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At my house, the asparagus harvest will soon be drawing to a close. Some of us are rather happy about that. We’ve been eating asparagus at least once a day since the end of April. Steamed, parboiled, sautéed and roasted. In omelets, pasta salads, stir-fries and soups, but mostly on its own with olive oil, pepper and sometimes a little balsamic vinegar. Leftover asparagus makes a delicious lunch snack. Giving away extra spears makes friends very happy.
Asparagus is one of the easiest and most satisfying vegetables you can grow. Plant it once and you can eat from the same plot for the next 25 years. So if you’re planning to stay put for awhile, and you have a sunny, well-drained spot that gets plenty of moisture, consider planting some asparagus. Planting is a job for very early spring, when the clusters of asparagus roots, called crowns, are available. Summer is the right time to start planning where your bed will be located, and start preparing the planting area.
One thing asparagus plants will not tolerate is weeds, so preparing a weed-free planting bed is essential. A raised bed is ideal. Crowns should be planted 6 to 8” deep, about 1½ feet apart. This means eight crowns will fit in a 3x6' bed. If you plant all-male, hybrid asparagus, such as Jersey Knight or Jersey Giant, rather than the quaint but underwhelming variety Mary Washington, eight crowns will produce an adequate supply of asparagus for two adults; 16 crowns will ensure a bountiful crop with lots to share.
Growing asparagus requires patience. For best long-term results, don’t harvest any spears until year three. This gives the roots a chance to get well-established before you start depriving them of their tender shoots. When it is time to begin harvesting, cut spears at soil level and continue harvesting until shoots get to be as thin as a pencil. Then stop harvesting until next year and let the rest of the spears develop into mature “fronds”. The plants will use this foliage to produce energy and feed their roots for next year’s harvest.
Apply a granular organic fertilizer to your asparagus bed in early spring and again in mid-summer. Add a couple inches of compost in spring and fall. If the soil is acidic, add some lime. Mulch the soil surface with shredded leaves or straw to retain moisture and minimize weed growth. Cut fronds to the ground in late fall and destroy. This will help keep asparagus beetle populations in check.
For more information, check out the guide to growing asparagus from the University of Missouri Extension Service.
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8 comments:
Excellent and informative post!
So for those of us with limited space, can we grow anything else in this space during the rest of the growing season - in between the crowns?
Hi there,
For the past couple years I have been growing some strawberry plants in among my asparagus. The plants are doing fine. Unfortunately I have yet to claim a strawberry before the chipmunks have made off with them.
I have also successfully grown both sunflowers and annual poppies in between the crowns. They look pretty mingling with the soft asparagus fronds and because they're annuals, they don't seem to compete. In late fall you can just cut back the fronds and pull out all the annuals. -- Kathy
Could I plant the asparagus in a large wine barrel if I'd like to travel with it if I move?
How about planting in a mixed ornamental perennial bed? I like the fluffy fronds for texture once I'm done eating...
Hey Anonymous...try basil in between. They are annuals (at least in my zone) and will give you something tasty, and don't have much of a root spread to compete with the asparagus.
Thanks for the article! I appreciate the advice!!
I would like to move mine to a better spot. Any suggestions on when to do this and how? How far down should I dig to be the plants out?
Wow! I can't imagine trying to dig out my asparagus. I know how deep and how extensive the root system is, because I've been fighting bindweed, which has snuck into one end of the bed. Hate that dang stuff.
Anyway, if your bed has been established for awhile, you'll probably need to go down at least 18 inches. I'd do it in late fall once the fronds begin to yellow. Cut them to the ground and start digging. This timing will give the plant all summer to store as much energy as possible in its root system. Replant. Pamper. Hope for the best!
If you don't already have the relatively new all-male asparagus, you might want to consider starting over with new crowns. The all-male cultivars are supposed to yield 2 to 3 times more than the old ones.
Good luck! - Kathy
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