Brussels

[devonstewParticipant]

My brussels have done very poorly this year and I’m wondering why. Have other peoples done well?
The variety was Igor F1 and they were sowed early May, transplanted 20th June.
The plants never really got big, next to the PSB which are enormous this year they look slightly pathetic.
The sprouts are small to tiny though very tasty. I thought with the mild winter they would have bulked out long ago.
Anyway, like to here if anyone else’s struggled….!!

[ashleighParticipant]

our best variety of sprouts this year was Seven Hills, from Real Seed Catalogue. i chose them because they are more wind resistant than most and they did really well on our ridiculously exposed site. we will be growing them every year now.

[BellamaxMember]

Sorry to hear of your disappointment. On our really exposed, windy site in the Pennines to the north of Manchester, our Brussels this year are the best ever. The variety, tried for the first time, was Crispi from Dobies which is apparently club root resistant. Good sweet taste, and large firm sprouts in spite of the rocking wind. I have used metal “road pins” – the sort that road menders use to support temporary fencing – as any wooden stakes snap in the high winds. Each plant is about 1 metre high and produced from early November right through to even now. They seem to “hold well” and not “blow”. What also helped was a fortunate gift of several barrow loads of really well rotted old horse manure.

[charlesModerator]

 Devonstew yours were sown and planted at good times – maybe too close to the large psb? I gave mine more space this year, one row in a 40 inch bed, 24 inches apart. Variety Doric F1, excellent large sprouts all winter, so they have liked the conditions, especially the mildness, but also do need staking as Bellamax says.

Like all brassicas they like heavy, dense soil and Devonstew are you on lighter sandstone? May need extra organic matter….

[devonstewParticipant]

Thanks for your replies, i’m glad people are enjoying their sprouts.
Our soil here is quite heavy, not sandy at all, and they got a good load of horse manure too, so perhaps they just needed more space. Yours have a lot more than ours Charles.
Can’t remember exactly what we did for spacing, and as its blowing like mad and lashing with rain think I’ll have a look a bit later

[JayjayParticipant]

Excuse my ignorance but what is psb? I googled it and got the Pet Shop Boys and other terms that didn’t seem to be relevant here. I will probably feel very foolish when you tell me the answer but hey, someone’s got to ask the daft questions, this time it’s me! Thanks, Jeanette.

[bluebellParticipant]

Purple Sprouting broccoli

[JayjayParticipant]

Thank you Bluebell, I knew it would be something I should know!

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