Brussel Sprouts

[bojangles]

When are you suppose plant them out in their finally place?? Mine are 6inch high with 3 leaves. Some have gone a bit flopply?? Im not sure why?? I've repotted them on once do I need to do it again??

Thanks

[Chef_uk]

Now would be a good time done mine 2 weeks ago and they have already put on some strong growth.

Floppy leaves could mean they are drying out but i would be more inclined to think they have outlived their current home of nutrients and are more than ready to go in the soil.

[Bren In Pots]

I've planted mine outside today they've been out on the patio table the past couple of weeks and are about the same size as yours so hopefully the slugs won't eat them in one go.

[binley100]

Mine are still too small ......third sowing, first got frazzled, second got snailed ......

[bojangles]

Ok thank you. Can there share a bed with beans?? Well some of them till I dig over another spot?? This is my first year of growing them and only for my mum!!! I cant stand them!! Im hopeing my psp grow now slow from seeds at the moment. Also I know it need to be a filrm soil can I add mulch on top?? Silght problems with weeds. It was a weed field before.

[Florence Fennel]

Mine were mullered by slugs too, twice. I've sown some more, but fear it might be too late so have ordered some plants. Not sure about growing them with beans. Mine have a bed of their own, planted as firmly as I can get them in and this year I'm planning to interplant with borage to try and deter the white fly.

[Kaiya]

http://kailyn.co.uk/wp-content/uploa...5/SAM_0416.jpg
My babies when I planted them out 12/13th May - brussels are the six closest to the camera, then a patch of turnips, then caulis, summer cabbages and brocolli. All of the non-turnips were about 4-6 inches with about 4-6 leaves ish. One cabbage was floppy when I planted it - definitely wilting. I shaded it from the uncommon sun and watered it well. I visited them this Monday (21st) and the turnips look a little harassed but the rest look fine, including floppy. Soil is firm anyway (lovely brussels last year) as I'm no dig and I heel them in with the flat of my hand hoe (sticky clay to sticky for my hands). I'll be mulching with either grass clippings or newspaper plus grass clippings as available. Mulching for weeds and water retention.

http://kailyn.co.uk/wp-content/uploa...5/SAM_0407.jpg
^ I've never mulched before, so first time was mulching my overwintering japanese onions. I mulched them at planting in Nov with a horrible soggy mess of grass clippings and oak leaves, and then again in mid-winter. Note almost complete lack of weeds! (Tiny marigold hiding behind the onion there. It thinks I haven't seen it. Ooooh but I have.) The neighbouring soil without the mulch has about 1000 pot marigolds growing in a 1m square. I'm a convert!

Don't know about interplanting with beans - with the exception of the beet family (happy to share anyone's bed, the little floosies) and the joint curcurbit and sweetcorn bed, all my families have separate beds.

[bojangles]

Thats a fab idea with your onions. I will do that next year. I don't think my onions are doing well compared to yours o dear!!! I do have loads of manure to use as a mulch would that be too much for sprouts?? Ive just re checkd them earlier and yep rootbound doh!! Move some of them into bigger pots and then realised Ive run out of them only very big pots left!! Will have to get some morer asap!! Thanks. Did you tesy your soil and or added lime?? This little patch had manure in winter time and been dugged over a couple of times.

The collars you are using are they cardborad ones?? Must rem to use that too. Thanks

[Kaiya]

I was inspired by Two_Sheds and her onion mulching I'm pleased with them - only been allotmenting a year but seem to do well on aliums - which makes up for failing miserably on most other things!

I don't test my soil or buy lime - I'm a cheap person! I figure it's clay, it's probably gonna grow things ok, my brussels and cabbages did ok last year. I bought some BFB because it was a tenner and I throw that about occasionally, when I remember. That bed probably had a scattering of fresh horse bedding added but I had a re-plan mid-winter with mine so it didn't have as much as planned. I'm not an expert at all - I just tend to chuck things in and wish them luck!

Yeah, the collars are just bits of corrugated cardboard with a Y cut into them. I wet them so they'd hug the ground better and put two on each plant. They're dry now, one blew off but didn't go far so that's back on. The turnips didn't get any collars Too many of them. I didn't use collars last year but thought for the sake of an hour sitting on the floor cutting up cardboard I might as well.

[Andromeda]

My brussels sprouts have been in their final homes for about 2 weeks, the are loving this weather we're currently having. Growing like crazy and between 6 and 9 leaves a piece.

[bojangles]

Kaiya- Im in the same position as you was!! I've mainy growd things in pot's so quite easy!! Now I've got my own plot which is fab cant wait to get just a little bit of control with the weeds!! How big do you make the collars?? Ive got plenty of cardboard. Plus this is all a big learning curve for me.
d I better get them into the ground asap then. Do you add the starks now for support or wait for a bit??

[suzan]

I am a novice and i am about to plant my brussels sprouts, am i right in thinking they need to be in a shady spot and they need poultry manure in the soil?

Any other advice you could give me would be very helpful, thanks.

[Kaiya]

How big do you make the collars?? Ive got plenty of cardboard. Plus this is all a big learning curve for me.
d I better get them into the ground asap then. Do you add the starks now for support or wait for a bit??

Mine were about 4 inches square Probably slightly larger than the shop bought ones. I didn't stake mine last year, they were huge and stocky, I couldn't cut through the stems with secateurs and they took my entire weight and a lot of wobbling to pull up for dinner. I think, had I attached stakes, they would have been holding the stakes up, rather than the other way around! This year I'm just gonna leave them and see how they do - they are further apart than last year so we shall see.

[Kaiya]

I am a novice and i am about to plant my brussels sprouts, am i right in thinking they need to be in a shady spot and they need poultry manure in the soil?

Apparently they like full sun, any soil, well-rotted manure (for water retention?) and all-purpose fertiliser. - Brussels sprouts / RHS Gardening Last year mine got what they were given (clay soil, and that was it) so bar a handful of BFB that's what they are getting this year. I'm mulching them to retain water because of the drought, but I do have a very relaxed approach to plant demands.

[Normans Mum]

I put my brussels in the same bed as peas last year without any great problems. : )