Asparagus

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It requires space and patience, but once established asparagus will provide you with years of spring pleasure. Cutting those spring spears at the perfect size and immediately eating them makes asparagus well worth the trouble. Including a few perennials like asparagus in your garden will give it structure, and it’s nice to have some vegetables that you don’t need to plant every year.

GROWING

Although it is possible to grow asparagus from seed, most people grow it by using 1-year-old bare-root crowns. Avoid 2- or 3-year-old crowns because the transplant shock is more significant. Take time to decide where you want to plant your asparagus, as it will occupy that area for 10 to 20 years. The ideal garden spot will warm quickly in the spring and will have well-draining soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH. Begin preparing the bed as soon as soil is workable in the spring. Loosen the soil and dig a 12-inch-wide trench around 6 to 8 inches deep. Before you plant, soak the crowns in water to moisten the bare-roots; add a little fish and seaweed emulsion to begin colonizing the roots with beneficial bacteria. Plant the crowns at the bottom of the trench, 12 to 16 inches apart, and cover with 3 inches of soil. As the plants grow, continue to fill in the trench with soil.

For the first 2 years allow the plants to grow without harvesting. This helps the plants focus on establishing roots that will produce vigorous growth in years to come. In the fall or early spring before new growth appears, cut the plants down to the level of the soil, and mulch heavily. Watch out for pests eating the fronds and control for slugs as needed. Top-dress with an all-purpose fertilizer each spring.

HARVESTING

In the third season cut spears for about 4 weeks, and then let the plants mature. In the fourth season, you can expand the harvesting window to around 8 weeks. Snap off or cut the spears at ground level when they are 5 to 10 inches tall, depending on your preference. Crowns will produce about one pound of spears over a 6- to 8-week period.

VARIETIES

Asparagus plants are naturally either male or female. Male plants are more productive since they don’t have to spend energy on producing seeds. For this reason, choose varieties that offer mostly male plants such as Jersey Night and Jersey Supreme. If you want to have a little fun grow Purple Passion, just know that the purple color disappears when cooked.