VeggieHarvest

Where to Grow Asparagus:

A member of the Lily family, Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that thrives almost anywhere in the continental United States (Zone 3-8) except where summers are exceptionally long and humid, its native location was along the sea coast.  The edible portion of the plant is the young stem shoots which emerge from the ground as the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees F in the spring.  Proper soil preparation before planting and good summer maintenance will keep this vegetable yielding for a minimum of 10 years and possibly as long as 15 or more. Because it takes up permanent garden space, it should be given a specially designated spot. It is often planted near rhubarb, another long lived garden perennial.

Asparagus can be considered a power foods among veggies.  It is packed with vitamins and minerals, delivering a more complete balance than any other.  Asparagus is a good source of  vitamin A, B6 and C, as well as iron, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine.  It is high in fiber and low in carbohydrates, contains no fat, no cholesterol and has only 20 calories per 1/2 cup serving.  One serving of asparagus also provides more folic acid (1/2 the recommended allowance) and glutathione than any other vegetables.  Studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that glutathione, a potent cancer fighting agent, were higher in asparagus than any other food tested.  A bed of 25 asparagus plants will produce about 10 pounds of asparagus per year. 

Asparagus Varieties:

Because asparagus stays productive for so long, it's important to plant the best variety available to your area.  Mary Washington and Waltham Washington are both excellent rust resistant varieties, and are considered heirloom varieties.  The female plant should, produce berries after the harvest.  Plants spend a great deal of energy producing seed, and you can expect your female asparagus plants to produce a few less stalks next spring due to this.  The seeds are difficult to pull and are often seen as weeds in a mature asparagus patch, and not desirable froma  cultivation standpoint.  The majority of hybrid plants are male to encourage increased spear production.  Popular time tested hybrids are the Jersey varieties:  Jersey Knight, Jersey King, Jersey Supreme, Jersey Giant.  Jersey Knight is the variety most commonly found asparagus variety at the market. 

There are no white varieties of asparagus; rather this is controlled by how they are grown.  Typically, soil is heaped over the crown of the plant to prevent sunlight from prompting the production of chlorophyll, which makes the plant green.  The spears are harvested early in the morning as soon as the tips start to emerge from the soil.  The white variety tends to be slightly sweeter than green asparagus. 

Soil for Asparagus:

Since asparagus is a perennial vegetable, and can produce for up to 30-50 years, it is very important to prepare the soil properly.  The best soil is sandy, well drained loam, heavily enriched with well-rotted manure and compost. Ground prepared in this way dries out quickly in early spring, to spur the early growth of the spears. The pH should be about 7.5. Average garden soil, however, will support a good asparagus crop, provided it drains well. Rocky New England soil hampers the development of strait spears. Fertilization application: 4 pounds of 5-10-10 per 100 square feet, or generous quantities of bone meal or ground phosphate rock and wood ash.  Asparagus craves phospherous, which is usually abundant in composted manure and kitchen waste compost.

Choose a spot that is free of perennial weeds and grasses. 

Planting Asparagus:

As soon as the ground can be worked. Plan on an average of 10 plants per person. Plant in a sunny spot protected from the wind.

How to Grow Asparagus :

Slow way - Start with seed, which requires 1 month to germinate. To hasten germination a bit, soak the seed for 2 days in water. Plant them 1/2 inch deep in rows 2 feet wide. Thin the seedlings to 3-4 inches between plants. These seedlings should grow for a summer, and the following year the 'yearlings' should be transplanted to the permanent asparagus bed.
Fast way - Buy year old plants, or 'crowns' from the seed store. They will have compact buds with masses of supple dangling roots. Plants are set out in trenches dug to a depth of 6-8 inches and spaced 4 feet apart, in the prepared soil bed. Mound the soil to the side of each trench, as it will be used to backfill as the asparagus grow. Set the asparagus crowns in the base of the trench with 18 inches between the plants, and cover with about 2 inches of soil. As the asparagus tips grow the trenches will be filled in gradually until they are completely filled by the end of the summer. Asparagus plants have a tendency to rise as they grow mature, hence the need for the trenching method of planting.

