[b54red]

I started my Brussels sprouts today though it is already getting late. I prefer to start them no later than the second week of August but it has been too hot even in my air conditioned greenhouse due to the baking days we are still having. They are really slow growing and can not be put out in our early fall heat so they need to remain in the air conditioned greenhouse til it really starts to cool down good which can be as late as early November. Last year I had the same problem with too much heat and they all died in the greenhouse due to a heat wave after they sprouted but were still very small. If the day is hot and sunny enough my greenhouse can get well into the 90s even with the air conditioner running full blast.

They will grow well down here through most of the winter and really take off just before the spring warm up. The trouble is you need a long winter to get the plants big enough to produce much in the very short spring season down here. They can usually withstand or freezes but I build a temporary hoop house which can be covered quickly if some really cold weather is due but can also be uncovered as soon as the hard freeze is over. They need a lot of fertilizer during the growing season so I feed them Urban Farms Vegetable or TTF every week until they start making in the spring. Hopefully we will have a fairly long and mild winter so all my fall crops can do well and the Brussels sprouts can do great because I didn't get any last year even though it was a bumper year for broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce and cauliflower.

Bill