Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts: plant 60 cm (24 in) apart in the row and 75 cm (30 in) between rows, 1 plant per 4 squares. Good neighbours: Dill, Onion, Celery.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	60 cm (24 in)
Between rows	75 cm (30 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 plant per 4 squares
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	80 cm (31 in)
Crop rotation group	Cabbage family
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Started in trays, sown straight into the bed
Seeds per hole	2
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	3
Sowing depth	1.2 cm (0.5 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 16–29 °C
Days to emerge	4–9 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 6 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 10 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	14–20 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Biennial, harvested in its first year
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, stays moist, pH 6.5–7.5
In a pot	15 L, 30 cm (11.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while heads form
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, while growing
Support and training	A stake; tie in as it grows

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	120–160 days, from planting out
Ready when	The sprouts are firm, from the bottom up
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 6–12 weeks
Typical yield	0.5–1 kg per plant
Botanical family	Brassicaceae
Watch out for	Cabbage white caterpillars, flea beetles, clubroot, aphids

Good neighbours

Why, with the sources →

Plan Brussels sprouts in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Brussels sprouts onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow indoors	Apr
Sow outdoors	May–Jun
Harvest	Oct–Dec

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Brussels sprouts →

From the same family

Plants of the Brassicaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Cole Crops (Current Information Series) — University of Idaho Extension for: when to sow, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30
Soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination (J.F. Harrington; reviewed 2024) — Oregon State University Extension for: days to emerge, soil temperature; checked 2026-10-30
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower: planting — UC Statewide IPM Program for: sowing depth; checked 2026-10-30
Growing collards and kale in home gardens — University of Minnesota Extension for: sowing depth; checked 2026-10-30
Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination (GN 154, after J.F. Harrington, UC Davis) — UC Cooperative Extension, UC ANR for: soil temperature; checked 2026-10-30

More in Cabbage family

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