickened considerably. The stems went from maybe 1/2-1” diameter to about 3”. Should I be concerned? There are little nobs, but nothing looking like it would form a sprout at the stem axels… any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Brussels sprouts are heavy feeders, so they need a rich organic soil of aged manure and compost. (There can almost never be enough!) They tend to do best in cool weather, from the time they are set out to the fall, when a frost sets on them. You also need to check the soil pH; it should be more or less in the middle. The hot weather (yes, it’s summer, it’s going to be hot) may have slowed them down but I/we suspect it’s a soil-based problem. We’ve experienced it too. You could try to amend the soil as soon as possible and see if you see any change but it may be too late to expect a luscious golf-ball-size sprouts.
I planted Brilliant brussel plants in raised bed end of may, still no Brussels. I’ve read to add nitrogen to aid development, should I add manure? Or should I leave a bit longer to see what happens? Any advice? Thank you
