[Dimblebee]

Hello Everyone! This is my first post-I’ve previously just swooped in to find advice already given but couldn’t find anything on this-maybe I missed it?

We’ve just planted our Brussel sprout seedlings (8 of them, perhaps a little too close together) and the bed looks huge and empty as the seedlings are so small.

Do you plant anything at this time of year to use the bed more wisely? I’m thinking lettuce, radish, beetroot? Or can flowers grow up amongst the alien looking sprout leaves? Maybe calendula or cosmos?

I’m worried that if I do plant more companion seeds/seedlings, our already not rich enough soil will be further depleted, or there won’t be enough room so no plants will grow well. However, perhaps, it’ll help the roots to grow deeper and I don’t want to waste the space....

Have any of you tried planting around the Brussel sprouts kitchen/cottage  garden style?

Any advice welcome

[Plot 1 Problems]

Definitely interplant around slow growing crops! As you say, lettuces, radishes, beetroot are good choices, as are turnips, kohl rabi and anything else that's fairly quick cropping.

[Nobbie]

How close are the Brussels Sprouts and what size are they. If they are already quite close together and very small, there is a risk that a fast growing catch crop will swamp them. Standard distance is about 2 foot each way from memory.

[lettice]

Never done it with Brussels Sprouts.
I'm sure you could do it.
I would be very careful as you really do not want in any way to disturb the soil anywhere near the Brussel Sprout base. You heel them in hard at planting time for a reason, so they bed well, grow strong and straight.
I would not risk it Myself, as always proud of growing good strong straight sprout plants. There is nothing worse than growing a wonky and weak Brussels sprout plant, making them crop poorly and not that wind resistant in their Autumn and Winter producing months.

[Dimblebee]

How close are the Brussels Sprouts and what size are they. If they are already quite close together and very small, there is a risk that a fast growing catch crop will swamp them. Standard distance is about 2 foot each way from memory.

They’re each about 18’’ apart in a diamond? formation. There’s no stem on them at the moment. Just 4-6 floppy leaves.  I am paranoid they’re going to fall over. I’m going to stop watering them until they start to wilt in an attempt to get them to send roots more deeply. I quite fancy some turnips. Might go for it.