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Asparagus: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest (Everythings You Need To Know)

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Asparagus is a perennial, which means that once it comes into production the other tender spears will return every year. Furthermore, it is a great ornamental plant with ferny foliage. Now to grow asparagus — from planting through harvest!

About Asparagus

Asparagus is more productive in cooler regions with longer winters. The asparagus plant has several edible parts, but what we eat is the tender young stem shoot that appears above ground in spring when soil temperatures warm to 50°F(10°C). Do not harvest for a few seasons At this point, these are still young plants that need to be sustainably harvested. It is worth the wait, however. With the right care and maintenance, asparagus beds can be productive for 15 to even 20 or up to thirty years. Every year an asparagus stays productive is a good one. So, you need to plant the best variety for your region.

How Long Does It Take to Grow Asparagus?

As mentioned earlier, fresh asparagus plants can also take 2 to 3 years to become well-established and yield a crop of any size. So, patience may be the order of the day! Once they are established, Asparagus can bear you with the yield for decades. Moreover, asparagus plants are very efficient at producing spears quickly; sending up new sprigs every few days for a couple of weeks during the spring. This spring and early summer, it is such a joy to pick asparagus from that one plant after having fake patience for so many years since you’re raking in clearly half a pound of spears per foot of row.

TYPES

There are two different types of asparagus plants: male and female. Berries are produced by the female plants; male plants produce no berries. And males can be up to three times more productive than females because they do not have to expend any energy producing berries. This is another reason that growing male asparagus plants are highly desired.

  • Zone 4 – 6 gardeners also have a good choice of types available including ‘Jersey Giant’, ‘Jersey King’ and ‘Jersey Knight’. With older varieties, such as ‘Mary Washington’ and‘MarthaWashington,’ the plants you get are either male or female (female not being very productive).
  • Plants that break dormancy late, such as Guelph Millennium and others, often avoid spring freezes in colder climates.
  • In warmer climates, early and heat-tolerant varieties like ‘Apollo’ and ‘UC-157’ perform well before the temperatures climb.

White asparagus is not a type, but just the name for those species of which are never exposed to sunlight and thus prevented from forming chlorophyll. Because white asparagus has less simple fiber and is somehow sweeter than the green one.

Purple asparagus seems to change color after being cooked, becoming a more-green hue. Traditionally, purple types are thicker but fewer in number. That said, ‘Purple Passion’ is delicious but would not be considered an all-male variety.

How to Plant Asparagus

When to Plant

Start plants from seed approx 4 weeks before the last expected frost. But seeds will delay you by years. Asparagus is easier to grow from crows, which are available widely in the spring. As opposed to most plants, which wither away when their roots are exposed to air, asparagus crowns typically come sold alone; these tend to work fine if the aerial exposure is only temporary. They should be firm, fresh looking with no signs of limpness or any hint of mushy texture.

Selecting a Planting Site

Think long term when it comes to growing asparagus in your garden. You’re committing yourself for a while, especially since an asparagus bed may not start bearing fruit until its third year. Because asparagus is a perennial, you must plant it in the vegetable garden-either on this bed or more desirably a separate one.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Space them 12 to 18 inches apart as asparagus has a wide spread. They will not spread out much in the first two years, but after that they quickly fill in and can crowd each other. Heirloom varieties need extra space as well since they bolt to seed if confined to tightly ensuring future crops from saved seeds which should be allowed on plant or fall naturally wherever you sowed them last year. Modern hybrid cultivars tend to produce only male, seedless plants that spread primarily by expansion of the existing crown.

Trench Mound, This process is the most common way to plant asparagus crowns. In spring, form a trench about 12×12 inches in depth. Mix compost, fertilizer or other organic matter into your soil and make mounds 18 inches apart. Place the crown in the center of the mound, splaying out its roots over each ridge. The tip of the crown should sit about 6 inches above the surface. Cover the soil with mixture and water well. Fill the trench in with more dirt as shoots emerge, flush with soil level.

Asparagus roots interlace so densely that it is virtually impossible to separate crabgrass from crown. Keep something in place to manage weeds both at planting time and the first few weeks of their life until they cover all other ground. Underplanting Considerations – Asparagus are heavy feeders and thus will compete poorly against other crops.

Asparagus Care

Asparagus will thrive on plenty of nutrients and a lack of weeds. The plants will get quite tall but don’t let this put you off as they may need supporting and at the end of their growing season. Autumn is here now so time to take out your scepter, wait for all leaves, stems & flowers to go yellow/brown before cutting everything right back to ground level.

Weeding and removing female plants

Make sure the asparagus bed is weed free because asparagus does better with no other plants to compete. If you have to weed, do it by hand rather than with a hoe. They are shallow rooted and very fragile. Weed out any female plants (which are the ones that produce orange-red berries) to avoid seedlings. Even with all-male cultivars, you might have a female plant or two that show up and these should be removed.

Light

Plant asparagus in full sun. Without this, your plants will not set the type of deep roots they should. Low-light areas lead to thin spears and weak plants which are more likely be troubled with problems

Soil

Soil quality is crucial to success growing asparagus, because this is a long-lived perennial. Add lots of organic matter to the soil and check if its pH is under 6.5, with a neutral range between 7-8 being ideal for most flowers. Remove any weeds and large stones from the area as well. The soil needs to be free-draining so that the plants are never waterlogged.

Water

Especially when they are young requires its soil to be kept moist. Water it 1 to inches per week during its first two growing seasons and then give established plants about an inch a week. Try installing a drip irrigation or soaker hose system into the bed of asparagus.

Mulching

You can also amass in late winter to imbrute the soil, which will help protect against any weeds that might have made it through until spring! Either cover the bed with weed-suppressing membrane from autumn through to winter, which will bring down germination of annual weeds. Do not allow weeds to settle.

