Brussel Sprouts have you sown in February?

[Digeroo]

One of my plot neighbours had very early sprouts and I eyes them up very enviously last year.  Has anyone any experience of sowing them now.  RHS site says you can start undercover in Feb.

I have Amaroso which I sourced from Holland so no issues with bitterness. 

[Digeroo]

[Tee Gee]

I find that it is not so much when you sow the seeds that matters, it is more about the variety you sow.

That is; some varieties are naturally 'early' and others quite 'late'

Usually the catalogue or packet info indicates this!

[Digeroo]

The problem with the catalogues is that they do not put the type of soil.  I am growing on gravel and quite frankly the sprouts do not like it one little bit, and so in a large percentage of them the sprouts blow ie do not produce a proper hard sprout but just an open collection of little leaves. The first year on site only one person had proper sprouts.   Which why at great expense I source the Amaroso.

Does that mean that even if you sow early the little devils just go on producing plant and do not produce sprouts until they are ready to.  What a drag. 

Can anyone please recommend an early sprout with no bitterness which produces sprouts in August and which is guaranteed not to blow even on well drain soil? 

[kt.]

I have always grown Maximus F1.  A tall variety producing large sprouts, some almost golf ball size.  Earliest crop I have had off them is 31 Aug but the stand well and I harvested them late March.

[Tee Gee]

which is guaranteed not to blow even on well drain soil? 

Based on the type of soil you have I don't think anyone could guarantee this.

Blown sprouts is usually down to a loose root system and or running out of moisture (drying out) so until you alleviate that you will get 'blown sprouts'

Sorry I can't be the bearer of better news!

[Digeroo]

I will give the Maximus a go and see what happens,  31 st Aug sounds good too me.   They are ok here but I have had them much later more like Xmas.

Loose soil system and sudden drying out of the soil, that is precisely the problem TG.  It is like growing in a sieve.   There is not much good news as far as sprouts are concerned, but at least we are beginning to win.  The new F1 hybrids are getting better.

[Digeroo]

Many thanks  - they are off.  I had a packet (50p).  Glad I only paid that because only 18 seeds in packet.