🥦 Brussels Sprouts
How to grow
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost for a fall harvest — Brussels sprouts need a long, cool growing season and they will not be rushed. Transplant in early summer (yes, really — June/July in most zones) so the plants mature in fall's chill. In Florida, this is a tough crop: it needs sustained cool weather, so treat it as a winter experiment in North Florida with transplanting in October, and skip it in the southern half. Plant deep, firm the soil well (loose plants topple), and stake tall varieties. About a month before your expected harvest, pinch off the growing tip — this redirects the plant's energy from growing taller into plumping up the sprouts. Remove yellowing lower leaves as the stalk grows. Frost doesn't hurt them; it improves them. They're one of the few vegetables that genuinely taste better after a freeze.
Water & feeding
Steady moisture, about 1-1.5 inches per week. Uneven watering causes loose, puffy sprouts instead of tight little cabbages. Like all brassicas they're hungry: work 5-10% worm castings into the bed at planting and side-dress with compost or castings monthly. Mulch to keep roots cool through late summer — heat is the enemy of tight sprout formation.
Common problems
- Cabbage worms and aphids — row cover early, Bt for caterpillars, blast aphids off with water.
- Loose, open sprouts — usually heat stress or excess nitrogen; mulch for cool roots and don't overfeed.
- Toppling in wind — hill soil around the base and stake; firm planting prevents most of it.
Harvest
Twist or snap sprouts off the stalk from the bottom up when they're 1-1.5 inches across and firm. Start after the first light frost for the sweetest flavor. The whole stalk can be pulled and hung in a cool garage for storage — it looks like a medieval weapon and keeps for weeks.