How to Grow Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts At a Glance
Difficulty
Challenging
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -12°C
Plant Family
Brassicaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Biennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Brussels sprouts handle frost, so sow them about 3 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow 2 to 3 seeds 0.5 cm deep every 45 cm and cover lightly. They sprout in 5 to 10 days: keep the strongest seedling at each spot and snip off the others.
Brussels sprouts are slow, about 105 days, but they are one of the last crops standing in fall and taste sweeter after a few frosts. The secret to tight sprouts is firm soil: in loose soil they open up into loose tufts.
When To Start
First chance to plant
45 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
90 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Brussels Sprouts?
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Your Brussels Sprouts Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Brussels Sprouts Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow Brussels sprouts outdoors now, they handle frost
3 weeks before your last frost· every year
Optional: start Brussels sprouts indoors in small cells
8 weeks before your last frost· every year· optional
Plant indoor Brussels sprout seedlings out in firm soil
3 weeks after your last frost· every year· optional
Pick Brussels sprouts from the bottom up, sweeter after frost
Around your first frost· every year· optional
Did you water your brussels sprouts seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your Brussels sprouts are growing tall! Firm the soil around the stem so the plant stays upright.
About 45 days after you plant it
Sprouts are on the way! Pick the firm ones from the bottom of the stem first, then work your way up.
About 80 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your brussels sprouts.
About 105 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Brussels Sprouts's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
0.5 cm
Seeding Depth
45 cm
Plant Spacing
90 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Tower.
Method: Tower.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow Brussels sprouts in full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
- 2Mix plenty of compost into the bed before planting, then press the soil down firmly around each plant, because firm soil makes tight sprouts.
- 3Water deeply about once a week so the soil stays evenly moist, and lay mulch around the plants to hold the moisture in.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks through summer.
- 5Tie the tall stems to a stake in late summer so fall winds do not tip them over.
- 6Cover young plants with row cover against the small white butterflies whose green caterpillars chew the leaves, and spray aphids off with water.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~105
Days to Maturity
76 cm
Mature Height
61 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
45 days
When to Pick
Pick firm sprouts from bottom up
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking when the lowest sprouts are firm and about 2 to 3 cm across.
- 2Snap or cut them off from the bottom of the stem up, and pull off the yellow leaves below them as you go.
- 3About 4 weeks before you want a big final harvest, pinch out the top of the plant so the sprouts left on the stem grow bigger together.
- 4Leave the plants standing into fall, since a few frosts make the sprouts sweeter.
- 5Keep sprouts unwashed in a bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or blanch them (boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then cool in cold water) and freeze them.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Brussels sprouts only make seed in their second year, after a winter, so the plants must survive the cold in the ground under thick mulch, or be dug up, kept in a cold cellar and replanted in spring. They cross with cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and collards, since these are all the same kind of plant, so let only one of them flower within about 800 m. A single plant pollinates itself poorly, so let at least 6 plants flower together, and remember that hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true. Once most of the thin pods are dry and brown, cut the stalks and hang them in a dry place to finish, then crush the pods in a bag and pick out the round seeds. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place for about 4 years.
Seed Production
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