Kitchen Garden Forum

hello all
I'm a bit (very) new to all this, so please excuse what may be a stupid question!
I have raised some Sprout seedlings ("Falstaff") which are a bit leggy and although now growing ok, seem to be suffering from being blown about-the stems seem a bit scraped. My question is - can I "earth up" or bury the stems, or will this rot the plant? Should I dig the whole lot up and replant, or just re-sow? Any help most gratefully received!

Hi there! & welcome!
sorry to hear about your sprouts! you say that hte stems look scraped? They may have been munched by snails/slugs, but not all the way through, this would weaken them, and they will then suffer from being blown about. Does this seem like it could be the case? (look for slime trails around your little plants)
I don't know about earthing up, it may well cause problems if the stems are not intact. You should stake the plants at the very least, to give them stability while they recover.
all the best, Emma.

Hello Norfolkbird
I would start again. Sprouts are in the ground for a long time and grow into large heavy plants. You'll have to space them at 2½ to 3ft apart so any early weaknesses in growth will only get worse and you'll finish up with a load of blown sprouts in the Autumn.

I start my seeds off in a small seed tray outside (no heat or protection needed at this time of year) and prick the seedlings out into modules or small pots at the 'first pair of leaves' stage to grow on outdoors. When the the plants are eventually ready to plant out in the ground plant them deeply in a shallow depression with a sprinkle of fertilizer - you can back fill this as they grow on. Make sure the ground where you put them is really firm - tread it down as hard as you can. A little lime later on will help.

You could simply sow a short row of seeds directly and grow these on to transplant stage in the ground. Thin them out though to ensure that they don't crowd each other and become leggy.

John

Thank you so much! I think I will take both your advice, stake them for now, but re-sow some more, if you think there is still time, and see what happens! You can never have enough sprouts....and the dogs love them! Shame about the effects they have on the dogs some time later, but that is for another time...

Its actually recommended that you earth-up brussels sprouts to give them a stronger footing. people would normally do this during the summer.
Brussel sprouts should also be planted quite deep.

I would say you are safe to earth up to the growing point of the newest leaves.

well, I didn't know that! I will earth mine up when they get a bit bigger.
Should Norfolkbird do this too, considering the stems may be damaged?
Thanks, Emma!

Brassicas need to be very firmly planted as they don't like to be rocked about.
For taller brassicas like sprouting broc, sprouts and romanesco i plant into a 1 foot deep trenches so that the sides of the trench protect the little plants from wind. I also plant them deeply at the bottom of the trench right up to the first set of leaves (the baby ones not true leaves)and firm them in with my boot. The trenches fill in naturally over time wind & rain action so i guess they are being earthed up too.

I plant them much closer then recommended as i always have plenty of plants and as someone said they are in the ground a long time and a lot can happen between planting out and maturing therefore i have spares in the ground and thin out to the strongest bit by bit through the year until they have a decent spacing and stake the remaining plants.

You could draw soil banks up alongside your current sprout row now and see if that helps.

I have a belt and braces approach to brassicas as they are our main winter and early spring crops, and i would hate to loose them.

Good advice cevenol jardin.

The idea of sowing in trenchs for many different veg, i have heard, is quite common across the Mediterranean countries. Its an interesting idea, and one in the future i could well try. It seems like a positve practice, particulary for Irrigation issues.

I also stake each of my brassica plants for support. My plot suffers from western winds.

I would also say that sprouts are the brassica for which footholding/support is a biggest issue. Since if they rock they will generally blow their sprouts.

It is benifital also for sprouting broccolis, etc, but since we are eating a flowering part of the plant, i feel its not as critical. Though i am guessing a well supported plant of the romanesco/cauliflower/calabrese family would give a tighter/bigger head in field trials??