Brussles sprouts are notoriously difficult to grow. One writer describes their culture as “a study in humility, for they demand much and give little in return unless they are perfect.” Growing them perfectly is the challenge. The problem for most gardeners is that they require a long, cool growing season to reach perfection. For this reason most Brussels Sprouts are grown along the fog belt of the Pacific Northwest today but they are still grown on Long Island, which also provides a suitable growing season, and was the historical center of Brussels sprout culture in this country.
Now, I must admit that I have not grown Brussels sprouts in many years as they were not planted in colonial Virginia gardens and for that reason I have very little experience with their culture. When I gardened in Maine they were reliable garden plants, I would plant them out in May and harvest them in September. However, here in Virginia, they will not stand the summer heat so most writers recommend setting them out in August and harvesting sprouts in December. This past year I was traveling in the late summer and did not get the plants in the ground until the first of October, at the same time I planted the collard greens.
The collards were ready for harvest at Thanksgiving (a must in my household) but brussels sprouts were just starting to form in late autumn before the first hard frosts of the season set in. I covered both the sprouts and Collards with frost blankets, attached to the frames that I use for row covers during the growing season and so far the plants are small but the sprouts are still forming. They survived an eight degree
night in late December and have held up in weather in the mid to lower twenties,which has sweetened and tenderized the collads and while the sprouts are small, we have enjoyed one picking of very tender sprouts. I have now taken the leaves off and topped most of the plants and anticipate another small harvest of sweet little sprouts in late February.
I will let you know!
How did they do?