Brussel Sprouts red are a new, striking and unusual addition to your vegetable plot. This highly decorative and unusual plant is completely red-purple. The delicious, little red-purple sprouts contain like all Brussel sprout varieties a high content of vitamin C and fibres. This medium late variety is hardy. Harvest the sprouts after a frost because this makes the sprouts much sweeter. Brussel sprouts red is reccommended for all people who like to grow something unique, decorative and unusual in their garden or vegetable plot. When the sprouts are cooked the colour changes from red-purple to purple-greenish.
Brussel sprouts are very healthy and versatile. Brussel sprouts contain a.o.: vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B11, E and a large quantity vitamin C. And the minerals: calcium, phosphor, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. Brussel sprouts also contain the amino acid tryptophan and a lot of fibres and verry little calories. You can cook, stir-fry, bake, stew, steam and use Brussel sprouts in casseroles. You can also use Brussel sprouts in soups and mashed potato stews. Brussel sprouts combine very well with: potatoes, cheese, onions, nutmeg, curry powder, eggs, mushrooms, pasta, chicken, ginger, beef, pork, apple, mustard, minced beef and chorizo. And with various vegetables like: lettuce, tomato, carrots, sweet pepper and leek. Hardy annual.
Indoor sowing: February - March
Outdoor sowing: middle of April - middle of July
Germination: 7 - 14 days
Germination temp: 15 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: ¼ - ½ cm
Plant spacing: 45 - 60 cm
Row spacing: 60cm
Planting position: sunny and sheltered
Harvest period: October - March
Sow indoors, for an early harvest, from February till March. Sow in trays filled with moist potting soil. Sow sparingly and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Keep the soil moist during germination. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Cover the trays with a lid to retain the moisture. Germination takes about 7 - 14 days, depending on the temperature. Remove the lid when the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings to seperate pots when they're about 5 cm in size.
Harden the seedlings of, from the end of April till the beginning of May. Put them in a cold frame for 10 - 14 days or put them outdoors during the day for about 10 - 14 days. Put the plants on a sunny, well manured plot with shelter against the wind and freedraining soil, from the middle of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Keep the plants 45 - 60 cm apart.
Sow outdoors from the middle of April, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrost. Sow on a sunny, well manured plot with shelter against the wind and freedraining soil. Sow sparingly in rows and keep the rows about 60 cm apart. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Keep the soil moist during germination. Thin the seedlings to 7 - 10 cm apart when they're about 5 cm in size.
Transplant the young plants to their final plot when they're about 10 - 15 cm in size. Give them a sunny plot with shelter against the wind and well manured and freedraining soil. Keep them 45 - 60 cm apart. Keep the rows 60 cm apart. Give the plants, when the Brussel sprouts are starting to grow, some fertilizer or cow dung each week. Don't sow or plant Brussel sprouts on a site were members of the cabbage family were grown in the previous year. Protect the plants against birds. Harvest the sprouts from the bottom up when they are between 2 - 3 cm in size. You can freeze Brussel sprouts. But blanche them briefly before freezing.
