Most gardeners plant so-called white cabbage on their plots, but there are many who prefer colored varieties and unusual Brussels sprouts. What you should know about the features of the ripening of the last option and how to properly carry out harvesting - this will be discussed later.
What determines the maturation and harvest of Brussels sprouts
Each summer resident independently decides when to collect cabbage from the garden, but in any case, the cabbage should reach the stage of full maturity. Brussels varieties are slightly different from white varieties, therefore, in the issue of the exact date of collection, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the cultivated variety, climatic characteristics of the growing region and the time of transplanting. Consider each of these criteria.
Varieties
If you decide to plant early or mid-ripening (up to 100 days of ripening) varietal varieties of cabbage on the bed, there is every chance to try the fruits in mid-summer. Such popular varieties and hybrid forms of plants include:
Mid-ripe and especially late-ripe specimens are distinguished by increased fruit keeping quality, but at the same time they will have to harvest in late autumn or even early winter - early harvesting of heads of cabbage from the garden will lead to wilting and lowering of the crop keeping time. Good mid-season and late varieties of Brussels sprouts are considered to be Hercules, Sapphire, Apetite, Curl, which, with high taste properties, are also characterized by good storage performance.Important! The process of ripening the culture should always be kept under control, because the ripened specimens will be unsuitable for consumption, and the overripe will quickly crack and begin to rot. A head suitable for cutting is always dense and creaks slightly when squeezed.
Climate
The climatic features of a particular area is one of the first criteria that affects the harvest time of any crop. Of course, in the central part of the Russian Federation, fruits ripen faster than in Siberia, so if you are going to grow Brussels sprouts in harsh regions, you will have to take care of the necessary shelter. On average, the difference in harvest time between different climatic regions is no more than 2 months.
Landing time
If seedlings were planted in open soil in late April or early May, then most likely you will be able to collect heads in September. In cases where young plants had to be transplanted, they had to wait until June, you can remove heads of cabbage no earlier than October-November. 
Given the staged ripening of Brussels sprouts, fruit harvest in the fall can last for several months, and in some cases, harvesting ends only with the advent of frost.
Did you know? In the wild, Brussels sprouts do not grow, so there is every reason to believe that the first samples were obtained artificially, based on the leaf variety of this crop. However, in the VIII-XIV century, a certain similar plant grew in the gardens of Belgium, which is why the new species was named after the capital of this state.
The main signs of ripening brussels sprouts
Based on the date of planting, you can calculate the approximate time for harvesting, but in order to determine the exact time, it is worth considering the external characteristics of the plants. The first fruits are harvested already when they reach the size of a walnut, and their two or three lower leaves change color to yellow (it is advisable to immediately cut off such leaf blades). It is not worth it to overdo the cabbage on the bush, otherwise the upper heads of cabbage will form much more slowly.
How to collect brussels sprouts
As already noted, the harvest of Belgian cabbage will have to be collected in several stages, as its fruits ripen. You can speed up this process by introducing nutrients into the soil, but even in this matter you need to be very careful not to oversaturate the soil with organic matter and not to provoke chopping of heads of cabbage.
A suitable orientation of harvesting is from bottom to top, that is, first you need to cut the fruits located in the lower part of the plant, and then, as the rest ripens, move to the top of the crop. At a time, up to 15 small heads of cabbage can be collected from one bush, and after about a week you will need to repeat this procedure again (choosing the most suitable moment for harvesting, always focus on the color of the culture leaf plates: in ripe specimens, individual leaves will be yellow).
Did you know? In Germany, this variety of cabbage was nicknamed the beautiful word "rosenkol" - rose cabbage.
On average, with a warm autumn and proper cultivation farming techniques, fruit cutting can be done until November, each time removing 10-15 new heads of cabbage. With such a volume of harvest, for a small family, only 3-4 plants will be enough, which will fully guarantee a sufficient amount of nutrients that enter the body along with cooked heads of cabbage.
Brussels sprouts can be harvested in any weather. Truth, if there were frosts at night, then in order to preserve the natural nutritional and taste properties of a vegetable, it is better to collect fruits in the afternoon or late afternoon. In a few hours, the cabbage will gradually freeze and slightly dry, which is important for further successful storage. As for the equipment used, you do not need any special devices for harvesting heads: they are very easy to break out with your fingers or cut off with a sharp short knife.
Video: Growing and picking Brussels sprouts
Harvest Storage Rules
Collected heads of Brussels sprouts do not have a long shelf life, therefore, in the first days after harvesting, it is necessary to use the fruits for food or process them for longer storage throughout the winter.
Important! With simultaneous use with whole grains, Brussels sprouts may well replace the animal protein necessary for the body. It is almost completely absent sodium and fat, but vitamins A, K, C, B6 and B9 are enough to normalize the basic functions of the body and even increase male potency.
You can save fresh cabbage only in rooms with an air temperature not exceeding + 2 ... + 5 ° C, sprinkling the lower parts of cut stems (along with heads of cabbage) with clean sifted sand in advance. In this form, the fruits are able to lie in the basement or on the balcony for up to two months, without losing their main qualities during this time.
In the case when the first autumn frosts covered the ground ahead of time and the formed heads of Brussels sprouts did not have time to ripen, you can dig out the whole plant and dig in a greenhouse or greenhouse. So it successfully ripens even in the cold months, as evidenced by the changing state of leaves and fruits of the bush. Further harvesting is carried out in the usual manner: suitable fruits are cut as necessary.
Storage of Brussels sprouts in the refrigerator is possible for no longer than ten days, and then, if you do not forget to place the fruits in hole plastic bags or a special container with a valve for storing such products in advance. If there is a place in the freezer of the refrigerator, it is even better, because washed, dried and frozen fresh fruits retain their nutritional qualities better than others and can safely lie down until the new crop.
Important! Residents of Siberian regions do not have to collect Brussels sprouts from the garden - cold and frosty winters will play the role of the freezer. You only need to pour snow on each bush and check the absence of thaws in order to calmly cut the remaining heads of cabbage in spring.
If you have never tried Brussels sprouts, be sure to plant this variety in your area. 
With the comparative simplicity of cultivation and ease of harvesting, the planted bushes will surely please you with a large number of tasty and unusually healthy fruits, which any housewife will surely find application.
