COMMENT RÉUSSIR LA CULTURE DES CHOUX DE BRUXELLES ? (LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN. émission N°26)

The entire team at NewsJardinTV, the channel dedicated entirely to plants, gardens, botany, and gardening, is pleased to present episode 26 of our daily program: "The Garden Daily." This program is available to everyone for 24 hours, after which it becomes exclusively available to NewsJardinTV Club members, who can access it at any time, along with all episodes of "Welcome to the Garden" (starting with episode 68). Patrick Mioulane, the editor-in-chief of NewsJardinTV, presents the show from his small garden in Essonne. Our favorite gardener is seated on a terrace decorated with beautifully flowering Calluna vulgaris planters. We also see a magnificent Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Seiryu') in its autumnal splendor and bonsai trees. These bonsai belong to the collection of "Little Gardener," Nicole, who is filming the show. Patrick answers a question from our subscriber Gravementplante, who posted the following question on the website www.newsjardintv.com: When should Brussels sprouts be harvested and why do they produce so few fruits? First of all: the Brussels sprouts we eat are buds, not "fruits," even though they are commonly called "apples." The Brussels sprout is the hardiest of all cabbages. It can withstand frosts as low as -15°C (5°F), and it is actually advisable to eat the sprouts after a light frost. They should be harvested between 20 and 30 weeks after sowing, when the leaves begin to yellow, so that they remain tightly closed. For botanists, the Brussels sprout is Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera, a "mutant" variety of common cabbage that has been cultivated for a very long time. The plant's distinctive feature is that it develops 20 to 75 small, miniature Brussels sprouts in the leaf axils, on a sturdy central stem. These sprouts resemble tightly packed little heads, clustered together like an ear of corn. Traditional cultivars, resulting from selective breeding, are rather inconsistent and produce unevenly over several months. F1 varieties, first-generation hybrids, are much more consistent in their production. Since cultivation is lengthy, this must be taken into account, and planting after the beginning of July will result in a very disappointing harvest. 100 days after planting (around the end of September), it is advisable to pinch off the growing tips. This promotes more even development of high-quality Brussels sprouts. In autumn, and especially during wet weather, it is essential to control slugs, as these mollusks cause significant damage to the leaves and buds. A cool, rich, and deep soil, preferably calcareous, gives the best results, while an excess of organic fertilizer can reduce Brussels sprout production in favor of larger leaf development. Thank you for watching this daily program. We hope you enjoyed this short video interlude and had a good time, while also finding it informative. Day by day, together with your questions and Patrick's answers, we are building a veritable encyclopedia of gardening knowledge that only NewsJardinTV Le Club members can access at any time, so don't hesitate to join us. The entire NewsJardinTV team wishes you all a wonderful evening and looks forward to seeing you tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a new program: "THE GARDEN DAILY." It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! Tomorrow, Patrick will answer the following question: How far should a tree be planted from your neighbor's house?