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You know I used to absolutely hate asparagus when I was a kid, but as I grew older, I came to love it.
Asparagus is a perennial plant that if well established and properly taken care of will produce for you year after year. I wish all of my veggies would do this!
It is very healthy for you also, being full of Vitamins A, C, K, E, Potassium and Folate. It also contains proteins, carbohydrates, and fiber for digestion.
This was one of the first plants that I added to my garden as soon as I had everything laid out how I wanted it. Now I get to reap the rewards.
When to Plant:
Many homesteaders choose to start their asparagus beds around the same time that they plant their potatoes, typically in early spring. Utilizing year-old asparagus crowns is a much simpler method than starting from seed. We will focus primarily on using crowns in this article.
How to Plant:
When choosing a site for your asparagus, make sure that it will get a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Asparagus will come back every year, so make sure the location you choose is where you want to have the bed for years to come.
If you have a bed that is already prepared, perfect you are ahead of the game. If not, make sure the bed is in an area that drains well. Remove all of the weeds/grass from the area of the bed then begin to work the soil, mixing in compost and aged manure.
Raised garden beds are perfect for asparagus, and there are a lot of benefits to them as well. Check out my article on The Top 10 Benefits of Raised Garden Beds.
You want your bed depth to be approximately 12 to 15 inches deep and the soil to be light and airy, make sure there are no rocks or anything that will compete with the asparagus roots.
The soil should be slightly acidic, about 6.5 pH.
Once your soil is ready, time to start preparing to plant your asparagus. Dig trenches for your crowns approximately 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep. You will want approximately 2 to 3 feet apart for each trench. This will allow your asparagus to stretch its legs and grow.
Add a small mound in the middle of the trench with compost and aged manure wide enough to place the crowns on top of, but not so much as to fill in the trench; typically, 2 to 3 inches worth will suffice.
Now soak the crowns in lukewarm water for a couple of minutes and then place them centered on the mound you just built and spread out their roots evenly; each crown spaced approximately 12” or more apart.
Now fill in the trench with a good mix of topsoil, compost, and aged manure. Do not pack the dirt, you want it to be light and airy, the asparagus roots will need to have room to grow and hard/compact soil is not its friend.
Now that they are cozy in their new home. Add a good layer of mulch, no more than 6” to help retain water. From this point, the hardest thing you will have to deal with is weed control. Be very careful when pulling weeds so that you do not disturb the roots. As time passes and the asparagus grows and expands, the weeds will become less of an issue.
Watering and Feeding:
Your newly planted crowns will need quite a bit of watering as they grow, around 1 to 2 inches of water per square foot. Drip irrigation is perfect for these beds, but like me, I do not have it so I make sure that I water it frequently.
You will hear me time after time say to make sure you are feeding the soil, not the plant. What you are actually feeding is the microbes in the soil and their job is to bring food to the plant. So you have already provided the microbes food in the form of aged manure and compost, however, when you go out to your garden to do a foliar feed (more on that here: Foliar Teas) you can pour some into the asparagus beds.
How long does Asparagus take to Grow:
Asparagus is a fast grower, typically shooting spears up every couple of days. Well, you will be very tempted to start cutting and enjoying your hard work immediately… Do not do this!
Asparagus takes a good three years to properly get established, some homesteaders have stated that in the 2nd year, you can harvest 2/3 of the crop, and in the 3rd year, you can fully harvest. I am now in my fourth year of my beds and this year I will start harvesting.
Still keep the bed weed-free, watered, and fed during the growth years. Keep adding dressing to the soil each year to keep the microbes fed and happy!
Harvesting Your Asparagus:
Harvesting your asparagus is really very easy! You’ve been waiting so long and now you get to enjoy your rewards!
Simply cut the shoots at ground level with a knife when they are approximately 8 to 10” tall and between ½” to ¾” thick. As stated earlier, they will grow quickly so check your beds often.
Once the spear starts to get a thin diameter, that is less than 1.2” thick, stop harvesting and allow the shoots to open and become a fern. Do not cut them down as this allows for the roots to begin to prepare for the next season. Always remember to leave some shoots per crown to grow into ferns.
At the end of the season, when the foliage has died back or has changed colors in the fall or winter; now is the time to cut back the ferns all the way to the ground.
Remember to add more compost or aged manure to the bed over winter.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed following along with me and that you now have a thriving asparagus bed.
I am always open to input and suggestions, so please leave a comment below, i’d love to hear from you.
Until Next Time.
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