Brussels Sprouts

01 About

Divisive at the table, but deeply satisfying in the garden. Growing your own sprouts — sweet, nutty, harvested fresh on a frosty December morning — is a revelation. Homegrown sprouts bear no resemblance to the overcooked, sulphurous specimens that put people off. They take patience — sown in spring, harvested from autumn through to February — but a well-grown row is one of the most productive and impressive things you can put on a British allotment.

02 What to Grow

Brussels sprouts come in three main types. Standard green varieties are the backbone of the Christmas dinner and produce firm, tight buttons from October through January. Red and purple varieties such as Falstaff have a milder, nuttier flavour and retain their colour when lightly cooked — spectacular on the plate. Baby sprout varieties produce smaller, more tender buttons with a sweeter flavour and are increasingly popular for roasting whole. All types improve dramatically in flavour after the first hard frosts.

03 Varieties

The number of varieties shown for each crop is based on UK consumption data (2025/26) — the more popular the crop, the more variety choices we include.

🟢 Green Sprouts

The classic Christmas sprout. Firm, tight buttons with a sweet, nutty flavour that improves with frost. Real-life photography.

Igor F1

Green

One of the highest-yielding Brussels sprout varieties available. Firm, smooth buttons with excellent mildew resistance. AGM variety. Reliable across all UK regions.

• AGM
• High Yield
• Hardy

Brilliant F1

Green

Very smooth, uniform buttons with excellent flavour. Long cropping season from November through to February. One of the most dependable sprouts for UK conditions.

• ⭐ Flavour
• Hardy

Brodie F1

Green

Extremely firm buttons with very good disease resistance. Mid-season variety ready from November. Reliable and consistent — a favourite with allotment growers.

• AGM
• Hardy
• Reliable

🟣 Red & Purple Sprouts

Striking colour and milder, nuttier flavour. Colour is best preserved with brief cooking — roasting rather than boiling. Real-life photography.

Falstaff

Red

The definitive red Brussels sprout. Deep burgundy buttons with a mild, nutty flavour. Colour holds well when roasted. Very hardy and reliable.

• Heritage
• ⭐ Flavour

Redarling

Red

Compact red sprout with very firm buttons. Good disease resistance and reliable cropping. Flavour improves noticeably after the first frosts. Excellent for roasting whole.

• Hardy
• ⭐ Flavour

Red Bull F1

Red

Striking dark red-purple buttons. Milder and sweeter than green types. Mid-season variety, ready from late November. Excellent roasted with balsamic vinegar.

• ⭐ Flavour
• Ornamental

04 Where to Source

Sprout seed is available from all main online seed companies from January. Because sprouts have a long growing season, ordering early in the year ensures the best variety choice. Garden centres stock plug plants from April, which is a good option for a first attempt. Market stalls sell plug plants in spring — look for sturdy, dark-stemmed plants rather than tall and leggy ones.

📦 Seeds

The widest choice of varieties comes from seed, sown under cover in spring — the only way to grow F1 hybrids bred for a uniform, all-at-once crop, or older varieties picked for flavour over convenience.

🏪 Garden Centres

Garden centres stock young plug plants from late spring, a straightforward option if you missed the sowing window or only want a few plants.

🛒 Market Stalls & Nurseries

Local nurseries and market stalls often sell sturdy plug plants alongside other brassicas in late spring — a good option for a small number of strong, ready-to-plant seedlings.

05 Planting Options

🌱 Open Ground

The traditional choice for sprouts, which need a long season and plenty of root room. Plant at 75cm spacing each way in a firm, well-trodden bed — loose soil produces loose, poor-quality sprouts.

🪵 Raised Bed

Works well if space allows a bed of at least 75cm x 75cm per plant. The contained soil is easier to firm thoroughly, which matters more for sprouts than almost any other brassica — tread it down well before planting.

