Talkback: Brussels sprouts

Gardeners' World Web User

I love sprouts. They are my favourite veg. Xmas is not Xmas without them. My one problem is space. I have to cover all brassicas due to the plague proportions of cabbage white butterflys and other bugs that love them as much as me. Are there any "dwarf sprouts" in the pipeline, or at least some varieties that have much smaller leaves?

Gardeners' World Web User

Me too, gaynorthegardener. I took over a neglected allotment in April. I did try sowing sprouts but they are still very small - about the size of a marble. Never mind, we had loads of beans and courgettes and cabbage and leeks and turnips. And the jungle gave us lots of blackberries. Next year we will have sprouts.

Gardeners' World Web User

I planted 2 purple sprout plants from seed at Easter last year, and they grew 5' tall!! They were full of sprouts, but when I picked them all, trimmed them and blanched them, I had enough to feed 2 people!! AND, incidentally, I only learned AFTERWARDS that the purple colour would come out if I blanched them in salted water. My lovely mum informed me that I needed to put a splash of vinegar in the cooking water to stop this happening. I was left with a small bowl of grey sprouts... very appealing!

BUT, and here's the amazing thing, when I cooked them up on Christmas day, the purple colour returned as I put that special splash of vinegar in the pan...pure magic!! And, although there weren't enough to go around, they really did taste nice.

This year I will plant more than 2 plants, so that there is enough to share at Christmas. However, as I am now running an afterschool gardening club, I most probably won't get to see many of them for myself!! Still, maybe this will encourage more teenagers to eat them.

Incidentally, I have been able to get my teenage nephews to eat them, but only if they are wrapped in bacon. Still, they ate about 15 each on Christmas day, so they had their vitamin C and roughage for the day!!

Gardeners' World Web User

can anyone tell me why all my sprouts have "blown" on the stalks? last year the pidgeons ate the sprouts, this year i had a bad infestation of cabbage whites and caterpillers, is this connected in anyway

Gardeners' World Web User

Im ben and im 13 i want to know if anyone has any advice on growing sprouts, im going to grow them this year.

Gardeners' World Web User

Im in the same boat, no sprouts. When can I sow the seeds for next year just to make sure I dont have the same problem. I love sprouts and looked around our allotments to find many people had great storks laden with sprouts, but I only took over my plot in April and it was an overgrown jungle which has taken me nearly all year to work. I would be gratefull for all advise as Im a newby of this great hobby.