Brassica oleracea (Gemmifera Group) 'Bosworth'

RHS Plant Profile
Brussels sprout 'Bosworth'

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Brussels sprout 'Bosworth' RHS
Annual Biennial
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An F1 hybrid, 80cm high, with medium to large, dark green leaves, and solid, sweet-tasting, oval sprouts, 4cm long and 3cm across, which are well-spaced and easy to pick, and are still good even when harvested in late winter. Brussels sprouts, Brassica oleracea (Gemmifera Group), are biennials usually grown as annual vegetables, the swollen buds as well as the leaves being edible.

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H4

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Brassicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Columnar upright
Genus
Brassicas can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, most are upright with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped, yellow or white flowers. The genus includes a number of species bred to produce food crops, such as cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape, as well as others grown for their ornamental value
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Sow seed thinly, about 1-2cm deep and in rows 15cm apart, with shelter from for example cloches or a coldframe, in late winter, or directly outdoors in a seedbed in early spring; thin seedlings to at least 3cm apart, and when they are 10-15 cm high, in early summer, transplant young plants to growing positions, 60cm apart, in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, preferably neutral or alkaline and medium or heavy, in a sunny site sheltered from the wind; harvest sprouts from autumn onwards; for more advice, see Brussels sprouts cultivation See https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials-awards for further information about RHS plant trials and awards

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown under cover in early spring; if plants are allowed to flower and seed, the seedlings will not come true because 'Bosworth' is an F1 hybrid. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to, like other brassicas, to many pests, including cabbage root fly, caterpillars of small and large cabbage white butterflies, aphids, flea beetles, slugs and snails, and by birds, especially pigeons

Diseases

May be susceptible to, like other brassicas, to many diseases, including club root, especially in acidic soil; 'Bosworth' is said to have some resistance to downy mildew and ringspot