Brussel Sprouts

[Rabid1]

Anybody ever plant these? I planted a bunch and trimmed them to about 3 little plants per hole after they hit about 3 inches. The weather here is funky so I am not sure how they are going to do overall. Anybody have any tips or tricks?

[pico]

Never ate or planted them. You must be getting the wierd stuff we have been getting in Iowa. Right now hot and dry. Last week cool and wet. The corn crops here are all out of whack. Good luck with the planting.

[Rabid1]

New ate or planted them. You must be getting the wierd stuff we have been getting in Iowa. Right now hot and dry. Last week cool and wet. The corn crops here are all out of whack. Good luck with the planting.

Yeah I kept it simple because we knew the weather was going to be whacky. I planted beans, a couple rows of lettuce about 2 weeks apart, cucumber, tomatoes, and herbs. Plus the brussel sprouts. Oh yeah potatoes in tires, up to the second tire, probably the third by next week.

[pico]

I already took my first batch of potatoes. I put in a second crop to take in September/October. My corn is nearly there. My broccoli was good, as was the cabbage. My tomatoes and peppers aren't worth a damn, but I started taking my first cucumbers today. My older son helped me plant my cucumbers, and he went overboard. I have way too many, so I will be pickling the majority and eating the rest with store bought tomatoes as a wimpy salad.

I must've been drunk or too busy picking my nose, as I failed to plant anything other than dill... which failed to take. My green and snap beans will soon be in, and then once the corn comes to fruition, I will simply have a few tomatoe and pepper plants that will be in (hopefully). I will likely then plant mustard greens and lettuce varieties, as well as more cabbage, to round out my fall crop.

I have had 100% failure this season with regards to all hot peppers and bell peppers. My larger tomatoes have not done well, and my watermelons have not developed a single vine. Otherwise, my grapes are not producing, but growing. My blueberries are also not producing, but are not growing. My apple trees that had apples have been picked cleam by deer (I wish I could easily and legally shoot the fuckers), and my corn is a few weeks behind schedule courtesy of the lousy weather we have had so far. Otherwise, the potato harvest was significant, broccoli was tasty, and my cucumbers are gourgeous.

[Nu Kua]

The cloudy weather will not be as depressing to your brussels sprouts as it might be to other veggies because brassicas like a little cloud and mist.

I've not grown Brussels sprouts yet, but I've consulted my trusty "Growing Organic Vegetables" book by Steve Solomon for advice and the following info is based off of what he says.

Brussels sprouts need:
A rich soil, not acidic. I add finely ground egg shells to all my brassicas, so if brussels sprouts are to be grown like cabbages then I'd do the same for them.
They are heavy feeders and drinkers, but do not give them too much nitrogen (like blood meal, for instance) or they will grow too tall and the buds will not be compact. A soil recently dressed in organic matter and moderately enriched with organic fertilizer is perfect. For people growing on light soils, Solomon suggests growers stake up the later, tall-growing plants to prevent "lodging". I am not sure what he means by lodging.

Solomon recommends spacing them about 24x24 inches. Re spacing- I always space my stuff closer than Solomon recommends because i grow bio-intensively and have rarely had a problem doing so- but still I think if you have 3 plants in one hole, that will be very over-crowding to your plants and they ought to be thinned.

For the organic fertilizer/soil ratio, he recommends 1/4-1/2 cup organic fertilizer worked into about a half gallon of soil for each seedling. Thin gradually to the best single plant per clump by the time the seedlings have developed two or three true leaves.
Keep them well watered and weed free, and he says they will pretty much take care of themselves.

In our cooler climate, brassicas grow well nearly the entire year because they enjoy cooler, moister weather and we rarely have freezes. I do not know where you are from, but if your winters are very cold, you can probably cover your brassicas with a created cold frame or a tent cloche to keep them going for a while; if you get freezes, you can surround your plants with straw before covering them. Remember if you do this and you happen to have some bright, sunny days, to uncover them or they will cook, as temps in cloches and such can rise very quickly and to a high degree. Anyway, Solomon plants his around July 10 to have a supply of Brussels sprouts go well into the winter.

Insects and diseases:

He says if sown in June, "the worst cabbage maggot infestation is avoided and by the time the fly population peaks again in late summer, the large, well-rooted plants aren't as bothered by them." (he is in Lorane, Oregon).

Good luck on dealing with that maggot should you get it. You will know because your plants will be looking great one day and then the next, look like they feel badly and need water, but when you water them they do not perk back up. You'll dig down and see a nasty, squirmy mess or root maggots and to my knowledge, you might as well hang it up for that crop. Actually I'd love some advice for how to deal with that.

