• DELIVERY INFO: Now taking pre-orders for Spring Plants for 2024. Bare-Rooted Fruit plants will be shipped in Jan. See FAQs for further info.

Brussels Sprouts – Evesham Special

£5.99

Perfect for a festive harvest
This traditional variety produces large quantities of medium size, solid sprouts which, if planted in early spring, will crop from October to Christmas. If you plant them later in the year, say June or July, you can expect a crop from December through to February. Sprouts are easy to grow, just remember to earth them up a little to keep them stable on windy days. Harvest them individually from the bottom of the stalk upwards, or pull up a whole stalk. Our plug plants make it very easy to get going, and your plants will come with a complete growing guide.

Number of plants: 10 plug plants

Variety: Evesham Special (organic*)

In the kitchen: Roast sprouts with balsamic, finely slice and stir fry, steam and add garlic butter and bacon.

THESE PLANTS WILL BE SHIPPED IN SPRING 2024

Delivery Info: Please see FAQs for up-to-date delivery info.

Planting advice: Plant plugs 40cm apart in fertile soil. Firm in well and protect from slugs, butterflies and pigeons!

Harvesting: Harvest once heads are firm, from autumn through to winter

*Transplants suitable for organic growing.

Brussels Sprouts

Shelter, firm soil and sun

Choose a sheltered spot for sprouts, out of the wind. They need a fair bit of sunshine, and fertile soil (add plenty of organic matter) that is firmed down well.

Brussels Sprouts

Raised beds and traditional plots

Brussels sprouts are tall plants so are best grown in raised beds or a traditional veg patch, rather than in pots.

Brussels Sprouts

How far apart

50-60 cm apart

Brussels Sprouts

Firm up the soil

When you plant them, firm the soil up by pressing down on it with your foot. This will help the plants to stay standing up properly on windy days.

Brussels Sprouts

Protect with a brassica collar

You can make these easily out of cardboard. Cut a 10cm diameter disc, cut into the centre and make a slit so that you can pop it around the base of the plant. This is to prevent cabbage root fly larvae from hatching by the base of the plant and burying under the soil to eat the roots.

Brussels Sprouts

Net against pigeons and butterflies

Pigeons love brassica plants and will easily destroy a crop of young plants in a morning. Meanwhile, cabbage white butterflies are attracted to brassicas and lay eggs on the leaves. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars are quick to nibble away the leaves and strip the plant bare. To protect against both these pests, cover plants with fine netting.

Brussels Sprouts

Watch out for slugs & snails

Sprouts seem to be particularly popular with slugs and snails so make sure they are well protected – beer traps work well.

Brussels Sprouts

Earth up as plant gets taller

Once the plants get taller, bring a little soil up around the base of the stalk to form a little molehill – pat it down firmly. This will help to keep the plants steady on windy days.

Brussels Sprouts

Water well during dry spells

As weather warms up it is important to keep cauliflower cool and to give them enough water. Try to keep the soil consistently moist rather than allowing it to dry out.

Brussels Sprouts

When to harvest

It’s easy to see when they’re ready to be picked in late autumn and winter, but you don’t need to rush as they’ll keep well on their stems for a fair while. Harvest a few from each plant at a time, starting at the bottom – cut them off with a knife.

Alternatively you can harvest an entire stalk.

Don’t forget, you can use the top head of leaves as you would a cabbage.

Pigeons

Pigeons will eat the foliage right down to the ribs/veins. Keep plants netted if you have a lot of pigeons around.

Caterpillars

Lots of holes appearing in leaves is a sure sign of caterpillars. They soon grow, and the holes grow too. Check the underside of leaves and you may see tiny eggs – wipe them off with kitchen paper – or caterpillars themselves. Keep plants netted against butterflies.

Slugs & Snails

Protect plants well from slugs and snails, especially when they are young and vulnerable. As the plants mature, small snails tend to congregate in between leaves watch out. Slugs will eat the sprouts too – very annoying! Beer traps work well.

Mice etc

Quite a few rodents like to nibble on sprouts… just do your best to keep numbers down by keeping your plot free from other rodent-friendly treats!

Cabbage Root Fly

Cabbage flies lay eggs at the base of brassica plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bury into the ground and feed on the roots. The plants eventually wilt and die. Prevention is key – use brassica collars (see growing advice section)

Club Root

This is a fungal disease that leads to the swelling and distortion of roots, and plants will be stunted. Avoid growing brassicas in the same bed for two years consecutively if this happens. Add plenty of organic matter to the soil.

Sprouts opening up

This can happen when we get warm, dry spells. Try to keep the soil moist and cool with regular watering and apply a mulch.

Symptom Checker

Leaves eaten entirely apart from veins = Pigeons (or a lot of caterpillars)

Holes eaten in leaves – no slime trail = Caterpillars

Holes eaten in leaves with slime trails = Slugs/Snails

Stunted growth/wilting = Cabbage root fly or Club Root

Sprouts eaten = Slugs/snails or rodents

Loose sprout heads = Too hot/dry

Storage Tips

If harvesting a whole stalk, leave in a cool, dark place and leave the sprouts on their stems until you want to eat them.

If harvesting individual sprouts, they will store in the fridge for several days.

Ways to cook

Don’t over cook them! That’s the golden rule of cooking sprouts. There are hundreds of ways to cook them – stir fry, steam, boil or even roast. And they are extra tasty with bacon or nuts.

Recipe Idea

Coming Soon!

Do I need to sign for them?
All our plug plant orders are dispatched with an overnight courier* to mainland UK and do not need to be signed for when they are delivered, but will be left somewhere safe. When placing your order, please let us know where you would like the plug plants left if you are not in when the courier delivers.

We will keep you posted
You will receive an email approximately a week before your order is dispatched and another on the day your plug plants are packed and leave us so you know to expect and prepare for their arrival.

Top of the Crops