Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprout, Baby Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts
Longest-season brassica — start transplants in early summer for fall harvest. Flavor intensifies dramatically after frost. To promote larger, uniform sprouts, remove lower leaves and tip the main growing point 4 weeks before harvest. Plants can get 2–3 ft tall; stake in windy gardens. Extremely cold-hardy once established.
- Germination
- 5–10 days
- Soil temperature
- 7–29 °C
- Harvest after planting
- 80–100 days
- Spacing
- 45–60 cm
When to plant Brussels sprouts
Start seeds indoors 14–18 weeks before your first autumn frost, and plant out 10–12 weeks before it.
Dashed line: typical first autumn frost in zone 7 (Nov 1). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow Brussels sprouts
- 1
Sow for autumn
Brussels sprouts are the longest-season brassica. Sow 6 mm deep 14–18 weeks before your first autumn frost so the sprouts form in cool weather.
- 2
Plant out
Plant out firmly in early summer, 60 cm apart. Stake tall plants in windy gardens.
- 3
Encourage the sprouts
About four weeks before you want to pick, remove the lower leaves and pinch out the growing tip for larger, more even sprouts.
- 4
Harvest
Pick from the bottom of the stem upward once sprouts are firm, from 80–100 days after planting out. Frost makes them noticeably sweeter.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
High water
Temperature
4–22 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
90 days
Plant spacing
60 cm
Ideal soil pH
7–7.5
How Tomatograph watches your Brussels sprouts
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for black rot, which thrives in those conditions.
- Under 5 mm of rain forecast over 3 daysWatering reminder: water deeply at the base, early in the morning.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Brussels Sprouts questions
- When should I plant Brussels sprouts?
- Start seeds indoors 14–18 weeks before your first autumn frost, and plant out 10–12 weeks before it.
- How long do Brussels sprouts seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 5–10 days at a soil temperature of 7–29 °C.
- How long until I can harvest Brussels sprouts?
- About 80–100 days after planting out, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant Brussels sprouts?
- Allow 45–60 cm between plants.
- What grows well with Brussels sprouts?
- Good neighbours include onion, garlic, lettuce.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).