Growing Brussels Sproutssubmitted on 30 August 2012
Although not everyone's favourite vegetable, Brussels Sprouts are one of the few vegetables that can be enjoyed fresh through the autumn and winter. They are a slow growing vegetable, taking 26–31 weeks to crop, and also require a lot of space so are unsuitable for growing in pots.
Brussels Sprouts are a member of the brassica family and should ideally be grown in a bed which has been manured during the previous autumn in order to supply both nitrogen and humus. You may need to add lime to raise the pH of your soil to over 7.0 as brassicas do not like acid soil. Your plants will also appreciate a good helping of Growmore or Fish, Blood and Bone before planting while a further feed in mid-season is also worthwhile.
Start your plants off in March–April and plant out May–June, with around 30 inches around plants. You may have a problem with wind rock if planting in an exposed area. This damages the roots, leading to poor yields. Tall varieties may need to be staked to prevent this problem. In early autumn, draw earth up or mulch a few inches around the stems to help stablize the plant,
Harvest once the sprouts have formed, as sprouts left for too long on the plant will 'blow'. This means that the sprouts start to open up rather than forming a tight head. Remove any blown sprouts and feed with a high nitrogen liquid feed. Once you have stripped the plant of sprouts, remove the top and use as a cabbage.
Club root is probably the most serious problem for the brassica grower as once it is in your soil it can last up to nine years. The first sign of the problem is wilting of plants, especially in dry weather, with the plants failing to develop and sometimes to not produce a crop. Club root likea an acid soil so if your bed is infected you can counteract it by raising the pH to 7.5 or higher by adding lime. Also club root resistant plants are being developed.
Cabbage root fly can also be a problem and you might want to use collars to keep the pest off until the crop is well established.
Older varieties are more susceptible to blowing than the modern F1 varieties developed for the commercial grower, and which produce over a short period. You may prefer an extended cropper which reduces the likelihood of you having a glut, though any excess sprouts can be frozen.
Recommended varieties include Wellington, an F1 hybrid, which is a late-maturing heavy cropper and which holds well, along with Red Delicious and Falstaff, both of which are red varieties. Falstaff matures over a long period and has a mild, nutty flavour.
Brussels Sprouts are an excellent source of vitamins C and D, folic acid and dietary fibre, and also contain health-promoting compounds called glucosinolates, which may help to prevent cancer.
There are numerous recipes available on the internet if you want to do a bit more with your sprouts than just boil them.
Remember - a sprout is not just for Christmas.
|
