Asparagus: Early, Easy and Excellent

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Be sure to harvest the spears before their tips begin to open, however. Once the tips open, the spears become tough. Warm temperatures encourage tips to open faster, so you may need to harvest daily if your area experiences a sudden warm spell. In cool, spring weather expect to harvest taller spears a couple of times each week. As soon as you see most of the spears coming up spindly — about the diameter of a pencil or less — stop harvesting. Spindly spears are a sign that the plants are stressed, says Dufault.

7. Take good care of your “ferns.” Keep in mind that your asparagus plants will continue to grow after you finish harvesting the spears in spring. And it’s that tall ferny growth that the plants produce from June through September that is most critical to the success of next year’s crop. Pamper your ferns by ensuring that they receive adequate nutrients and water (at least a half inch per week). Orton advises applying compost on top of the bed right after harvest is completed.

And again, stay on top of competing weeds and insect pests. Jeff Cantara, owner of New Roots Farm in Newmarket, N.H., uses a homemade portable chicken pen to fertilize his asparagus crop, while controlling asparagus beetles — the quarter-inch long, black or red-spotted insects that sometimes damage ferns. After he’s finished harvesting his spears for the season, Cantara moves the 5-by-12-foot wooden frame covered with poultry netting to the asparagus bed (with young laying hens inside), then moves the enclosure to a different location in his patch every three or four days.

“I add a little grain to the soil to encourage them to scratch,” he says. “We had some asparagus beetles before, but not since the chickens have been cleaning up the beds. They don’t hurt the asparagus ferns, and the chicken manure gets incorporated into the soil.”

Although asparagus aficionados sometimes differ when it comes to the finer points of planting and care, all agree on the fundamentals: Give your asparagus plants a little bit of love and they’ll reward you richly for many years to come!

Best Asparagus Varieties & Sources

ALL-MALE VARIETIES

1. ‘Jersey Giant’: Medium to large green spears with purplish bracts (scaly leaves); resistant to fusarium and rust disease; cold tolerant
2. ‘Jersey Knight’: Similar to ‘Jersey Giant’ in size and appearance with thick, flavorful spears; highly resistant to rust; tolerant to fusarium; adapted to most climates
3. ‘Jersey Supreme’: Slender to medium diameter green spears; high yielding and uniform in size; good rust resistance; adapted to temperate, cool and warm regions
4. ‘Guelph Millennium’: Developed by the University of Guelph in Ontario; high-quality green spears; requires rust control; excellent for cold regions, including Canada and the upper Midwest
In 2008, look for several new all-male varieties — including a purple one — that will offer enhanced disease tolerance and wider regional adaptation.

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