If you, like many of us, are hooked on the HGTV and the food channels on television, you probably have noticed that Brussels sprouts are an ingredient used quite often. A search of recipes using the sprouts will turn up hundreds, if not thousands, of hits.

But what are they?

Brussels sprouts are a cultivar group of the same species as cabbage. They belong to the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family. Other members of this family are broccoli, kale, kohlrabi and collard greens. If you look at the grouping, you can tell a few things about the sprouts: They are good for you, they are green (with some purple exceptions) and they are a fall crop in our area.

Cultivation

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Brussels sprouts, like all cole crops, should be planted in the fall in our area. They prefer a temperature range of 45 to 75 degrees. The plants need full sunlight and the same amount of water that cabbages and other cool-weather vegetables require.

Brussels sprouts can be started from seed or from transplants, which can be found in local nurseries. I have been growing sprouts for about 10 years. Initially, transplants were not readily available, but they have become easier to find.

The transplants should be spaced 24 inches apart. They can grow 18 to 24 inches wide and up to 48 inches tall. The crop takes 90 to 180 days to harvest, depending on the variety.

Harvesting your sprouts

I have to admit, I was perplexed about how to harvest my crop the first year I planted Brussels sprouts. I like to pick them when they are about 1 inch in diameter, and they need to be picked every couple of days. The sprouts grow in a helical pattern and are formed above the leaf stems on the stalk. They are pretty firmly attached and just trying to twist them off was difficult. Because of their tight structure, using a knife was also unwieldy.

But YouTube came to the rescue. I learned that to make harvesting easier, just remove the leaves as close to the stalk as you can. This makes it easier to grasp the sprouts and remove them. Since the sprouts mature from the bottom up – they do not all mature at the same time – this leaves the upper leaves to keep the plants healthy and growing.

Diseases, insects

While I have never had a disease issue with Brussels sprouts, the AgriLife Extension site does say that problems with productivity can be caused by planting crops from the same family in the same spot in the garden year after year. They recommend rotating the crops yearly and avoiding planting crops from the same family in the same spot more than once every three or four years.

Bugs, however, are another issue. Like all members of the Brassicacaea family, sprouts are magnets for cabbage loopers and cabbage worms. If you spot these critters, you can remove them manually or use Bt or pyrethrins insecticides.

• Aphids

The biggest insect problem I have had is with aphids. The infestations seem to be worse if the plants are too close together and if the weather is too warm. The aphids start at the bottom of the plants and work their way up.

• Cabbage loopers

Cabbage loopers are another problem insect, as they are leaf feeders. Larvae can consume three times their weight in plant material daily, and their feeding sites are marked by large accumulations of sticky, wet fecal material.

The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is commonly used as a biological insecticide for suppression of this insect and can also be used for aphids.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommends malathion if you believe you need to use a synthetic herbicide and only recommended if you have very high populations of either insect. In most cases, you can pick off and dispose of cabbage loopers without any chemical or organic intervention or control.

And, the answer is …

Yes. Brussels sprouts were being cultivated in the 13th century near Brussels, Belgium, and that is how they got their name. According to Wikipedia, they are native to the Mediterranean region as are other cabbage species. They became popular in the Southern Netherlands in the 16th century and spread throughout the cooler parts of Northern Europe.