How to Grow Brussels Sprouts {Start to Finish}

Are you thinking about growing Brussels sprouts this year for a winter harvest? Well now is the time to plant those seeds!

Brief description: Brussels sprouts are a cabbage-like vegetable and are part of the mustard family.  They have a richer, less bitter taste than cabbage, though.

Where to Plant Brussels Sprouts:  Plant in fertile, well-drained soil in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.  They can be grown in raised beds or garden beds.

Planting Seeds:  Direct sow seeds 1/4″ deep.  When seedlings are 2″ tall, thin to one about every 2 feet.

Growing Tips:  Brussels sprouts like slightly acidic soil.  Don’t be tempted to cram them in tighter than 24″ apart–they are one of those plants that need plenty of space to grow.  They do best in cool weather, so as tempting as it may be to plant them in spring for a summer harvest, don’t, it makes them taste super bitter.

How to Harvest:  Brussels sprouts mature from the bottom up, so pick the them from the bottom up.  Pick off sprouts when they are firm and about 1-2″ in diameter.

Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.

Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!

~Mavis

Gardening books hold kind of a special place in my heart. I wouldn’t be the gardener I am today {or maybe not a gardener at all} if it weren’t for a few gardening books I picked up years ago. I spent almost the entire winter of 2008/2009 reading up on gardening. I found some incredible reads that taught me so much and made me realize how much I didn’t know. So I’ve never stopped reading gardening books.

Here are just a few of my favorites, although if we’re being honest, narrowing this list down was virtually impossible. Gardening books are right up there with the bible {okay, not quite, but you get the idea!}.

My Favorite Garden Books:

• Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting
• The Complete Compost Gardening Guide
• Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
• Sugar Snaps and Strawberries 
• The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
• The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook