I don't usually get on this forum but I just wanted to say I grew Jade Cross last year. They were winter sown and did great. We had cool temps last summer, I think it was because we had so much rain. The top sprouts were loose but the bottom ones were closed when I harvested them. I read somewhere that they need consistant moisture to keep the sprouts closed. We had about 2 weeks between rains so maybe they did dry out, so I will be watering better this year. They were in a raised bed so maybe they dried out faster. Marg

One other thing no one mentioned is that many brussel sprout varieties mature differently. There are early, mid and late season ones. "Long Island" seems to be listed as a mid. Last year I grew "Cumulus" which is listed at 170-180 days (mid-late). I seeded the first week of May (in flats) and had sprouts for sale a few weeks before Thanksgiving. The sprouts held great over the winter and I only just finished harvesting off these plants last week. Another variety like "Gustus" could be seeded the same time and be ready as early as september. I've never tried any early sprouts as they don't hold well and are prone to serious aphid damage where I live. That plus i'm still eating corn and tomatoes in Sept. and definitely not craving brussel sprouts! -Mark This post was edited by madroneb on Thu, Feb 28, 13 at 1:12

This past summer was cool in Michigan. LII Brussels Sprout planted in April and May as transplant barely had time to develop sprouts. Some people I talked with didn't get any of decent size at all. So....I'd suggest getting some in early in case 2010 is cool, also. Then put in a later planting for a later fall harvest (hopefully). There are some hybrids that mature quicker. Tasty Nugget is one that comes to mind....but you would probably need to order seed as I've never seen it on a local seed rack.

Last fall I planted Long Island Improved and Jade Cross E. The Long Island Improved did not do good; they only made open sprouts even though the temperature was less than 70 when they made sprouts. The Jade Cross E hybrids made excellent sprouts though. This year, I bought seeds for Gustus hybrids and will try them in my fall garden. I'm also going to try Long Island Improved to see if they will form correctly.