Growing Asparagus...

Asparagus season is fast approaching and I am craving those tender green spears, grilled, wrapped in prosciutto, in salad, in soup... the possibilities are endless and very tasty, I even love it raw.  While ranting away this week about my love of asparagus, I was asked to write a bit about how to plant it.  To know how to plant it, you must understand how it grows. Asparagus is a fascinating plant, you might be amazed at what it is capable of...

Asparagus is a perennial plant, which means that if properly cared for, it will come back year after year.  Asparagus patches have been known to live for 30 years or longer, but typically a patch will live for about 15 years.  Because it is so long lived, it is important to prepare the soil properly and select an appropriate site.  Asparagus likes sunny, well drained and fertile soil.  Before planting, a good well rotted manure compost should be incorporated into the soil as deeply as possible, as well as a fertilizer that is heavy in potassium.  Asparagus is a heavy potassium feeder and it is important to make sure it has a good supply available.  Make 8-inch deep furrows in the soil and place 1-year old high quality asparagus crowns into the furrows. Cover the crowns with 2-inches of soil, there should still be a bit of a furrow.  As spear growth progresses through the summer, continue to fill in the furrow until it is level with the surrounding soil.  Water 1-2-inches every week for the first three years of growth, after that you can reduce watering to every three to four weeks.

The way the plant produces spears is absolutely astounding to me.  When I was taught about it's growth habit, I think that I sat in my back row corner in awe.  My professor is one of six asparagus experts in the world and is crazy in love with the green spikes... need I say more?  I understand his passion, I am the same way about garlic.  The plant stores starch in the root system, the spring growth comes from stores stashed in the roots the previous year.  The level of starch in the roots is depleted by putting on this new growth of beautiful little shoots from the ground.  As the plant is allowed to produce ferns, the plant is able to capture enough energy through photosynthesis in the ferns to replace the starch stores in the roots for the following years' growth.

Care should be taken to allow the plants to develop a good root structure.  The first two years after planting, you will not harvest any asparagus.  The road to tender green shoots requires patience.  By not harvesting, you allow the roots to establish, to build up stores of carbohydrates and become strong.  The third year, you can begin to harvest.  You can harvest for four weeks during the harvest season, then you must allow the plants to develop ferns to restore their nutrient supplies.  Cut the spears that are 9-inches or longer and are larger in diameter than a pencil.  Be vary careful when cutting the spears as not to damage other spears lying just under the soil surface.  Stop harvesting when the majority of the spears are thinner than a pencil.  After harvest, you should fertilize the plants with a complete fertilizer.  Continue to water, and allow the ferns to grow.  After the ferns have died back in the late fall or early winter, they can be removed.  I typically don't clean up our patch until early spring the next year.

If you put the effort into creating a little patch of asparagus for yourself, you can reap the benefits for years to come.  Asparagus is high in folate, potassium, Vitamin C, and is very high in antioxidants.  It is known for it's cleansing properties because it contains substances that act as a diuretic, cleaning the body.  It is recognized for its ability to help heal gout, hypertension, and even help with hangovers... Try that one on for size!

Get busy this spring and plant yourself a little patch of green goodness!!!

For further information click here for a fact sheet on asparagus growing...