06 Companion Planting

✅ Grow nearby

• 

  🌸 Nasturtiums

  Trap crop for cabbage white butterflies. Nasturtiums at the bed perimeter draw egg-laying butterflies away from Brussels sprouts and attract beneficial predatory insects to the area.

• 

  🌿 Thyme

  Thyme near brassicas is thought to confuse and deter cabbage white butterflies. Its aromatic oils may reduce egg-laying on neighbouring Brussels sprout plants.

• 

  🥬 Celery

  Celery planted alongside Brussels sprouts is thought to deter cabbage white butterfly. The strong celery scent may help mask the presence of the sprout plants from egg-laying insects.

❌ Keep apart

• 🍅 Tomatoes — Nightshades and brassicas compete strongly for nutrients. Keep in separate beds and rotate every year.
• 🍓 Strawberries — Strawberries and brassicas make poor companions and can suppress each other when planted close together.
• 🌿 Fennel — Fennel is allelopathic to most vegetables — keep it well away from all brassica crops.

07 Sowing — How To

1. 

   Sow in modules

   Sow one seed per module at 1cm depth in a propagator at 15–18°C. Germination in 7–10 days. Do not sow direct — sprouts need a long, steady start under cover.

2. 

   Grow on steadily

   Grow on in a cold frame or cool greenhouse. Do not force with heat — sturdy, stocky plants produce better crops. Harden off over 10–14 days before planting out.

3. 

   Harden off in a cold frame

   Move plants to an unheated cold frame for their final 10-14 days before planting out. This toughens growth so plants establish quickly once in the ground, rather than sitting still while they adjust.

4. 

   Prepare the bed

   Sprouts must have a very firm bed. Tread the soil well and rake level. Loose soil produces loose, blown sprouts. Add lime if pH is below 7.0.

5. 

   Transplant at 75cm

   Plant at 75cm spacing each way — sprouts need space and air. Firm in extremely well. Plant slightly deeper than in the module to give extra stem support.

6. 

   Stake in late summer

   By September plants will be tall and top-heavy. Push a stout cane in beside each plant and tie securely. This prevents wind rock which causes loose, poor-quality sprouts.

7. 

   Harvest from the bottom

   Snap the lowest buttons off when they reach marble size and are tightly closed. Work upwards as the season progresses. Harvest continues from October through to February.

08 Regional Timing

Regional sowing & harvest timing

Region	Sow / plant	Harvest	Notes
Scotland & Far North	Mar–Apr	Oct–Jan	Sow under cover in late March. Transplant May–June. Choose fast-maturing varieties. · late Mar – Apr
Northern England	Mar–Apr	Oct–Jan	Sow in modules under cover from March. Transplant May–June. · Mar – Apr
Midlands & Wales	Feb–Apr	Oct–Jan	February sowings under cover give the longest season with harvest from October. · Feb – Apr
Ireland & Isle of Man	Feb–Apr	Oct–Jan	February sowings under cover give the longest season with harvest from October. · Feb – Apr
South & SE England	Feb–Apr	Oct–Feb	February start under cover. Transplant by late May for December–January harvest. · Feb – Apr
South Coast & SW	Feb–Apr	Oct–Feb	Mild winters allow harvest well into February. February start recommended. · Feb – Apr

09 Using a Propagator

Brussels sprouts do not need heat to germinate — they are a cool-season brassica that performs best when sown without artificial warmth. A cold frame or unheated greenhouse from March is ideal. Using a heated propagator produces soft, drawn seedlings that transplant poorly and are more susceptible to disease.

Heated propagator

Not recommended for Brussels sprouts. If used, set no higher than 15°C and transfer seedlings to a cool, bright location immediately after germination. Heat at this stage encourages weak, spindly growth.

Standard unheated propagator — A lidded seed tray traps warmth and humidity around germinating seeds without electricity. Performance depends entirely on room temperature — best placed on a warm windowsill and used from March onwards. Replace the lid promptly after watering. Remove it completely the moment seedlings emerge to prevent damping off.

