Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => GARDENING AROUND THE HOUSE => Topic started by: KONASDAD on July 10, 2008, 10:46:40 am
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I have never grown them before but did this year. They are begining to form the sprouts on the main stem. How do I harvest? Do I just remove the sprout?, or take the whole plant and remove afterwards?
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they are supposed to be best when exposed to frost but its been many years since i've grown them. i think you're supposed to leave them on until they are all ready but someone with better knowledge might show up here and be more of a help.
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I asked my mom. She says if it's late in the season, and you don't think it will produce any more, or if you want to store it in your basement or something, you harvest the whole plant. Typically for a home garden you just snap off the sprouts.
~Amanda
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My Dad just pops 'em off when they're big enough to eat, leaves the plant growing.
...JP
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I guess I'll start popping them off this weekend as they are almost as big as supermarket sprouts. Good for the diet too! Our veggies are begining to explode, I love this time of the season. Tonite is corn, yellow and green squash w/ salds cucs, tomatoes ...you get idea. Only the protein was purchased!!!
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They are more bitter before a frost, but if you wait too long to remove them, they'll open up and only be good for bitter greens. So, you probably need to do an early harvest and maybe you'll still have some left to harvest with the whole stalk in the fall.
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I have always left them on the plant so I have fresh sprouts for Thanksgiving, they really do improve with a good hard frosting. After that I'll take off whatever remains, they go pretty fast around here!
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I usually harvest them when they get a little bigger than my thumb. Just cut off the bigger ones and let the other grow. The stalk will start to look like a limbed tree but it will normally keep producing until frost.
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I am glad I asked. I have 4 plants and I think I will be eating them until thanksgiving! Good. I love fresh, and I only need maybe 6 or 7 per meal. I should have enough for months. They are huge plants. Can't help but notice how similar they look like collards.
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I grew them for the first time this year, too. But mine are not well developed. They got eaten by the cabbage butterfly larva. They are just starting to recover from that.
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Come to think of it the ones I've tried over the yrs from my Dad's garden were good but not sweet like the ones from the grocer, must be something to leaving them till a frost.
Also, on a sidenote, there's these things that people plant in food plots called "deer greens" and the deer don't touch 'em until after the first frost when they turn sweet.
...JP
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Konasdad, pick away, yes they do grow like the collards, same family, brassica. Anyways, if you want the sprouts to get even bigger (hoping that they don't open up somewhat and are not those nice little round cabbages anymore), remove the bottom leaves as you harvest. Removing the leaf under the sprout will allow that sprout to get even bigger.
What I have done in the past too, if I want a plant to harvest for a large family dinner is to pinch out the very top of the plant, once it has matured. This prevents upward growth, puts the power to producing the fruit and forces the plant to mature the fruit fast. It is a good way to get a bountiful harvest all at once. Oh those brussels sprouts. Yes, the hard frost alters the chemical the plant produces and the the sprout does sweeten. Beautiful and most wonderful day, loving our lives. Cindi