Casiopea Brussels Sprouts

Brassica oleracea L. conv. oleracea var. gemmifera

Originates from Belgium. The plant grows up to 1 m in height. It is densely covered with long-stalked leaves, in whose axils small firm sprouts form. These are 30-40 mm in size. It flowers in the second year.

Thanks to its high content of proteins, minerals and fiber, it is ranked among the healthiest brassica crops. It is rich in vitamin C, E and minerals, especially zinc, phosphorus and sulfur. It is characterized by low energy value, which is why it is used in diets and healthy eating. The taste is very delicate and in the kitchen it is used in soups or as a side dish.

How to Grow Brussels Sprouts

• The plants are frost-resistant. They tolerate temperatures from -10 to -15 °C without problems. They require sunny or partially shaded locations. At the beginning of summer, plants require large amounts of water. The soil should never dry out. We regularly hoe around the plants and remove weeds. We also regularly lime and fertilize. For better sprout formation, we break off the top of the plant, ideally at the end of summer. Sprouts that experience frost have significantly better taste.

• We sow seeds in April in a hotbed or heated greenhouse. We plant seedlings from June to July in beds at 50×70 cm spacing.

  Direct sowing at the site is done in mid-April in rows 0.6 m apart. At the 2-leaf stage, we thin to 0.5 m distance.

• Medium-heavy loamy humus soils with sufficient supply of nutrients and soil moisture are suitable.

• We can use any NPK fertilizer designed for vegetables and follow the dosage on the package. Basic fertilization is done in autumn, when we work 5–7 kg of farmyard manure/m2 into the soil and thoroughly lime the soil. Another 20–25 g of nitrogen/m2 is worked in before planting. During vegetation, it is necessary to add another 8g of nitrogen/m2 and distribute this dose evenly. Additionally, during vegetation we add 13g P2O5/m2, 25 g K2O/m2 and 5 g MgO/m2 in the form of NPK fertilizer.

• Brussels sprouts may be affected by alternaria leaf spot of brassicas, downy mildew, large white butterfly, small white butterfly, cabbage moth, diamondback moth, field vole and aphids.

  Alternaria leaf spot manifests on stems and cotyledon leaves of young plants as small brown-black to black, slightly sunken spots. The spots subsequently merge and with severe infestation the plants die. Treatment with Ortiva preparation is suitable.

  Small white butterfly and large white butterfly damage plants by feeding and leave their droppings on them. We treat plants with Steward or Karate Zeon, Biobit or Dimilin 48 SC preparations.

  Downy mildew attacks mainly young plants in hotbeds. It creates light green to yellow-green undefined spots on leaves. Gray-white coatings of sporangiophores and sporangia grow on the underside. We carry out protection with Ortiva or Dithane DG Neotec products.

• We harvest as needed until frost and throughout winter. We harvest whole plants from which we twist off the sprouts, or we pick individual sprouts as needed.