It's December and the Advent period leading to Christmas. How can any plot holder mention the festive period without mentioning Brussels Sprouts? Like a lot of children I was never a fan of sprouts but I adore them now with a lovely cooked lunch on a Sunday. As non-meat eaters, varied vegetables and flavours are important to my family.
Of course, I always want a few sprouts ready for Christmas on the plot so, back in March, I sowed some Brigitte F1 sprouts. Unfortunately I lost my seedlings to a snail in the greenhouse - the little blighter chomped every stem! I was ready to sow a second batch but I was offered a number of Bosworth F1 sprouts. I'd never grown these before but, as they had the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS, I thought they shouldn't be too bad. Sure enough, they have developed well with very few 'blown' sprouts. Bosworth F1 are classed as an 'early' variety and I've been picking a handful most weekends since the end of October.
Of course, I always want a few sprouts ready for Christmas on the plot so, back in March, I sowed some Brigitte F1 sprouts. Unfortunately I lost my seedlings to a snail in the greenhouse - the little blighter chomped every stem! I was ready to sow a second batch but I was offered a number of Bosworth F1 sprouts. I'd never grown these before but, as they had the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS, I thought they shouldn't be too bad. Sure enough, they have developed well with very few 'blown' sprouts. Bosworth F1 are classed as an 'early' variety and I've been picking a handful most weekends since the end of October.
Some of the plants have grown to a decent height but this can be a disadvantage for sprouts in high winds as the plants can suffer from 'wind rock'. Literally the movement of the plants in the wind loosens the roots, snapping the underground micro-roots which serve to feed the plant - this is a major cause of the spouts 'blowing' (opening up). Earthing up around the base of the stem and staking can help matters.
If you really like Brussels Sprouts then take a look at issue 195 (Dec 2013 edition, pp77-79) of Kitchen Garden magazine which has a very bizarre article on how to make a Christmas Brussels Sprout wreath for your door! No, really! (Cover pictured below). Personally I prefer to keep the sprouts on my plate but if you 're lucky enough to have a surplus on your plot you now know what to do with them!
If you really like Brussels Sprouts then take a look at issue 195 (Dec 2013 edition, pp77-79) of Kitchen Garden magazine which has a very bizarre article on how to make a Christmas Brussels Sprout wreath for your door! No, really! (Cover pictured below). Personally I prefer to keep the sprouts on my plate but if you 're lucky enough to have a surplus on your plot you now know what to do with them!
No comments:
Post a Comment