Brussels sprouts are picked over many times rather than just once. Each picking promotes new growth along the stalk which can thereafter, be re-harvested. Warmer weather promotes harvest every 1 – 2 weeks and makes a yield of between 2 – 6 sprouts.
This gets delayed to 3 or 4 weeks once there comes cold weather but harvest has a yield of between 10 and 15 sprouts. There is no set number of sprouts for each stalk but a single plant can make a production of up to 3 pounds of sprout.
1) Planting
Brussel sprouts are always harvested in fall and early winter and are grown during the summer meaning that they are planted at the tail end of spring which usually falls in early June.
You can choose to set seeds 12 – 18 inches apart in rows 24 – 30 inches apart when it comes to home growing. You can also transplant starts after growing them indoors for a period of 4 – 6 weeks. Growing seeds and transplants is best done in early summer. Thus, to harvest earlier, start plants indoors.
Read also: How Tall Do Brussels Sprouts Grow?
2) Culture
Brussels sprouts are nitrogen lovers and so, require a lot of nitrogen including other main nutrients, phosphorus and potassium. For good production, ensure that your soil has high nitrogen content.
Through the growth season, apply fertilizer such as 10-20-10 or 13-13-13 halfway. You can as well, use aged chicken manure. Work into the ground around the plant base 3 weeks after planting using the rate of 1 quart per plant.
3) Harvest
Due to the fact that late spring-planted Brussels sprouts take around 85 – 95 days to reach maturity, they are first ready in early fall. Sprouts mature lower on the stem initially thus, begin to harvest there when they are 1 – 2 inches in diameter and strong to the touch.
Once you notice a change of colour of the leaves to yellow, it is time to pick. If not, the sprouts will lose their flavour and can become distasteful. Once harvesting of the Brussels sprouts begin, you will notice that the plants will continue their upward growth while also, producing more leaves and sprouts.
For the plant to remain healthy, remove yellowed or withered leaves. For maximization of the volume of sprouts you obtain from the plant, cut the top of the plant a few weeks before you embark on harvesting. This helps in tricking the plant into maturing as many sprouts as possible.
Related: Learn about Brussel Sprouts Growing Problems
4) Storage
Brussel sprouts are known to have short shelf. You can store them in the crisper of a refrigerator in a plastic bag from 2 – 3 weeks. However, do not wash the sprouts when they are being stored as this can end up shortening their shelf life due to the moisture.
For longer -term storage, freeze the Brussels sprouts. When freezing them, it is advisable to blanch them in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes. Plunge them immediately into cold water so as to stop the cooking process.
Read also: Are Brussel Sprouts Hard to Grow?
Conclusion
I hope this article helps you understand how many Brussels sprouts you can get from one Brussels sprouts plant.
References
- Ehow “How Many Brussel Sprouts Per Plant?” Retrieved from here
- PlanyourPatch “How Many Brussels Sprouts Will One Plant Produce?” Retrieved from here
