GROWING BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN THE UK

QUICK CALENDAR FOR GROWING BRUSSELS SPROUTS

The dates on this web page are set for average UK weather conditions which is the same as all other gardening websites.
We reccomend adjusting them to be more accurate for your town byclicking here

All other dates in this web site will also be adjusted. Your setting will last for many months / years and will still be set when you revisit this site.

Buy or borrow a soil testing kit (optional)the third week of January

Add lime if necessary to reduce soil aciditythe third week of January

Sow seed of early varietiesthe second week of March

Thin seedlings as they appearthe last week of March

Sow seed of mid to late varietiesthe first week of April

Transplant seedlings when 13cm tall-the last week of May

Begin to harvest-the third week of November

BEST SOIL AND POSITION FOR BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Soil and position are the key to growing Brussels Sprouts well and it's all down to the plants being unusually tall and liable to wind damage. They prefer a firm soil with some body to it but also free-draining.

An average clay soil which drains well is perfect for your Brussels Sprouts. Lighter soils can be improved by the addition of organic matter and a technique we describe in the care section of this article.

任何挖掘土壤的布鲁塞尔Sprouts is best done in the autumn prior to sowing seed / transplanting. This will allow the soil plenty of time to settle down and provide the firm soil which this tall vegetable needs. If you plan to add well-rotted manure, do this now but not just before transplanting.

SOIL ACIDITY / pH LEVELS
As with all brassicas, Brussels Sprouts are liable to a range of diseases if the soil is too acidic,club rootin particular. The only way you will know if your soil is acidic or not is to buy a soil testing kit.

These kits aren't expensive, they are simple to use and can save a lot of the heartache if things go wrong. We took a quick look around the internet and found that there are perfectly good soil testing kits available for around £10 including postage - they will all test the soil pH many times over.

If you find out that your soil is too acidic then give thanks that you found out before attempting to grow Brussels Sprouts on it! Asoil pH远低于6.5,你将需要应用一些版本y cheap lime to your soil before planting any brassicas. Head off down to your garden centre and they will be sure to have some in stock. Dig it in following the dosage instructions on the pack.

ESSENTAL CROP ROTATON
Another essential with Brussels Sprouts and all brassicas is that they should not be planted on the site of a brassica crop in the previous year or two. See ourcrop rotation pagefor more details on how to rotate crop plantings over a four year period.

SUN, WIND AND SOIL NUTRIENTS
Sprouts grow well in both full sun and partial shade but remember that they are tall pants and will cast quite a shadow from July onwards. Do your best to site them in a position protected from wind. Their foliage is minimal so planting other quicker crops in between them works very well, try lettuce, radish, swede or rocket as companion vegetables.

Prior to planting Brussels Sprouts in their permanent positions they will appreciate a good handful of fish, blood and bone fertiliser every square metre (yard) a couple of weeks before transplanting. Lightly rake the soil (don't dig it at this stage) to mix the fertiliser in well.

WHEN AND HOW TO SOW BRUSSELS SPROUTS SEEDS

Whatever method you use initially to grow your Brussels Sprouts it's useful to note that they do better if they are transplanted at a young age. This seems to encourage fibrous root growth which in turn anchors the plant more securely to the soil.

The method below has the seed sown in a seed bed and thentransplantedto their final position but they do equally well with the first stage being in a seed tray or pots. If sowing in a seed tray or pots do not any additional feed to the seed compost, it will already have sufficient nutrients in it.

Brussels Sprouts seed is normally sold as early (e.g. Crispus, Cromwell, Maximus, Red Ball) or mid / late (e.g. Bedford, Millennium, Montgomery, Titus). Sowing some early and some late varieties and you have the real possibility of being able to crop from as early as mid September to very early March. Both early and mid / late seed is sown in exactly the same way, only the timing differs.

If you have more than one row space them 29cm / 8in apart. Unused seeds for Brussels Sprouts will keep well in a dry dark place for three years. The seedlings of Brussels Sprouts will appear after approximately ten days and as soon as they are large enough to handlethin them outto 10cm / 4in apart.

Cabbage Root Flycan be a major problem in many areas and a key preventative measure is to lay small discs of felt, cardboard or similar material on the soil around the stem of the plant.

This will stop the flies laying eggs in the soil near the stem of the plants. This can be left until thetransplantingstage but the first generation eggs of this pest will probably already have been laid at the base of the plant at that stage.

Clickherefor our next page on Brussels Sprouts showing how and when to transplant them, ongoing care and how to harvest them.