How to Grow Your Own Asparagus Bed
Each spring, tender asparagus spears grace the dinner plates of gardeners who have been patient enough to weather the first two years it takes for an asparagus bed to become established. Perhaps it's the wait that makes the succulent vegetable all that much sweeter. When you build a thriving asparagus bed, you can take pride in turning plain old dirt, fertilizer and funny-looking asparagus roots into a full-blown gourmet specialty. Knowing that an asparagus bed will keep producing for up to 20 years makes the effort worthwhile. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Select a location for your asparagus bed that gets full sun for a majority of the day. Pay attention to your surrounding landscaping; trees that grow bigger over the next two decades may cast unwanted shade on the bed, reducing its production.
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Dig the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches and remove any rocks, roots, and weeds. Turn the ground over a second time so that any dirt clumps are broken up and you spot and remove all debris.
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Spread a 2-inch layer of sand over the bed. Add a 2-inch layer of well-aged horse or cow manure. Turn the soil over again to incorporate all the components into the asparagus bed. Water the bed well and let it sit for a week, then dig in a 2-inch layer of compost.
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Obtain certified disease-free 1-year-old asparagus crowns from a garden supplier who can help you identify the cultivars best suited to your growing region. Choose a an all-male hybrid like Jersey Giant or Jersey Knight for highest production. Include female plants in your order if you want to produce young seedlings to expand the bed in the future.
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Dig a 6- to 8-inch-deep trough that is 10 to 12 inches wide. If you are planting several rows, space them about 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart.
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Set individual asparagus crowns 18 to 24 inches from each other in the trough. Time your planting for about two weeks before the last projected frost date for your area.
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Scoop 2 to 3 inches of soil over the asparagus crowns, water them well, and wait a week. Push another 2 to 3 inches of soil over the asparagus each week, watering enough to keep the soil moist, until the trough is not only full, but heaped up about 2 inches above ground level.
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Water your asparagus bed when the top inch of soil dries out. After the first two years, when the plants' roots are established, you may be more flexible with watering schedule.
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Spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around the asparagus plants, covering the entire bed, to retain moisture in the soil and suppress weeds. If any weeds do grow through the mulch, pull them by hand after watering when the soil is moist to prevent damaging the asparagus roots.
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Fertilize the asparagus each spring. Spread a 1-inch-deep by 3-inch-wide strip of compost on both sides of each asparagus row. If compost is not readily available, use a balanced 5-5-5 formulation commercial fertilizer applied at the rate recommended in the manufacturer's labeling.
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Leave the young asparagus plants to grow freely, without trimming, for the first two years after planting. In early winter, you may cut back the 2- to 4-foot-high fern like growth when it dies after the first frost.
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Harvest asparagus spears the third year after planting. Cut about half of the spears when they reach 6 to 8 inches high, leaving the remaining spears to grow freely and produce their feathery foliage. In the fourth year and thereafter, cut spears off at ground level when they are as big around as a pencil or large. Leave the asparagus that doesn't grow that big around untouched.
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Tips & Warnings
Watch your asparagus bed for asparagus beetles. Pick them off by hand and destroy them, or if there is a large infestation, spray the plants thoroughly with insecticidal soap.
If any of the asparagus plants develop reddish-brown spots, a sight of asparagus rust, or lesions, a sign of Fusarium wilt, pull the plant immediately and discard it.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
