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By Bobbie Whitehead
Though newly-planted asparagus takes three years to produce its first harvest, the perennial plant offers healthy rewards to home gardeners for years to come.
In fact, an asparagus crop, properly tended, can produce up to 15 years of harvests, according to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
U.S. asparagus produced by commercial growers makes its way to grocer shelves and regional markets from California, Washington State and Michigan where harvests typically run from April through June.
Though newly-planted asparagus takes three years to produce its first harvest, the perennial plant offers healthy rewards to home gardeners for years to come.
In fact, an asparagus crop, properly tended, can produce up to 15 years of harvests, according to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
U.S. asparagus produced by commercial growers makes its way to grocer shelves and regional markets from California, Washington State and Michigan where harvests typically run from April through June.
A crop of asparagus in the garden can produce harvests for up to 15 years, according to the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.
Asparagus: Planting could yield harvests for many years
The vegetable from the lily family also offers a source of important vitamins and minerals such as potassium, folate and Vitamins A and C, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition Database.
Gardeners in some regions can begin planting asparagus in early spring, and for those planning to add the perennial to the garden, the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board suggests preparing the soil for planting at least one year in advance. To begin, gardeners should test the soil’s pH to see if it’s too acidic. The Advisory Board suggests a soil pH of 7.0 since Michigan State University studies showed fusarium fungi grow more readily in acidic soil.
The soil should also offer adequate drainage, too. If the soil is adequate with a sunny location, growers can begin planting crowns (roots with a small bud at the top).
In the article “Home Garden Asparagus Production,” Douglas C. Sanders, North Carolina State University Department of Horticultural Science extension specialist, suggests planting 10 crowns for each person or 15 crowns per person for extra asparagus to can, freeze or sell.
To plant crowns, gardeners should dig rows about eight inches deep and five feet apart then space crowns 12 inches apart, Sanders writes. Also, gardeners can create a small mound with some of the dirt for each crown and “spread the roots out over the mound of soil and cover the crown with 2 to 3 inches of soil,” write Diane Relf, and Alan McDaniel, horticulture extension specialists with the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. “Firm well. As the plants grow, continue to pull soil over the crowns (about 2 inches every two weeks) until the trench is filled.”
To plant from seeds, growers can start them in peat pots or starter trays. For asparagus begun from seed, which increases the time before harvest by one year, gardeners can transplant the seedlings in June, according to Relf and McDaniel.
“Allow the plants to grow until they have turned brown,” Sanders writes. “Then cut down the fern and destroy it. If cut down before frost the next year's crop of spears is reduced.”
Gardeners can harvest asparagus for about two weeks in its second year, Sanders writes, and once the third year arrives, harvests can run for six to eight weeks.
Some of the popular varieties for home garden include the Mary Washington, Jersey Knight and Jersey Supreme, but gardeners can find many varieties available. Some garden centers as well as seed companies sell asparagus crowns and seed. Here are a few seed companies:
1. Michigan Bulb Co., http://www.michiganbulb.com, sells bareroot giant asparagus.
2. Johnny’s Selected Seeds, http://www.johnnyseeds.com, sells one-year old asparagus crowns.
3. Seed of Change, http://www.seedsofchange.com, sells asparagus crowns.
4. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, http://www.rareseeds.com, sells heirloom asparagus varieties such as the Italian Precoce d'Argenteuil Asparagus.
Gardeners in some regions can begin planting asparagus in early spring, and for those planning to add the perennial to the garden, the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board suggests preparing the soil for planting at least one year in advance. To begin, gardeners should test the soil’s pH to see if it’s too acidic. The Advisory Board suggests a soil pH of 7.0 since Michigan State University studies showed fusarium fungi grow more readily in acidic soil.
The soil should also offer adequate drainage, too. If the soil is adequate with a sunny location, growers can begin planting crowns (roots with a small bud at the top).
In the article “Home Garden Asparagus Production,” Douglas C. Sanders, North Carolina State University Department of Horticultural Science extension specialist, suggests planting 10 crowns for each person or 15 crowns per person for extra asparagus to can, freeze or sell.
To plant crowns, gardeners should dig rows about eight inches deep and five feet apart then space crowns 12 inches apart, Sanders writes. Also, gardeners can create a small mound with some of the dirt for each crown and “spread the roots out over the mound of soil and cover the crown with 2 to 3 inches of soil,” write Diane Relf, and Alan McDaniel, horticulture extension specialists with the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. “Firm well. As the plants grow, continue to pull soil over the crowns (about 2 inches every two weeks) until the trench is filled.”
To plant from seeds, growers can start them in peat pots or starter trays. For asparagus begun from seed, which increases the time before harvest by one year, gardeners can transplant the seedlings in June, according to Relf and McDaniel.
“Allow the plants to grow until they have turned brown,” Sanders writes. “Then cut down the fern and destroy it. If cut down before frost the next year's crop of spears is reduced.”
Gardeners can harvest asparagus for about two weeks in its second year, Sanders writes, and once the third year arrives, harvests can run for six to eight weeks.
Some of the popular varieties for home garden include the Mary Washington, Jersey Knight and Jersey Supreme, but gardeners can find many varieties available. Some garden centers as well as seed companies sell asparagus crowns and seed. Here are a few seed companies:
1. Michigan Bulb Co., http://www.michiganbulb.com, sells bareroot giant asparagus.
2. Johnny’s Selected Seeds, http://www.johnnyseeds.com, sells one-year old asparagus crowns.
3. Seed of Change, http://www.seedsofchange.com, sells asparagus crowns.
4. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, http://www.rareseeds.com, sells heirloom asparagus varieties such as the Italian Precoce d'Argenteuil Asparagus.
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