VeggieHarvest.com

Asparagus

Beans

Beets 

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Kale

Lettuce

Melons

Onions

Peas

Peppers

Potatoes

Spinach

Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Where to grow:
A perennial vegetable that thrives almost anywhere in the continental United States except where summers are exceptionally long and humid.  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. 
 
Varieties:
Mary Washington and Waltham Washington are both excellent rust resistant varieties. 
 
Soil:
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 6.5.  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. 
 
Planting: 
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:
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 it 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 branchlets 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 and left as much, or left standing. 
 
Culture:
Weeds are the biggest problem with asparagus since they offer too much competition for the developing shoots, and in and untidy asparagus patch can develop very quickly.  Frequent light, shallow cultivation is a good preventative.  Light mulching is another.  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.  When harvesting has been completed, feed the asparagus bed with a well balanced fertilizer to encourage a generous crop of succulent spears the next spring. 
 
Harvest:
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.  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. 
 
Pests:
Asparagus beetle:  Handpick
 
Diseases:
Rust have been virtually eliminated by the development of rust resistant varieties.