PLANT it NOW

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

It feels strange to be thinking about sowing and planting such a quintessential cool-season crop when temperatures are soaring, but that’s just what you need to do. Most varieties of brussels sprouts require 5–7 months of growing time to produce a good crop. Seed can be sown as early as mid-December with the aim of getting seedlings in the ground by late January or February.

This isn’t a crop that can be grown anywhere. These little gems of the cabbage family are pretty much restricted to temperate areas and places that have cold winters – in fact, a good frost brings on the best flavour.

Sow into moistened seed-raising mix in punnets and keep in a cool, bright spot. If you leave your run too late, look for established seedlings at your local garden centre. Prick out seedlings shortly after germination and pot them up individually in small containers of potting mix with a little slow-release fertiliser added. Find a spot that gets a few hours of morning sun to grow them on until you’re ready to plant out. Often the greatest challenge is finding a space to put them in the ground when the patch is full of tomatoes, zucchinis and other summer vegies. What a great reason to build another bed!