How Do Brussels Sprouts Look While They Are Growing?

Leaves

• Leaves are oblong to heart-shaped with well defined veins. At maturity leaves are about 6-inches long and slightly curve up or down. Leaves are shades of green and are removed when they turned yellow starting from the bottom up. A mature sprout sits right above the yellow leaf giving the gardener a sign that it is good to pick. Sprouts grow faster when they do not have competition from the leaves. Therefore, many gardeners remove the lowest 6 to 8 leaves and as sprouts grow up the stem, two more leaves are removed. Several leaves must remain at the top of the plant so they process nutrients.

Stem

• Brussels sprouts only have one thick, sturdy stem that grows upright to 35 inches tall. The stem is green, but growing sprouts hide it from view.

Sprouts

• Sprouts look like tiny green cabbages, which is appropriate since the plant is in the cabbage family. They start growing at the base of the stem and work upward, clustering around the stem. Sprouts are mature when they are firm and 1 to 2 inches or the size of a walnut.

Top

• The top of the plant develops a head that resembles a cabbage. The leaves at the top are edible and taste much like cabbage. Some gardeners snip the top off so the plant grows more sprouts, but left intact, it makes the plant look like a small palm tree with green balls growing up the trunk.