1. 

   Fill modules

   Fill a module tray with fresh seed compost. Press one seed per cell to 1cm depth. Water lightly with a fine rose.

2. 

   Place in cold frame

   Set the tray in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Close the lid at night. No heat required — cool, consistent conditions are ideal.

3. 

   Germination

   Germination takes 7–10 days at 10–18°C. Once seedlings emerge, ventilate during the day by propping the lid to prevent damping off.

4. 

   Grow on steadily

   Grow seedlings on in the cold frame until they are 10–15cm tall with a strong root system before transplanting. Do not rush — a well-rooted transplant establishes far better than a small one.

Windowsill alternative: A bright south-facing windowsill can substitute from late February. Place a clear polythene bag loosely over the pot during germination. Remove immediately once seedlings appear.

10 Soil Requirements

pH

6.5–7.5

Best

Loam, Clay loam

Tolerates

Clay

Avoid

Sandy, Waterlogged, Loose

11 Ongoing Care

💧 Watering

Water consistently through summer. Drought causes buttons to blow and open. A thorough weekly soaking is better than frequent light watering. Mulch around plants to retain moisture.

🌱 Feeding

Apply a balanced granular feed at planting. A nitrogen feed in July encourages good leaf growth. Avoid high nitrogen in late summer — it produces lush leaves at the expense of tight buttons.

🪵 Staking

Staking is not optional for tall varieties. Wind rock is the most common cause of poor sprouts. Stake all plants by September and check ties regularly through autumn and winter.

12 Watch Out For

🐛 Insects & pests

• 🦋 Cabbage Moth Caterpillar — Wilting or collapse of the central growing point of cabbages and Brussels sprouts
• 🦋 Cabbage White Caterpillar — Yellow, ribbed, skittle-shaped eggs in neat clusters on the underside of leaves in summer
• 🐜 Aphids (Blackfly & Greenfly) — Curled, distorted, or stunted growing tips — aphids inject saliva that causes leaf curl to protect them
• 🐌 Slugs & Snails — Silver slime trails on leaves, soil, and pots — often the first sign before damage is found

🍄 Diseases to watch

• 🥦 Clubroot — Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) is arguably the most feared soil-borne disease in UK kitchen gardens. It persists in the soil as resting spores for up to 20 years — meaning a bed that becomes infected is effectively lost for brassica growing for two decades without extraordinary intervention. Crop rotation is the most critical preventive measure.
• 🔵 Downy Mildew — Downy mildew is caused by oomycetes (water moulds) and is completely unrelated to powdery mildew despite the similar name. It thrives in cool, wet, humid conditions and is most damaging in spring and autumn. Each host plant has its own specific downy mildew species. Lettuce downy mildew can destroy an entire bed within days in the right conditions.
• 🩶 Botrytis (Grey Mould) — Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) is the most ubiquitous fungal pathogen in temperate gardens — present in virtually every garden soil and on plant debris. It becomes a disease only when conditions favour it: cool, humid, poorly ventilated environments with damaged or senescent plant tissue. In a greenhouse in autumn it can destroy an entire tomato or grape crop.

Full identification and treatment advice is in the Pests and Diseases sections.

13 Storage & Preserving

🌿 On the stem

The best storage is on the plant. Leave sprouts on the stem in the garden until needed — they hold in perfect condition through hard frosts and often improve in flavour after freezing temperatures.

❄️ Refrigerate

Picked sprouts keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Store loose in an open bag. Do not wash until ready to cook.

🥶 Freeze

Blanch for 3 minutes, cool in ice water, pat dry and freeze in a single layer before bagging. Frozen sprouts are excellent roasted from frozen.

14 Expert Tips

15 Common Mistakes

16 See Also

• 🔄 Crop Rotation
• 🌼 Companion Planting
• ♻️ Composting