Brussels Sprouts Bronson plants - Brassica oleracea gemmifera

The Brussels Sprout 'Bronson F1' is a particularly productive hybrid variety that produces numerous tiny regular sprouts that are easily harvested. Carefully cooked, Brussels sprouts pair well with bacon, smoked bacon, and chestnuts. They can be consumed cooked, sautéed, braised, or even gratinéed... Quickly steamed, they are also excellent cold in salads. The plug plants of Brussels Sprout Bronson are planted in April-May for a harvest from September to December.

Brussels sprouts are a vegetable whose axillary buds are consumed, forming small heads called "buttons". It is a biennial vegetable plant cultivated annually. Brussels sprouts belong to the large Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae), like other Cabbages: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Smooth-leafed Cabbage (or Round Cabbage), Savoy Cabbage (or Milan Cabbage), Green Cabbage or Curly Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Chinese Cabbage... Brussels sprouts have the Latin name Brassica oleracea gemmifera. Latin enthusiasts will appreciate the name "gemmifera", which refers to gemstones.

Originating from Belgium, this cabbage is a hybrid developed in the 14th century by market gardeners from Saint-Gilles (a municipality in the Brussels suburbs who were concerned with increasing their productivity. Indeed, growing vertically, Brussels sprouts take up little space on the ground and thus allow for abundant harvests in a minimum of space.

An autumn and winter vegetable par excellence, Brussels sprouts have a mild, sweet, and comforting flavour. Carefully cooked, their delicate taste pairs well with bacon, smoked bacon, and chestnuts. They can be consumed cooked, sautéed, braised, or even gratinéed... Quickly steamed, they are also excellent cold in salads. They are vegetables rich in fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins C and B.

Brussels sprouts are a much less demanding vegetable than most cabbages; they thrive in the sun and moderately rich soil, especially without excess nitrogen. A too generously fertilised soil would produce too small, open, or burst heads.

Harvest: Brussels sprouts are harvested by starting at the bottom of the stem and cutting the small heads with a knife. Harvesting takes place from September to December.

Storage: Brussels sprouts can be stored for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator's vegetable compartment. They can also be frozen well after being blanched in salted boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.

The gardener's tip: The main enemy of cabbage is the Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris brassicae), a pretty creamy white butterfly with small black spots that wakes up in April-May to wreak havoc by devouring its leaves. Don't be caught off guard and opt for prevention by installing an insect-proof cover tightly on market garden hoops. These covers are easy to put in place and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.

Note: Please note that our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under cover (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame...) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before being planted outdoors once the risk of frost has passed.

NB: This variety is labelled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the crossbreeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be exceptionally flavourful and early while resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are attractive for their uniformity and resistance. Still, unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will, therefore, not be possible to recover the seeds for subsequent sowing.