The best Brussels sprouts for your garden

In recent years, gardeners have been delighted with a wide variety of Brussels sprouts. Among them there are some of the best and most popular, actively cultivated throughout the country. There is an opportunity to get to know them better in order to choose those that will bring a good harvest on your site.

How to choose the right variety?

When choosing cabbage varieties with a beautiful name “Brussels sprouts”, it is important to consider three main characteristics:

  1. Late ripeness of culture. The earliest ripening cabbage does not ripen earlier than 130 days. The closer to the east of the country the growing area, the more reasons to plant early maturing varieties.
  2. Productivity. If the most common variety “Hercules” forms an average of 40 heads of cabbage, then the new hybrids can boast a quantitative increase in yield by half and a large fruit size.
  3. The composition of nutrients. Russian varieties go without changing the qualitative composition of cabbage. Foreign breeding hybrids are bred with a high content of protein, carotene and mineral salts.

According to the method of obtaining seeds, they differ:

  • Varieties. Traits are well inherited. The cocks are large and open quickly. High palatability. Longer harvesting period.
  • Hybrids. The derived qualities are best preserved in the first generation, which is designated F1. There are more fruits, the stems are lower. Heads of cabbage are located along the entire height of the stem, reach the degree of readiness almost simultaneously and remain dense for several weeks.

Also, Brussels sprouts can be light and red. The high content of anthocyanins paints its leaves in rich colors of red shades.

Brussels sprouts varieties

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When choosing the best varieties of Brussels sprouts, it is important to know which of them ripen early, at a later period, or are grown for up to 6 months or more.

This will help to correctly calculate the labor and monetary costs of growing, to allocate a certain place for the plant in a greenhouse or open field, where it will not be “touched” until the heads of cabbage are collected.

Early ripeness

«Dolmik F 1». One of the best early varieties. Created in Holland. It grows up to 50 cm and more. The color of the heads of cabbage is green-yellow, each weighing up to 20 grams. The maximum yield per square meter is 2,5 kg. Can be planted in Siberia, in the Urals. It has been grown in Russia since 1994. The hybrid is suitable for fresh consumption and quick freezing.

“Isabel”. The culture is resistant to cold, loves moisture. The beautiful violet-green color of the heads of cabbage is not lost during heat treatment.

Long Island Superior. Country of origin USA. Medium early variety. The bush is semi-dwarf. One up to 100 small heads of cabbage. Harvest in 85 days. Great taste, especially after freezing. Cultivation in Siberia is possible. The variety is suitable for canning.

Rosella Is a popular mid-early variety of Brussels sprouts. The variety was bred in Germany. Fruits appear on 160 days from sowing seeds, on one bush up to 50 pieces. Plants are medium to tall. The average weight of a head of cabbage is 13 g. They remove one hundred kilos, seven hundred kilos per square meter. The taste is average. The density of the fruit is low. The main value of the variety is the amicable formation of the harvest, the preservation of taste and dietary qualities. They have been planted in Russia since 1995.

Rudnef. Resistant to frost up to 7 degrees below zero. The diameter of the heads of cabbage is 2 cm. The yields are high. Stays on the stem for a long time. Suitable for the Non-Black Earth Zone.

Franklin F1. The aging period is 128 days. Recommended for personal subsidiary plots. Green leaf of dark saturation. The petiole is small, of medium intensity anthocyanin coloration. The average number of cabbages per bush is 70, the shape is round. No bitterness. Resistant to cold weather, not susceptible to fusarium wilting. The taste is great. Productivity from 1 sq. m. – almost up to 3 kg.

Famous early maturing varieties also include Frigata F1, Explorer F1, Oliver F1 and others.

The middle-ripening

srednespelie_sorta“Diamond”. Ripens 120-130 days from the moment of transplanting. Heads of cabbage densely and evenly “sitting” on the stem, 3 cm in diameter. The color is dark green. The hybrid is easy to grow, has good productivity and disease resistance. Pleasant taste.

