Long Island Improved (Brassica oleracea gemmifera) is the classic Brussels sprout: firm, tightly packed sprouts stacked along a sturdy upright stalk. It is cold tolerant, and the flavour improves once the weather turns cool, which makes it a genuine winter crop rather than a summer one limping into the cold.
What it does
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Compact, uniform sprouts. The sprouts form tight and well shaped along the stalk rather than loose and leafy, the usual disappointment from a poor strain.
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Cold tolerant. It handles cool conditions, and cold weather sweetens the sprouts instead of setting them back.
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Reliable across conditions. A consistent performer in a range of gardens, which is why it has stayed a home garden standard for decades.
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Crops when little else does. Sprouts come off through the cold months when most of the vegetable garden has stopped.
How to use it
Sow at the depth marked on the packet, then thin or transplant so the plants stand 50cm to 60cm apart. That spacing looks generous around a small seedling and is not: each plant builds a tall stalk and a wide leaf canopy, and the air movement between them matters as much as the room. For more sprouts, grow more plants rather than crowding the ones you have.
It can be sown year round, but autumn is the season it is built for, with the harvest running through winter. Allow roughly 14 to 20 weeks from planting to the first pick. Harvest from the bottom of the stalk upwards, taking sprouts once they are firm and well sized and leaving the smaller ones above to fill out. Sow in stages if you want the picking spread.
What it suits
Use. Vegetable beds in full sun with fertile, well drained soil. Sprouts are a long season crop and they hold that ground for months, so plan the bed around them.
Also use. Raised beds drain freely and make picking a tall stalk easier on your back. Seed is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95.
Not for. Pots, small courtyard beds, or anyone after a quick result. A plant that wants 50cm to 60cm of its own space for months is a poor fit for a container.
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