I do not know if the cabbage moth larvae will affect brussels sprouts like they do other brassicas, but those have been an issue here with every brassica I've planted. The tore up an entire cabbage bed last year.
So I have learned something cool- there is a wasp that looks like a fat old housefly, which lays its eggs in cabbage moth larvae. When the eggs hatch just a few days later, it kills the larvae. It is attracted to tiny, strong smelling flowers, so I've let my parsley go to flower in order to attract them, and sure enough they are out there.
I've seen the cabbage moth all over the place, and my raab is coming up nicely, so hopefully having that wasp around will help me this year fight that cabbage and kale munching larvae.

But I digress, sorry. Back to Steve and brussels sprouts.

He notes an issue with aphids. Rinsing them off daily helps. My experience with aphids has been very instructional this year, as I had an infestation in my greenhouse that annihilated my oregano and I constantly have to keep after them on the eggplant, but so far I am remaining ahead. I found a recipe for an organic spray that helps. I mix 1 cup of water, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and two tablespoons of liquid soap- NOT detergent, but soap. Check the label- but you can easily find liquid soap at any natural foods store or co-op. I lucked out and found some very inexpensive organic soap with peppermint at the Grocery Outlet- the peppermint was an added bonus because ants don't like it, and as you probably know ants and aphids go together like cowboys and, well, cows... the ants actually herd the aphids onto the plant in order that they can eat what the aphids excrete. So getting rid of aphids also involved controlling the ant population. For that I've used diatomaceous earth. It's worked so-so on the ants. I have to re-apply it every few days or so. But the combo of the two has helped my greenhouse plants tremendously, in their battle against the aphids.

Oh but if you happen to use that mixture, do not apply it in full sun, as the oil can kind of "fry" the leaves. Apply it to the stalks and undersides especially.

[Rabid1]

I already took my first batch of potatoes. I put in a second crop to take in September/October. My corn is nearly there. My broccoli was good, as was the cabbage. My tomatoes and peppers aren't worth a damn, but I started taking my first cucumbers today. My older son helped me plant my cucumbers, and he went overboard. I have way too many, so I will be pickling the majority and eating the rest with store bought tomatoes as a wimpy salad.

I must've been drunk or too busy picking my nose, as I failed to plant anything other than dill... which failed to take. My green and snap beans will soon be in, and then once the corn comes to fruition, I will simply have a few tomatoe and pepper plants that will be in (hopefully). I will likely then plant mustard greens and lettuce varieties, as well as more cabbage, to round out my fall crop.

I have had 100% failure this season with regards to all hot peppers and bell peppers. My larger tomatoes have not done well, and my watermelons have not developed a single vine. Otherwise, my grapes are not producing, but growing. My blueberries are also not producing, but are not growing. My apple trees that had apples have been picked cleam by deer (I wish I could easily and legally shoot the fuckers), and my corn is a few weeks behind schedule courtesy of the lousy weather we have had so far. Otherwise, the potato harvest was significant, broccoli was tasty, and my cucumbers are gourgeous.

Wow I couldn't even start until the 1st week in June. I was going to start a little seed house but I just didn't have the time.

If you want I have a kille recipe for bread and butter pickles that are ready to eat next day. They keep well in the fridge, or you can can them. I was told they still are only good for 5 or 6 months canned because they are not traditionally pickled.

I did forget my grapes and my blackberry forest. My neighbors last year though I was crazy for putting bird food out next to my new blackberry plant. I knew it wouldn't produce much 1st year so I wanted the birds. Now it is growing like crazy, and so are the 9 or ten seedlings from the birds left overs


tons of useful information

Thanks you. I knew about staking them, but that was about it. It is an experiment this year and if they work I will put more effort into them next year. I don't have an aphid problem here but I will keep an eye on them. We do have theses little silk worms that like to come out of the tress and eat bean leave an I would hate to find out that BS leaves were worm sushi.

The info on thinning was different then I had. It said to wait until they were three inches or so. I was going to try to leave two or three to a spot but if they are needy I guess going with just the healthiest one is best.

[Rockytrawn]

Sprouts and other cabbage types can take fall and spring weather that would frost nip more tender veggies....

The problem is that once you've got them you might actually have to eat them!

If you think there might be a rush on food, or a food shortage at your market check out the liver and B. sprouts - it ain't a shortage until those are gone!:thumbs: