When Should You Plant Brussels Sprouts?
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GardenSays
Start Brussels sprouts Jun 17 – Jul 2 — timed for a fall harvest around your first frost (Oct 5).
- Sow/start
- Jun 17 – Jul 2
- First fall frost
- Oct 5
Brussels sprouts run on the fall-crop calendar: in Minneapolis, MN the typical first frost lands around Oct 5, and starting 95-110 days before that (Jun 17 – Jul 2) gives the crop enough of the growing season to mature into cool fall weather, which most sources say improves flavor.
Do this this week
- 1.Passed for this season — plan next year: start Jun 17 – Jul 2
Calculated result · 3 verified sources · Checked 2026-07-18 · How we decide
Why
Unlike its cole-crop relatives (broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower), Brussels sprouts is primarily grown in Minnesota as a FALL crop — sown/started in June for a late-September-through-October harvest, since sprouts need cool weather to mature well and tolerate temperatures down to 20F. UMN gives June as a calendar month rather than a frost-relative figure; converted to a Minneapolis-relative estimate against the first fall frost (~Oct 5).
- Fall crops are timed backward from the first frost, not forward from the last one — the growing season has to fit before cold shuts it down.
- Cool fall weather often improves flavor in cole crops, which is why gardeners deliberately time this as a fall harvest rather than rushing a spring crop.
When this doesn't apply
- Season extenders (row covers, cold frames) can push the harvest later into fall.
- Frost dates are area averages — low spots and valley floors run colder than the local average.
How this was calculated
- 1. First fall frostOct 5Source guidance
Minneapolis, MN: typical first 32°F frost — the anchor for this fall crop
- 2. Sow windowJun 17 – Jul 2Calculated result
Brussels sprouts: sow/start 95-110 days before the typical first fall frost, for a late-season harvest
Data sources
- University of Minnesota Extension — Growing Brussels sprouts in home gardens — Sow seeds indoors in June; direct-seeded plants need up to three weeks more to mature than indoor-started ones, so northern Minnesota gardeners should use transplants. Flavor improves with cooler fall weather; plants tolerate temperatures above 20F. Harvest from late September (north) through late October (south). Soil pH 6-7, well-drained yet moisture-retentive. (checked 2026-07-18)
- NOAA NCEI — 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals (freeze date probabilities) (checked 2026-07-15)
- National Gardening Association — frost date lookup (checked 2026-07-15)
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