Blowing Sprouts

I normally grow Brussels Sprouts. Because I like them and are very much into winter veg.

In my view nothing like  a row of Brussels Sprouts in my Winter garden.

This year they looked happy and were growing strong until about a month ago when the ‘buds’ started to appear. 

Not tight little round balls ready for harvest but mini-cabbages glued to the side of the stalk.

This is called ‘blowing out’. Instead of staying compacted the sprouts open up like, well like ermm.. 

 This is not what I expected to see. So why did this happen? 

Is my soil not right? Did I plant them too close together? Should I have fertilised them? What?

There could be a few reasons.

Soil too Loose

I suspect the main reason is that I didn’t firm them in hard enough.

 Brussels, like Cauliflowers like to be snug so the soil needs to be firmed before planting and pushed in (with your foot) all around the plant.

I confess I didn’t do that. Brussels Sprouts get quite tall and when they rock in the wind their roots can snap resulting in ‘blowing out’.

Soil Too Acidic

Brussels Sprouts (like many Brassicas) will fail if the soil is too acidic. I am aiming for a pH of 6.5-7.5 so lime the soil to correct it. 

So… you live and you learn. That’s what I love about vegetable growing. And, armed with this kind of knowledge, there’s always next year!