Brussels sprouts · Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
When to plant brussels sprouts in Newcastle upon Tyne
Main outdoor window
16 Apr - 7 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
16 April
In Newcastle upon Tyne, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
25 Jul - 24 Aug
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Newcastle upon Tyne
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Start indoors
5-26 Mar
Six weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.
Plant out
16 Apr - 7 May
Around your last frost.
Harvest
25 Jul - 24 Aug
Brussels sprouts through the year
Against the frost risk in Newcastle upon Tyne
Why these dates
Sow in spring for a harvest that begins after the first autumn frosts. Rushing this crop to maturity in warm weather gives loose, bitter sprouts.
Improves after frost and stands through -12C. This is the clearest example of a crop where the first autumn frost is a target rather than a deadline.
Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Brussels sprouts are timed from 6 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 0 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Newcastle upon Tyne.
The median frost-free season here is 219 days, against 100 to 130 days to maturity for this crop counted from planting out. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Newcastle upon Tyne
Other vegetables to time
Growing brussels sprouts in Newcastle upon Tyne
When should I plant brussels sprouts in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Aim for 16 Apr - 7 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 6-27 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will brussels sprouts be ready to harvest in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Expect to start picking around 25 Jul - 24 Aug, based on 100 to 130 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will brussels sprouts tolerate?
Improves after frost and stands through -12C. This is the clearest example of a crop where the first autumn frost is a target rather than a deadline.