key growing information

Growing Brussels Sprouts

How to grow Brussels sprouts from seed: transplant timing, spacing, pest and disease prevention, topping for a once-over harvest, picking after frost, and storage.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Brussels Sprouts - Key Growing Information

Preparing a stalk of Brussels sprouts for harvest.

CULTURE:

Grow Brussels sprouts in fertile soil with regular watering and a pH above 6.0.

DAYS TO MATURITY:

Counted from transplanting; allow about 20 more days when direct sowing.

TRANSPLANTING:

In May, sow ¼" deep, 2–3 seeds per cell in 72-cell plug flats , or 3–4 seeds per inch in 20-row flats . Plants are usually ready to set out in 4–6 weeks. Space them 18–24" apart in rows 30–36" apart. Feed well and water during dry spells to keep growth steady.

DIRECT SEEDING:

Roughly 4 months before your expected fall frost, plant ¼–½" deep in groups of 3 seeds every 18", rows 30–36" apart, and thin each group to a single plant.

INSECT PESTS:

Floating row cover laid over young plants at planting keeps flea beetles and root maggots away. If flea beetle pressure gets heavy, use pyrethrin or azadirachtin. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) controls cabbage worms and loopers. To head off cutworms, till the soil 2–4 weeks before planting to incorporate cover crops and kill weeds.

DISEASE:

Prevention is the best approach: (1) rotate with non-brassica crops for several years, (2) use clean seed-starting mix and seedbeds, and (3) keep tools and fields clean. Select Brussels sprouts seed lots that tested negative for black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) and black leg (Phoma lingam).

NOTE:

A negative test only means the pathogen wasn't detected in the sample examined; it is not a guarantee the whole lot is disease-free, and no seed treatment can promise that either. Feel free to contact us with specific questions.

WHOLE-STALK HARVESTING, MARKETING, AND TOPPING:

To harvest a whole stalk at once with sprouts of even size, top the plants once the lowest sprouts are ½–¾" across by pinching out the growing tip (the small rosette of leaves at the very top). The stalk will fill out with uniform sprouts in roughly 4 weeks.

HARVEST:

Begin picking after the first frost and continue through December in most regions, or all winter where cold is mild. Choose firm, tight sprouts: snap off the leaf beneath each one, then break off the sprout. Sprouts higher on the stalk keep developing as you pick from the bottom.

STORAGE:

Before the ground freezes, pull whole plants, roots and all, and keep them in a humid cooler at 32°F (0°C) or a cold cellar for 4–6 weeks.

TRANSPLANTS (AVG.):

About 800 transplants per 1,000 seeds.

SEEDS/LB.:

75,000–120,000 (average 100,000).

PACKET:

100 seeds per packet, enough for about 33'.