Grow Brussels Sprouts in Zone 6B

Brussels Sprouts have a bad reputation as being ‘yucky’ from consumers and hard to grow for gardeners. However, this member of the Brassica family is a great addition to your garden.

I struggled with growing Brussels sprouts for years and made some major mistakes. And I wouldn't dare take any of what I grew to the farmers market.

I will share with you how to grow them successfully in Zone 6B so you don't have to go through the frustration! Brussels Sprouts can be difficult to grow but once I teach you these tips it will get easier.

Varieties

Churchill

This is an F1 hybrid variety that is quite vigorous. Churchill is a faster-growing variety that takes 90 days to maturity. 30 inches tall.

Diablo

Diablo is very reliable and one of my favorites. 24 inches tall and usually does not need staking. 110 days to maturity. Handles summer heat well.

Jade Cross

Hybrid. My favorite. Jade sprouts are on the smaller side but have great flavor and are easy to freeze. Matures in 90 days and is disease resistant. Compact in size, under 24 inches, and good for small gardens.

Long Island Improved

Heirloom developed in 1890. This variety is very tolerant of frost and I’ve had them still producing in December. 100 days to maturity. Great roasted.

When To Plant

Mistake number 1. Timing. I used to seed my Brussels sprouts right along with my broccoli in March. Well for those in Zone 6B, that's way too soon. It meant my plants were maturing in early July.

Seed Brussels sprouts in early to mid-June. That way they will mature in the cool fall days. They have a long growing season 90 - 110 days on average.

Brussels sprouts hate the heat and they need some light frosts to really bring out the flavor. When my spring broccoli and cabbage hit the hot season they had matured. I harvested them and pulled the plants. But the Brussels sprouts needed more time to grow.

Another way to figure this out for any zone, is to start at your fall frost date and work backward 4 months. That will give you a good time to start seeds.

Planting From Seed

Plant seeds about 1/2 inch deep in a cool room and keep the soil moist. They don’t need bottom heat and germinate best in temperatures between 50 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit (10 - 21C).

Seeds take 7-10 days to germinate.

Soil Conditions

Brussels sprouts like rich well-draining soil. So till in plenty of compost. They will do fine in a pH level between 6 - 7.

Transplant them out when they are six inches tall. Space them between 12 - 18 inches apart. Check your variety's height because some get pretty tall. For Square Foot gardeners plant one per square and stick with shorter varieties such as Jade.

Use Shade Cloth

Mistake number 2. I set them out in the hot sun. We've already talked about how they like cool weather. So I started planting them under shade cloth just like my summer lettuce. They were much happier and they had fewer bugs.

Once they were getting too tall I removed the shade cloth but made sure they were not having heat stress. It’s important to keep the soil moist during the heat of summer.

Use shade cloth on young plants to protect them from the summer sun. Photo credit: Ame Vanorio

Mulch

Use straw mulch. Mulch will help retain soil moisture and keep down weeds. Brussels sprouts don’t like weed competition.

Fertilizer

Plant them in an area of the garden that has rich soil. They benefit from lots of compost.

Give them a nice dose of fish emulsion when you transplant. Don't fertilize any in late summer while they are producing sprouts.

Staking

The average height is two-three feet (60 - 91 cm). Taller varieties get upwards to 4 feet and may require staking.

They can lodge similarly to corn, so hilling tall cultivars is a good idea.

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Pests and Diseases

Cabbage White

Brussels sprouts are prone to lots of insects. The destructive cabbage white caterpillars will gobble up the leaves and leave their black poops all over the plant.

These guys can be persistent. Handpick and feed to your chickens. Try some diatomaceous earth and if that doesn't help some Monterey Spinosad.

Aphids

Aphids are another pest. I recommend soapy water and diatomaceous earth for them.

Encourage beneficial insects like lady beetles and lacewings.

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Flea Beetles

Flea beetles are my nemesis. However, they seem to be most active in spring so the Brussels sprouts miss the worst of them.

Using row cover or shade cloth helps keep flea beetles off your plants.

Black Rot

Black rot is a bacterial infection of brassicas. It can be spread by infected seed so make sure to buy seed that's been tested.

Crop rotation, buying resistant varieties, and immediately removing infected plants are best practices.

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Companion Plants

Dill is a good companion plant and so are marigolds.

Harvest

The bottom leaves may turn yellow and sag which is normal. Remove them and let the sun get to the developing sprouts.

To harvest you can just twist off the sprouts. Start with the bigger ones and let the smaller ones grow more. You can also cut the whole stalk off.

Fresh sprouts are much better than store-bought ones. And there are a surprising number of ways to cook them. Check out the blog post for recipes. I'll have it linked below.

Ways To Prepare Brussels Sprouts

• I love this recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts from Mark Bittman

• Saute them with some butter, salt, and pepper

• Cook, slice, and add to pasta dishes

• Pizza topping

• Give them an Asian flare with this sweet-and-sour Brussels Sprout recipe

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

This recipe comes from Eating Well. I’ve made a few adjustments to suit me as it’s one of my favorites.

• 2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts

• 6 slices vegetarian bacon (or real bacon if you are a meat eater)

• 1 Tbs. olive oil

• 1 green onion

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)

• salt and pepper to taste

• I like to add fresh thyme and ground sage

  Steps:

  1. Trim the sprouts and cut in half

  2. Cook the sprouts in gently boiling water for 5 minutes.

  3. In a separate pan cook bacon per instructions

  4. Add oil to a large frying pan or wok. Heat on low. Add chopped green onion, bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and Brussels Sprouts.

  5. Sprinkle with spices and herbs

  6. Cook stirring frequently, several minutes, until sprouts are tender

Author, Ame Vanorio, is the founder and director of Fox Run EEC. She has authored several books and teaches classes online.