Brussels sprouts are healthy vegetables that perfectly complement soups, salads, and roasts. Though they’re not the easiest crops to grow in warmer zones like seven and higher, these mini cabbages can add flavor and essential nutrients to your home cooking.
So, when to plant Brussel sprouts zone 7? It is best to do this task in spring within March, but fall is also okay if you start gardening around July 1 to 15.
Table of Contents
When to Grow Brussel Sprouts in Zone 7
1. Spring planting zone 7
The best time to plant Brussel sprouts in zone 7 is spring. Because Brussels sprouts are cool-season crops, they are susceptible to water loss and tissue death in hot weather.
For this reason, spring gardening suits these plants as it allows them to mature under moderately warm temperatures and become harvestable in July, late June, or August.
So, if you want to grow Brussel sprouts in spring, remember the following:
- Plant from seed indoors four to six weeks before the last frost. The average final frost in zone 7 is April 15, so a seeding date of March 4 to 18 is preferable.
- Move the seedlings outside four to six weeks after you sow Brussels sprouts or when freezing weather ends. This means the transplant time is around April 15 if you follow the previous recommendation.
- Though it’s possible to start seeding in February, it is too risky and best avoided.
- If you did not start Brussels sprouts indoors, you can plant them outside after the last frost.
- Note that these tips apply to both zone 7a and zone 7b.
2. Fall planting zone 7
Another good time for growing Brussels sprouts is fall, approximately 12 to 14 weeks before the first frost if you start seeds indoors and 10 weeks if you direct-sow outside. As for seedlings, it’s best to transplant them 80 to 90 days before winter temperatures arrive.
This time frame allows these plants to mature just in time to avoid extreme freezes, though it’s important to note that the estimates are averages only. You should look up the maturation period of your cultivar and count backward from the first frost.
- Note: Some gardeners may expose Brussels to low temperatures on purpose, but they don’t do so for more than two frosts. A slight cold can push these brassicas to produce sugar and taste sweeter, but extended periods of below -10℉ weather will harm them.
With that in mind, here’s a summary of our planting recommendations. We used October 15 as the average first frost here, but you can look up the exact date of your locality for more accuracy.
| Seed indoors | Seed outdoors | Transplant outdoors | |
| Spring vegetable garden | March 4 – 18 | April 15 | April 15 |
| Fall vegetable garden | July 9 – 23 | August 6 | July 17 – 27 |
As you can see, planting in August zone 7 is the latest permissible time. Considering Brussel sprouts need at least 80 days and sometimes even as many as 150 days to mature, gardening in September is impossible, especially if your first frost is in October and not later.
FAQs
Is it too late to plant Brussels sprouts?
Brussel sprouts growing zone is 2 to 10, so we’ll use these areas’ frost dates to determine the latest planting time.
Because these brassicas mature in about 100 days, the calculation here will subtract the same length of time from the first frost.
You can go for a variety that takes longer to grow, but it’s not ideal to do so in autumn when cold weather is so near.
Note that zone 5 and zone 6 have zone 7 fall planting schedule, so all three won’t be mentioned below.
| Average first frost | Latest planting time | |
| Zone 2 | August 15 | May 7 |
| Zone 3, zone 4 | September 15 | June 7 |
| Zone 8 | November 15 | August 7 |
| Zone 9, zone 10 | December 15 | September 6 |
What temperature can Brussels sprouts tolerate?
Ideally, Brussels sprouts should handle temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit only, when they’re near maturity and not in the sprouting or development phase. A light frost will boost their flavors, as described above.
Other times, these mini cabbages need at least 45 to 80℉ to thrive, so make sure the environment doesn’t hamper their growth.
When to plant Brussel sprouts for Christmas?
It is best to plant Brussel sprouts in spring – by May at the latest – if you want them usable during Christmas. Though fall gardening is possible, you need to pick a quick-growing transplant that matures in three months or so and start it early enough.
It’s just not worth the added stress, as spring will give you much more time to tend to crops.
Conclusion
When to plant Brussel sprouts zone 7 should now be clear to you. Remember: follow our tips above and put your crops in loamy soil with a pH of 6 to 6.8. These conditions will give them the best opportunity to develop.
If you have any other questions on this topic, just let us know. Have fun gardening!
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