Supporting

During the summer, asparagus develops a tall ferny look. Stake and twine along a row to create a sort of fence on each side for support during windy weather – you don’t want the stems breaking. They’ll never produce well or come back from being damaged up top.

Temperature and Humidity

For the growing period asparagus likes to receive a constant temperature nearer 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit in the daylight and someplace around sixty or Seventy degrees Fahrenheit during night. Most asparagus will start sending up shoots when the soil temp at their level reaches 40 degrees in spring. This will damage the shoots if there is any frost after they begin to grow. Your mushroom spores will germinate slowly at temps over 85, or under 55 degrees.

Fertilizer

When creating a bed for asparagus, line the trench with compost and all-purpose organic fertilizer and add rock phosphate – either triple superphosphate or soft-rock powder, both of which promote root development. Spread a layer of compost over the surface annually to keep soil nutrient rich for asparagus plant feed. Perform the task in early spring before it produces shoots, or take clumps out of your garden bed after they have lost their fronds and been cut to the ground. Asparagus is a heavy feeder so apply fertilizer in mid spring while it is actively growing, following product label instructions to the letter.

Propagating

Divide well-established crowns in the late winter, early spring for propagation. Only do this every three years at the latest because asparagus plants can take a few seasons to establish again. Descend and remove the crown so as to not damage it. Carefully separate the crown into three or four smaller sections with multiple growing points, but remove only the outermost, best parts of each segment. Roots that cannot be separated will have to either be cut into a shears or knife. Discard any old, woody parts. Immediately plant out the new divisions, buds uppermost and just visible at soil level.

Harvesting Asparagus

Generally, you will not start harvesting your asparagus spears until the third season after planting. This is a timeline of how to grow asparagus:

  • Year 1: Plants have yet to grow large and are establishing root systems in year one.
  • Year 2: With the second year, gardeners can start harvesting spears that are pencil-thick or more. With asparagus, good things come to those who wait.
  • Year 3: During your third year you will be able harvest for approximately two weeks. Allow the new spears to grow without harvesting them for one year. Fronds emerge from the spears, which grow into lush and airy foliage that nourishes the plant.
  • Year 4: In the fourth year, you can start harvesting spears that are 5 to 7 inches long when they gently snap off but before the tip dips into varying measurements (diameter does not matter). Either snap off the spears or cut them with a knife, just an inch above the soil line. If you are using a knife, be careful that the shoot is not underground and if there are under layers of new shoots also in this layer that it is alone before cutting.
  • Year 5 and Beyond: In year five, harvest for about four to six weeks. Over the following years, more shoots will emerge from the ground in spring. By the time it has been over a month and the weather is warming, your shoots will start getting leggy. Don’t clip the foliage at this stage, but instead let the plants grow into their mature ferny leaves that will feed next season’s roots. Asparagus plants are perennial, so a single planting can produce as long as 20 to 30 years and individual crowns may be divided or transplanted if too crowded.

How to Store Asparagus

As soon as they have been cut, put spears into cold water so they stay sweet. Asparagus does not last long after it is picked, so eat within 2-3 days of harvesting the asparagus. To keep fresh, band together as a bundle with the stem ends wrapped in a moist paper towel with a plastic bag. Keep it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Spears stored standing in a cup of water, inside the fridge if possible Add some fresh water in the cup around 1 inch.

PESTS/DISEASES

In the asparagus bed, one of your biggest worries is weeds. Spring and early summer are the best times to hand pull. It does not take a lot of time, but the trick is to cultivate in a way which will not damage any emerging asparagus spears. In summer, effectively control weeds by applying four to 4-6 inches of straw.

Pest/Disease

Type

Symptoms

Control/Prevention

Asparagus beetles

Insect

Spears turn brown and bend in a hook shape; defoliation

Remove beetles by hand; dispose of plant matter in the fall where eggs could be housed

Asparagus rust 

Fungus

Pale green spots on emerging spears become yellow/orange with concentric rings; reddish-brown blisters appear in summer, releasing rust-colored spores that turn black; brown ferns; defoliation; reduced vigor

Rust requires moisture to spread; avoid getting excess water on spears or ferns. Destroy infected plant matter; choose resistant varieties; ensure good air circulation; avoid planting new asparagus nearby

Cutworms

Insect

Wilting; stems of young spears severed (“cut”) just above soil line

Watch for cutworms and remove by hand; clear away weeds and other plant matter. Find more cutworm prevention tips here.

Fusarium crown rot

Fungus

Yellow, stunted, wilted ferns; reddish-brown spots on lower stems, crowns, or roots; rotting spears

Destroy infected plants; avoid planting new asparagus nearby infected site for 5+ years; choose resistant varieties; disinfect tools to prevent spread; avoid overharvesting

Slugs/snails

Mollusk

Irregular holes in spears; slimy secretion on plants/soil

Handpick; avoid thick bark mulch; use copper plant collars; lay boards on soil in evening, and in the morning dispose of “hiding” pests in hot, soapy water; drown in deep container filled with 1/2 inch of beer, or sugar water and yeast, and sunk so that top edge is slightly above ground; apply a 1-inch-wide strip of food-grade diatomaceous earth as a barrier

FAQ

Q- Will Asparagus continue to grow after it has been cut?

It won’t regrow on the same stalk that you cut but in a full asparagus patch, you will have several pop up close after. The asparagus stalks you cut off during the growing season are going to be back next year because asparagus is a perennial.

Q- How much asparagus do you get from one plant?

If you have an adult asparagus plant, then one year you can usually get 10-sixteen spears from it.

2 thoughts on “Asparagus: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest (Everythings You Need To Know)”

  1. Pingback: Easiest Vegetables & Fruits To Grow For Beginners – Yard of Paradise

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