How not to raise Brussels sprouts

Sometimes accidents in the garden lend themselves to a nice learning opportunity.

The "accident" was a friend cutting the leaves off of my Brussels sprouts in December, thinking they were collard greens. He only cut the leaves off of three of the plants.

For the next two months I continued watering and fertilizing all of the plants. I harvested last week.

De-leafed Brussels sprouts

Fully-leafed Brussels sprouts

Big difference in the size of the sprouts between the two plants. So, yes, a de-leafed plant will survive (though I have had some die of rot when I cut the leaves closer to the stem). But it doesn't have the necessary leaf area to get those sprouts to fill out.

And did those sprouts ever fill out!

I have the spring season transplants in the garden already. I'll need to make an "off limits" sign the next time I go out of town and my friend comes over to help himself to the produce. ;)

Lettuce have some fun!

Ah, February. The threat of a hard freeze has passed, the garden quilts are put away, and the garden center has started stocking cold-hardy transplants.

I always buy my romaine as started plants. This year I thought I'd change things up a bit.

 

Red romaine! I've got these plants stashed in various nooks and crannies in the raised beds, interspersed with the declining fall-planting broccoli and on the sunny side of the partially-shaded raised bed. Trying to eek out a little productivity until it is warm enough to get some other things planted and started.