How to Grow Perennial Asparagus
Produce a Gourmet and Nutritious Vegetable for Decades
Asparagus is a gourmet and highly nutritious perennial vegetable and is one of the best investments a gardener can make, producing a crop for decades.
Asparagus is one of a few perennial vegetables, meaning it comes back year after year. A well-established bed can produce this gourmet and highly nutritious vegetable for decades. Planting asparagus is one of the best investments a gardener can make. It is a crop that requires a lot of work initially preparing the bed properly, a good deal of space and a three year wait before the first harvest. The end results are well worth the effort.
Store bought asparagus can be expensive and never as tasty as those fresh-picked, tender "harbingers of spring". It freezes very nicely, retaining its bright green color and unique, fresh taste. Asparagus is packed with vitamin A and super-rich in vitamins B1, B2 and C. In addition, it is a dieter’s dream food with less than 35 calories per cooked cup.
A family of four requires about 50 plants and about 250 square feet of land. Full sun is needed to produce vigorous growth, although asparagus will tolerate some shade. It is best to designate a separate plot, as it grows so tall that it may shade other vegetables growing nearby.
The plot will be a permanent one, so it is important to prepare properly, first by removing as many perennial weeds from the bed as is possible. Mature asparagus roots form a dense mat of deep roots which makes it very difficult to later remove weeds from the area.
Asparagus is a hungry feeder, so it is necessary to dig in a lot of fertilizer in the entire bed. A 6-inch layer of rotted manure, plus a phosphorus substance such as bone meal along with a little potassium will give the roots a healthy start. Purchase roots or “crowns” by mail-order or from a local nursery. These roots are long, white and hang from the center of the crown, where you should see tiny sprouts.
If you are unable to plant the crowns right away, it is necessary to keep them in their original package or wrap in sphagnum moss and keep slightly damp. In a warm climate, plant the roots in fall and in a cooler area in early spring, approximately four weeks before the last frost.
Plant the asparagus roots in rows about 4 feet between each plant, so that when you work the bed, you do not compact the soil around the plants. Dig a series of trenches a foot deep and 18 inches wide. Make mounds of compost or light, rich soil and drape the roots over the mounds. Fill the trench with soil and firm gently around the roots, covering the tips with about 2 to 3 inches of soil. Gradually fill the trench with soil as the spears grow and mulch well.
Keep a newly planted bed watered if it is a dry spring the first year. In the following years, watering is usually not necessary because the roots go down so deep.
The first year will produce a number of small spears that should not be picked, but allowed to grow in foliage that produces food for the long roots. Do not cut this foliage down until late winter, if at all as it dies down by itself. The second year of growth in the spring will produce more spears, but do not pick them. Continue to water when necessary, mulch and top dress with compost or manure.
In the third year pick only the ones that are finger-sized and harvest for only two to four weeks. In the following years, pick all the finger sized ones you want until the weather is hot and they begin to grow spindly and thin. Enjoy the bounty of this gourmet, high-end vegetable picked fresh in the spring or simply blanch and freeze for a delicious, nutritious vegetable throughout the year.
Reference:
Damrosch, Barbara. The Garden Primer. Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 1988.
Greene, Bert. Greene on Greens. Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 1984.
