I won’t lie, I enjoy them shaved into wispy threads and tossed with a vinaigrette in the summer.Cozy sweaters and fuzzy slippers come out of storage, warming up next to a real fire in the fireplace becomes an option… and there are brussels sprouts.There’s nothing that I can grow in my vegetable patch that reminds me of the coming winter in quite the same way as garden-fresh sprouts, roasted with some balsamic vinegar and pine nuts.There are brussels sprouts for those who struggle with mildew in their gardens, and varieties for people who worry about wind gusts wreaking havoc on their harvest.I like to picture old Arthur playing a pickup game of baseball with his grandkids, using sprouts as the ball and the stalks as the bat, but I have been accused of being overly imaginative with my crops.Regardless of whether you need to go on a little narrative journey like the one I’ve provided to be convinced that this cultivar is worth your while, the little heads will win you over with their rich flavor, and texture that holds up well to freezing.While you may not get a massive harvest with this variety – since each stalk only holds about 10 buds – the well-spaced sprouts make the plant less likely to contract Alternaria, thanks to the good airflow.Brussels sprouts sometimes don’t produce good yields if they develop too late in the spring growing season, because that’s when the weather can become unexpectedly hot.And when I say high yields, I mean it – you can bring in over 14 ounces of veggies per plant, which is impressive.‘Dagan’ grows straight and tall, which is perfect if you’re looking for a bouquet of sprouts for your dinner table or farmers market stand.This hybrid variety takes 100 days to mature and the sprouts hold well in the garden too, so you won’t ruin your harvest if you don’t get to them right away.That means they snap off of the plant easily, and don’t have a big base that you’ll need to trim away when you’re ready to eat them.This pretty hybrid plant grows two feet tall and produces smooth, solid, medium-sized heads.When the plant is hit by a frost, the buds turn incredibly nutty and sweet – perhaps like Beelzebub himself will, once hell freezes over?The plant is slow to mature, taking around 110 days, so it may lend itself better to growing in the fall rather than the spring, particularly in warmer zones.That way, you can avoid the early heat that may destroy spring crops that stick around in the garden for too long.You can also start seeds early indoors if you just can’t wait for fall, and transplant seedlings as soon as you can work the ground in the spring.Ready to harvest in just 85 days, the hybrid plants reach up to 36 inches tall, and you get plenty of veggies on one stalk.‘Gustus’ is newer on the scene, but it’s quickly making a name for itself as a hybrid cultivar that deserves a spot in your garden.I don’t want to admit how long I let mine linger in the refrigerator one year, but let’s just say the pages of my calendar definitely flipped more than once.If you are experimenting with new types, even though this one isn’t as popular on the brussels sprout scene, give it a chance.There’s a general rule with brussels sprouts: the early maturing varieties tend to not hold well in the garden.As if that’s not enough to recommend it, this is only the second brussels sprout variety to win the All-America Selections (AAS) award in the vegetables category, in 2015.The bright green buds have a buttery yellow interior and they grow uniformly on the stalk.While all sprouts taste better after they experience a frost, this hybrid type doesn’t need to get as cold as some others to develop that sweet flavor.The hybrid plant is disease resistant and, because it grows with a compact habit, it doesn’t tip over as easily as some of the taller varieties.And for good reason – the medium-sized heads of this heirloom variety have a nutty, earthy, buttery flavor that’s pretty hard to beat.These picture-perfect little veggies have a lovely deep green color and a robust, nutty flavor packed into a small, one-inch package.The buds are ready to harvest in 120 days, at which point you’ll be greeted by tender, sweet treats.But the thing that really makes this variety stand out is that the heads are well-spaced on the stalk, so they get plenty of air circulation to help avoid disease problems.That’s because it rewards your growing efforts with tons of dark green buds that are filled with a surprisingly intense, sweet, nutty flavor.Topping is the process of cutting off the topmost tip of the plant to discourage it from growing taller.‘Octia’ is a hybrid and produces well-spaced buds on a stalk that grows up to 36 inches tall, which discourages Alternaria thanks to good airflow, and makes the harvest super easy.The purple heads are ready to pick in 140 to 145 days, and this cultivar is best suited to cooler growing zones.With such a short number of days to maturity, you should be able to grow these even in warmer zones without fear of bolting.But I know that if my mom had presented me with a stalk of brussels sprouts that we got to play with before we roasted the heads with some butter, I might have had an entirely different take on them when I was young.If you have room, I think you should plant multiple varieties so you can have all kinds of sizes suited to different culinary uses, and different maturation dates for a continuous supply.Product photos via Amazon, Burpee, Eden Brothers, Gurney’s, Pase Seeds, and True Leaf Market