Topic: All my sprouts opened up

[davee52uk]

I grew quite a few sprout plants which got to a decent size with loads of sprouts growing. Then every last one opened up - exploded. No idea why - any suggestions.

We just ate the tops anyway

[darkbrowneggs]

Sprouts like very firm soil, and if the plants get rocked in the wind it makes the sprouts "blow"
You could try staking them with some stout pieces of wood - I have given up on them - the old name of my house was Wint (wind) Hill

When I did grow them I ate the good ones, and pureed the blown ones.  Just cook as usual then puree with pepper butter and a little cream if you have it.  Quite tasty   

[antipodes]

I always eat them , blown or not. Just have to clean them a bit more and trim off the tougher leaves.

[Digeroo]

I find some of the F1 varieties are better.  I am on gravel and sprouts do not like it at all.   I like a sprout called amoroso.  One year it was the only sprout on our site not to blow but it is unfortunately no longer available in this country.  There are now some good looking sprouts around but quite often people have forgotten what they are. 

I have some nice red sprouts at the moment - red bull and Wellington are doing well but very late to produce anything so the sprouts are quite  small.

Those planted out from modules and hence no root disturance also seem to do better.  The boughten plants grown on a no dig: clear weeds, shove plants in ground, chicken pellets, mulch and net basis have done very well. 

[davyw1]

Two types of sprouts that are well know to blow are Bedfordshires and Evershams these where not what you had were they.
The best types i have found are Montgomery, Braveheart, Mellennium, Cascade and Wellington altho i know there are plenty just as good.
This year i had Montgomery and TZ9066 both late types with great results. I always put in one i know is reliable and try a new one. This way i know i will always have sprouts if the new one fails.
If you want an early type try Brilliant.
If you have problems with the wind then dig a trench about 6" deep and plant the seedlings into it, as the plant grows back fill and stamp around the plant to firm it in.
As Davee52 pointed out steak them up, like cauliflowers they need to be firmly in the ground.
Nothing wrong with chopping up the blown sprouts and serving them up like cabbage, that's what i do with the sprout tops.
You could even put them in with cabbage and throw some leeks in as well

If it does not stick in your throat it wont stick in your a++e

[strawberry1]

Doric sprouts are standing full and very firm on a windy site, am very happy with them and will grow again

[kt.]

I grow Maximus F1, harvest late Aug - Jan.  They grow as big as golf balls.  Wellington F1 are my late sprouts harvesting Jan - April.  Neither have ever failed me.

[kippers garden]

For years I made sure the soil was so firm and still my brussels blew....then I discovered the F1 tip and now they don't.

[pumkinlover]

I have some nice red sprouts at the moment - red bull and Wellington are doing well but very late to produce anything so the sprouts are quite  small.

  That's brilliant Digeroo- I cannot grow red brusels at all- tried a few times and gave up. I thought they were much harder than green ones

[Hi_Hoe]

I have to question the solidity of the soil/wind being a factor in sprouts blowing.

This year, all my sprout plants were set in large grid formation, stamped in hard with the ol' wellies and staked, A net was also placed over just in case.

Results are none of my red sprouts blew, but a handful of the green ones did - even the ones in the centre, which should in theory have been wind-protected?!

Its odd that only the green ones blew and not red?

My theory is that something else causes the blowing? Could be wrong, but it seems some varieties are more prone to blowing than others - whether wind rocked or not?!

FYI my greens ones were eveshams!!

[davejg]

Could it be down to over feeding? i did that with my caulis this year. some that were fed the same as the cabbages they were near all blew those further away on a diet shall we say were all fine.

[davyw1]

(FYI my greens ones were eveshams!!)

As i said in my previous post Evershams and Bedfordshires are well known for blowing