How to grow Asparagus

Asparagus is a rewarding perennial plant if tendered to correctly. The asparagus plant will last for up to 30 years, and so, should be planted in a spot that will be undisturbed and out of the way of normal garden cultivation.

Tools

• Basic gardening tools

Materials

• 1 year old asparagus crowns.
• Organic materials (bone meal, compost, manure)
• Fertiliser

Instructions

1. Create a bed by digging a V-shaped trough that is 6-7” deep, ideally in soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Dig the bed ahead of planting time and supplement it with organic materials that will enrich the bed of soil.
2. Buy asparagus crowns at a nursery or through an online catalogue.
3. Choose asparagus crowns that are healthy and sturdy looking. Do not choose crowns that appear limp.
4. Remove rotten roots from the crown if there are any.
5. In cool regions plant them in early spring when the soil temperature has reached about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In warm regions, plant late in winter.
6. Soak the crowns in compost tea for approximately 10 minutes and lay them on their sides on the organic matter, 12-16” apart, in rows 4 feet apart.
7. Fill in the troughs gradually as shoots emerge, taking care not to cover any foliage; eventually the trough will be level with the soil surface.
8. Weed diligently and mulch heavily with chopped leaves or straw after the troughs have been filled in.
9. Side dress plants with a balanced organic fertiliser in late summer, and top the bed with organic mulch in the fall.
10. Give new plantings one to two inches of water a week; after this, water only when rainfall is sparse.
11. Do not harvest any spear during your plant’s first season. Each spear needs to fern out so that the roots can grow stronger and hence be more productive.
12. You may pick a few that reach about the size of your index finger in the second season.
13. In the third season, pick finger sized spears for two to four weeks in the spring.
14. In subsequent years, harvest all the finger sized spears you want for six to eight weeks, or until the spears that come up are thin and spindly.

Tips and warnings

• Asparagus beetles are commonly found in home plantings. If numerous they may be controlled by a suggested insecticide or by handpicking.
• Asparagus rust can be a problem in the Midwest. Moisture left on the plant for 10 hours can help to spread the disease (in this area, plant resistant varieties).
• Cook asparagus as soon as possible to ensure peak flavour. Spears start to lose flavour and moisture soon after they are harvested.
• Be patient when growing asparagus (harvesting on the first and second years are not recommended). The best time to start harvesting asparagus is in its third year.
• Asparagus loves the sun so let your asparagus plants have full sun exposure and keep supplementing their soil with organic materials that are rich in potassium and phosphorus.
• Though it can be grown at any time of year, the best time to grow asparagus is during spring.