When to Plant Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out from 2 weeks before the last frost to 2 weeks after it. For a fall crop, set out transplants 12 to 15 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 85 to 110 days after transplanting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 |
| Harden off | Feb 22 – 28 | Mar 25 – 31 | Apr 24 – 30 |
| Plant out | Mar 1 – 29 | Apr 1 – 29 | May 1 – 29 |
| Harvest | May 25 – Jul 6 | Jun 25 – Aug 6 | Jul 25 – Sep 5 |
| Fall: Start seeds indoors | Jun 21 – Jul 5 | May 31 – Jun 14 | May 6 – 20 |
| Fall: Plant out | Aug 2 – 23 | Jul 12 – Aug 2 | Jun 17 – Jul 8 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 26 – Dec 7 | Oct 5 – Nov 16 | Sep 10 – Oct 22 |
Growing Brussels sprouts
A long-season crop for fall; pick sprouts from the bottom up once they are firm, ideally after a frost.
- Spacing: 20 in apart, in rows 30 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 85 to 110 from transplanting, then about 6 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: Brussels sprouts are in the cabbage family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: beet, bush bean, celery, chamomile (german), chives, cucumber, edamame, fava bean, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, leek, mint, mustard greens, nasturtium, onion (bulb), potato, radish, romaine lettuce, rosemary, sage, shallot, spinach, swiss chard, thyme. See companion plants for Brussels sprouts.
- Usually kept apart from: cherry tomato, strawberry, tomato.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant Brussels sprouts and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start Brussels sprouts indoors?
6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 18 – Mar 4. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can Brussels sprouts go in before the last frost?
Yes. Brussels sprouts are hardy: plant them out from 2 weeks before the last spring frost to 2 weeks after it.
How long do Brussels sprouts take to grow?
About 85 to 110 days from transplanting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 6 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow Brussels sprouts in fall?
Yes. Set out transplants 12 to 15 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Brussels Sprouts in the Home Garden
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardeners: Trap Cropping (2020)