Victoria’s brussels sprouts have managed to get through this winter’s cold snaps unscathed. Bruce Adams, of Coldstream’s Adams Farm, said this season’s colder weather had actually helped.
“We had four frosts, but sprouts love the frosts — that’s when they’re at their best,” he said.
“When the weather is warmer, they’re a little bit more bitter, but the colder weather sweetens them up.
“Cold weather slows their growth down, so it takes longer for me to come down and pick them, but that’s the only effect the cold weather has on them.”
While this winter has also been one of the driest on record, Bruce said his sprouts this season had not caused him any headaches either.
“For us it was bit dry, but it had no effect on us; we had enough rain every now and then to keep the ground fresh, and growth was quite normal this year,” he said.
“You can’t grow 100 per cent perfect sprouts. There’s always the odd issue that pops up, but overall it was a good year.”
Adding to this, the market has also been kind to Bruce this season.
“There’s not many sprouts grown in Australia, so at the moment we have a pretty good balance between numbers grown and what the consumer is consuming.”
