Why are my brussels blowing ?

[sewer rat]

My Evesham sprouts have blown this year (500 plants) - gutted as all my box customers will be looking for sprouts in their Xmas boxes - so I will have to buy them in now

[MaureenHall]

This thread makes me feel a lot better about my sprouts About half of them have blown, but as it's the first time I've grown them I put it down to inexperience. Think I might have just about enough tight buttons for a christmas dinner and the chooks are enjoying the rest

[Two_Sheds]

I got 20 X F1 Brussels Sprout seeds for �3 as opposed to 500 seeds of an open pollinated type for under a quid

good point well made.
However, 20 seeds would last me 2 or 3 years ... I don't like that many sprouts.

It also helps if you sow more than one variety, so if one fails you have a fallback; get ones that mature at different times so you have less of a glut (although they freeze well).

[Flummery]

They'll be like individual baby cabbages for your chooks then Maureen! Ahh!
I don't even like sprouts. I just feel I ought to grow some. Shan't bother next year. I'm too old to take all this disappointment! (Ahh again!)

[hooraynana]

I think blown sprouts are delicious - seem to be more subtle flavour than the tightly formed sprouts.
Good job i think this as mine have all blown lol

[Woofster]

The good thing about this site is that you never feel as if you are alone. Every time I have posted about a disappointment there have been plenty of members who are experiencing the same thing. It cheers me up a bit. The one I really feel sorry for is Sewer Rat having to buy in sprouts for all his customers. That puts my woes in proportion.

[Snadger]

good point well made.
However, 20 seeds would last me 2 or 3 years ... I don't like that many sprouts.

It also helps if you sow more than one variety, so if one fails you have a fallback; get ones that mature at different times so you have less of a glut (although they freeze well).

Out of the 20 seeds I got 12 plants! Luckily I had plenty of my own self saved seed and have grown another dozen of these. Hybrids are nearly finished and tuthers are just starting to mature!

[BrideXIII]

The good thing about this site is that you never feel as if you are alone. Every time I have posted about a disappointment there have been plenty of members who are experiencing the same thing. It cheers me up a bit. The one I really feel sorry for is Sewer Rat having to buy in sprouts for all his customers. That puts my woes in proportion.

nah he could just give them cabbages and claim they were show winning sprouts.

[di]

Well,this year we supposedly did everything per instruction with them & all but one stick blew(the chooks managed to get at the other one!!)....however,our lottie neighbour,whom seems to have given up mid season,now has a plot resembling a wilderness of thistles/grass/dandelions & bindweed.........& 3 perfect specimens of sprout!!!!

[Skotch]

Mine have blown too. Are they still edible or will the bunnys enjoy them more?

You can still eat them - we shred them and then steam them with chestnuts - still taste good