How Asparagus Grows:

The roots will spread horizontally rather than down, and in years to come will produce a thick mat of roots and underground shoots. The first year after planting the spears will be spindly and thin. As they mature, they develop into tall, ferny branches quite lovely to see. The true asparagus leaves have been reduced to the triangular scales on the spears which are cut off when the asparagus is cut for cooking.

There has been some thought that the male plants tend to produce more spears, but this has not been rigorously proven. The ferny top growth is actually producing food for the shoots below in much the same manner as bulb foliage renews a bulb underground for next spring's flower. For this reason, asparagus foliage should not be cut down too soon near the end of the season, but should be allowed to wither off naturally. It can be cut down or left standing at the end of the season.

Cultivating Asparagus:

Weeds are the biggest problem with asparagus since they offer too much competition for the developing shoots, and in an untidy asparagus patch they can develop very quickly.  Frequent hand weeding early and often is the best way to control weeds, especially in the first two/three years of growth.  Frequent cultivation and light mulching with grass clippings, or hay are good preventatives. First cultivation should be in early spring, before the spears appear above ground. At this time, lightly apply fertilizer, preferably well-rotted manure, to each plant, and continue cultivation until the tops have grown too high and thick to manage with a shallow hoe. Also, watering is extremely important any time there is lack of adequate rainfall during the growing season.

In early winter, after several hard freezes have damaged your asparagus fronds, cut them off and compost them to interrupt the life cycles of insects and diseases.  Fertilize the bed with a one inch layer of weed-free compost topped with three inches of straw, rotted sawdust, or mulch to encourage succlent spears the next spring.  Clean spears will push up through the mulch in the spring.  Fertilize your asparagus again in early summer after the harvest has been completed. 

Harvesting Asparagus:

The succulent tenderness of asparagus depends on the quality of the soil, the rapidity of shoot development in spring, and adequate soil moisture. No harvesting will occur the first year plants are set out, a few spears may be cut the second year, and full harvest will be available the third year. At full harvest year, cutting may last for 4-6 weeks, depending on the growing season and how well the asparagus plants have been managed. At the beginning of the harvest period, spears may be ready 2 or 3 times a week, it is possible they could grow up to 10 inches per day, so they will need to be checked daily during peak production. They are tastiest when just about 6 inches tall and tight at the tip, not spreading. At the height of the growing season there may be fresh spears to select each day. Harvest stops when the spears begin to look thin and spindly. Stop cutting when hot summer weather comes.

There are two schools of thought on cutting. One is to cut the spears off with a sharp knife just at ground level to avoid damaging any underground roots. A simpler method is to snap the spears off at ground level.

Asparagus is similar to corn in that quality deteriorates soon after picking. For best flavor, pick it just before it is to be cooked. If this isn't feasible, refrigerate it promptly.  It will store best if left in a standing position, with the thicker end submerged in cold water. 

Asparagus Pests:

Asparagus beetles are the main pest that damages asparagus fronds.  There are two common species, the common aparagus beetle (black, white, and red-orange) and the spotted asparagus beetle (red-orange with black spots), both of which are about 1/3 inch long.  They can effectively be hand picked from the plants when found, look for them in the morning when it is too cool for them to fly.

The beetls overwinter in the plant debris, so removing fronds in winter will reduce their numbers eventually.  Lady beetles and seveeral small wasp species are major asparagus beetle predators that are naturally occuring. 

Asparagus beetle eggs look like stubby brown hairs.  Wipe them off the spears with a damp cloth.  Asparagus beetle larve are soft, grey, sluglike creatures with black heads are unable to crawl back up into position if swept off the plants.  Many gardeners allow their chickens to pick through the asparagus beds for 3-5 days over winter to eliminate any leftover beetles.  If you have a problem, and don't raise poultry, setup a spring trap crop.  Don't cut the spears in spring within this polt, and patrol often to collect as many adult asparagus beetles as possible.  In late summer cut the fronds 2 inches from the ground and compost them.  In three weeks or so, you can harvest a fall crop of spears from your trap crop plot.  see

Diseases for Asparagus:

Rust has been virtually eliminated by the development of rust resistant varieties.