“Funny company”. Ripens no more than 140 days. The culture is medium-sized, cold-resistant. Fruit weight 10-12 g, color green with a violet tinge, dense structure. Amicable crop formation, about 2 kg per square meter. Well transported. High dietary properties.

“Garnet”. Hybrid. Transfer frosts up to 7 degrees below zero. A culture with a height of 60-70 cm. On each of them, 30-40 small heads of cabbage are formed, round in shape, of dark burgundy color. Technical ripeness 120 days from transplanting. The stems are cut at the roots, on which the fruits remain fresh longer. From a square of the area, the harvest is one and a half to two kilograms.

«Casio». The variety is resistant to cold weather. From the Czech Republic. Fruits are dark green, round, weighing up to 11 g, 2-3 cm in diameter. On one bush there are up to 70 specimens. To increase the size of the fruits at a plant height of 1 m, the top of the plant is removed. 185 days pass from germination to technical maturity. The taste is wonderful. From 1 sq. m you can collect 3 kg of vegetables. It has been grown in Russia since 1997.

Mid-season varieties include “Maximus F1” and “Dower Riesen”.

Late

It so happened that Brussels sprouts of late season varieties are more popular with Russian gardeners. Some of them have survived from the times of the Soviet Union.

Since the 50s of the last century, the Hercules cabbage variety, bred by domestic breeders, has been grown.

Nowadays, mainly “Hercules 1342” is grown. There is a variety from the UK with the same name. Ripening period 120-160 days. The bush is not tall, up to 60 cm. 20-30 oval fruits appear on the stem, each up to 5 cm in diameter and weighing 10-14 g, medium density. Productivity from a square meter to 600 g. The variety loves light and moisture, is quite resistant to cold snaps. The taste is great. Nutritional properties are comparable to oatmeal. A lot of protein and vitamin C. The fruits are equally suitable for eating raw, preserved or frozen.

commanderAn interesting consumer variety is the “Commander” Brussels sprouts. On a low bush, up to 40 moderately dense heads of cabbage of excellent taste with dietary characteristics ripen. The diameter of each is 2-4 cm, weight is from 8 to 14 g. The ripening period is 110–125 days after the seedlings have been identified in the ground. For 1 sq. m can be removed up to 2 kg or more. Brussels sprouts “Commander” freezes perfectly, suitable for home cooking. Contains tons of multivitamins.

Description of Brussels sprouts “Gruniger” (or Groninger), a new variety for Russia, can begin with the unusual green-orange color of ripe heads. The vegetable is excellent for stewing and boiling, after which an exceptionally delicate and juicy taste is obtained. The growth period lasts up to 170 days, after which up to 80 heads of cabbage are removed from the bush, each weighing 15-18 g, in a circumference of up to 4 cm. The variety is cold-resistant, when the frost “grabs” the taste improves.

In terms of “vitamin” reserve, it is in no way inferior even to such types of cabbage as Kohlrabi or broccoli. It contains a lot of potassium, magnesium and iron.

Our gardeners also noticed a hybrid of cabbage from Holland with an unusual name “Boxer”. It has been allowed in the country since 1993. The variety ripens up to 140 days. Transfers frost. Disease resistant. Reaches a height of 70 cm. Heads of cabbage are medium-sized, green in color, tasty. Harvests are 1,5 or a little more than a kilogram per square meter.

Popular varieties are: “Curl”, “Sapphire”, “Grape bunch”, “Sanda”, “Citadel” and many others.

Different types of Brussels sprouts that do not require special care, many of which are frost-resistant, are excellent for growing in our country. Depending on the climate, you can choose a variety that will perfectly take root in a certain area and give a good harvest. The dietary properties, the mass of vitamins that are stored in the frozen product, will become an invaluable addition to the winter diet when other fresh vegetables have already run out.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

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