Brussels Sprouts and Kale

Two varieties of Brussels sprouts and three varieties of kale were grown for demonstration purposes at the Horticulture Research Center(HRC) outside of Fort Collins, Colorado during the 2004 growing season. We started plants in the greenhouse on March 29th. Seeds were planted into 72-cell trays filled with Sunshine No. 3 brand soil mix and topped with vermiculite to aid in keeping the seeds moist. Seedlings were fertilized once a week with fish emulsion fertilizer fed through an injector. They were transplanted at the HRC on May 18th into beds with 30″ centers with one line of drip tape. Brussels sprouts were planted in one row 18″ apart, and kale was planted 10″ apart. Below are photos and production notes for each of the varieties.

Kale is an extremely productive crop, however there is a limited market and it is susceptible to aphids and lepidopteran pests. Brussels sprouts make for a nice late season crop, whole stalk market opportunity. Aphids are generally a problem as well as lepidopteran pests. Aphids can be controlled with soaps and biocontrol, lepidopterans can be controlled with Bt and spinosads. One local producers sells Brussels sprouts for $5/stalk making it a lucrative crop!

Photo	Variety	Production Notes
	Diablo Brussels Sprouts	100% germination rate
	Oliver Brussels Sprouts	100% germination rate
	Winterbor Kale	96% germination rate, holds up well post-harvest
	Red Russian Kale	99% germination rate
	White Russian Kale	97% germination rate, aphid pressure was high