Your Brussels Sprouts Are Probably Ready to Harvest—How to Do It the Right Way (2024)

Brussels sproutsare a wonderful cool season crop. You can harvest Brussels sproutsthroughout the summer. With that said, to get the best texture and flavor, you'll want to pick them when they are pretty small, about 1 inch in diameter.

Once frost or cooler temperatures convert the starches into sugars, start picking them when they reach 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Here's what you need to know about harvesting Brussels sprouts.

When to Harvest Brussels Sprouts

To harvest sweet, meaty Brussels sprouts, time your planting according to the average or expected day of first frost in your growing zone.

In temperate zones, the best time to harvest Brussels sprouts is late spring to early summer—late April, May, or early June. If you live in a frost-free zone, the best time to harvest your sprouts will be during cool weather months, December through March.

How to Know When Brussels Sprouts Are Ready

1. The color is bright and they feel solid. Brussel sprouts are ready to harvest when they are bright green, tightly wrapped, and feel solid with just a slight give when pressed between thumb and forefinger. Larger Brussels sprouts are safe to eat but they will have a higher water content and won't be as meaty as smaller ones.
2. It's been approximately 80-100 days. Days to harvest, listed on your seed packet, may vary depending on variety, but the best-tasting sprouts won't be ready to pick until 3 to 4 months after seedlings are planted.
3. Plants are 2 to 3 feet tall. When they reach this height, little sprouts form in the leaf axils, with one sprout just above each leaf. The process starts at the bottom of the plant, processing upward around the stalk sequentially. Removing the leaf below each developing sprout gives it room to grow.

How to Harvest Brussels Sprouts

How to Harvest Sprouts Individually

• You can start picking sprouts one by one as they mature. Harvest from the bottom up when sprouts are a diameter of 1 to 2 inches. Grab the sprout at the bottom, where it rests against the stalk, and give it a quick twist to snap it off. Alternatively, you can use a sharp knife to cut the sprout where it attaches to the stalk.
• Remove lower leaves as they turn yellow. The stalk will continue to grow upward and produce new leaves and sprouts.
• Pinch out the top of the stalk about one month before your first frost date. This will shift energy from producing new foliage to maturing sprouts already on the stalk.
  

How to Harvest an Entire Brussels Sprout Stalk

• If you want to harvest the entire stalk of sprouts all at once, count time one to two months from the expected frost date.
• Prepare by pinching out the top of the stalk and removing any lower leaves that have turned yellow. You can also snap off any leaves growing below a sprout to make room for the sprout to get bigger.
• After a frost or two has occurred, remove all remaining leaves and harvest the entire stalk by cutting it with a sharp knife one inch above soil level.