Kitchen Garden Forum

My 5 brussels plants have failed to develop very far since I planted them in May. Usually by end of August they are 3ft high, mine have grown to 18", reasonably healthy looking but with no sign of sprouts on them. Bought them from a nursery so don't know the variety, but could they have been in the pot too long, and this has caused the problem? Still time for them to have a late burst, but I'm not hopeful! Any thoughts welcome.
John N

Yours are taller than mine! Think it's rotten weather.

Same here, John and Colin.. Our sprouts (Cascade) and calabrese (Monterey) are much smaller than in previous years in spite of being grown in very similar conditions. I, too, think it's this year's peculiar weather.

I would say it was the variety. Without knowing which one, though, it would be wrong to pronounce on them. Some varieties are dwarf, and late to bud up. Yours may be one of these.

I would say it was the variety.

I wish! Mine is the same as last year and half the size. Clodius - not a tall grower but not the midget-sized that it is this year.

Hi Colin,
I suspect that it is not only too much water but an enormous drop in light levels this year. Commercial growers are in real trouble with Calabrese but have not heard about Brussels Sprouts so far but I think the entire cabbage family will be in the same boat.
JB.

JB I am sure you are right about the light levels. My Kilaxy cabbages, which did splendidly last year are similarly midget-sized and I doubt if they will come to anything. On the other hand my Sprouting Broccoli, planted out just a month ago are looking promising - provided I can keep the Cabbage Whites off.

It looks like the price of veg is going to rocket this year!

And with regard to sprouts, this is what this link says
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/9503741/The-farmers-hell-after-the-heavens-opened.html[/quote]

[quote]The crop that’s worrying us most is the brussels sprouts. We should have started harvesting them already, but they’ve been so stressed and are still so small that we won’t be able to begin until mid-September, which means four weeks’ lost production.”

There is no question about how undeveloped these sprout-lets are, either. A trip into the fields reveals them to be the size of peas, rather than golf balls; the leaves and stalks are shin-high when they should be thigh-high.