Growing Great Asparagus

Cheryl Long
May/June 2006

growing asparagus, aparagus plant, planting asparagus, how to grow asparagus, harvesting
Image Gallery
BRAND X PICTURES
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Asparagus is one of the easiest (and earliest) garden crops to grow ? you only need to plant it once, then it will produce sweet, tender spears every spring for decades. To start a new bed, buy bareroot asparagus crowns at garden centers in the spring. Then try this harvesting tip to extend your fresh asparagus season by at least two weeks:

RELATED CONTENT



Instead of the traditional harvesting method ? cutting all the spears when they are 6 to 8 inches long ? allow two or three sturdy spears to grow uncut. Research at Cornell University found that as they leaf out, these 'mother spears' will send solar energy down to the roots and stimulate the plants to produce more spears than traditionally harvested ones.

Here are three more asparagus growing tips to try:

1. If you have a dry spring, keep your asparagus bed well-watered.

2. When you have more asparagus than you can eat while it's still fresh, just blanch the spears briefly in boiling water and pop them in the freezer.

3. Stop harvesting your asparagus once all the emerging spears are thinner than a pencil. This leaves the roots enough energy to produce foliage that will capture solar energy through the summer and replenish the roots for the next season's crop.


RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print


Archived Comments

  • Joe Stutzman 3/10/2007 12:00:00 AM

    If seaweed is not readily accessible in your area, Neptune’s
    Harvest has the best fish/seaweed liquid plant food available. They
    use cold processing so no nutrients are lost. Here is a link for
    this
    product.http://gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=27

  • ROY FRITZ 12/24/2006 12:00:00 AM

    I bought aq place that I will move into in 3 years This next
    spring I will plant asparagus patch. The last one i did was 22
    years ago. I got manure from the chicken coop dug down 30 inches
    covered the ground with about 6 inches of manure then sand 6 inches
    deep then my plants. I covered them with soil I had tilled with
    straw and grass clipping. I did this in March I had some small
    sprouts in 45 days and did not cut them. The next year I ate
    asparagu all year until the it frosted I did leave a small row in
    the middle of the patch untouched all summer long and have done so
    each year. My patch is 3ft wide 18 ft. wide. with raspberries on
    one side blackberries on the other. 4 ft from each patch
    Montana.

  • WALTER BELL 11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM

    seaweed is the thing!last year i sowed asparagus seed, and
    pricked out the seedlings as soon as they were large enough. after
    lifting my first early potatoes that had been grown on seaweed i
    planted out the asparagus and top dressed with more seaweed. this
    year many of the plants had over 2 doz. shoots. i did not cut any
    until the severe frost warning. i thought that it would be no worse
    for the plants to have spears cut as to have them frosted. all the
    shoots were at least as thick as a fountain pen. there seemed no
    difference between the five varieties. i have again added seaweed,
    and expect to have all the asparagus that i can eat next
    year.

  • LEE ONeill 8/11/2006 12:00:00 AM

    To answer BW's post of June 26 2006, you have grown female
    plants which will not producw the desired edible spears. You need
    to obtain male crowns from your garden centre, or if you grew them
    from seed then remove a couple of the female plants and plant more
    seeds, in the hope there will be male plants among them. This is a
    bit of a hit and miss method unfortunately.

  • Betty W 6/26/2006 12:00:00 AM

    I have been growing Asparagus for almost three years , and have
    gotten only 5 Asparagus. The plants have red berries and I can't
    find out what to do with the berries, so I just leave them alone. I
    need HELPwhat am I doing wrong ?

125018
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 72% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*


(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

MOTHER EARTH NEWS is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. MOTHER EARTH NEWS helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At MOTHER EARTH NEWS, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.
-->