How to Grow Your Own Asparagus Bed

Asparagus is a tasty mealtime treat that is fun to grow. The color, shape, taste and texture of asparagus adds interest to any meal.

Equally appealing is the chance to plant your own asparagus bed that will produce those delectable spears year after year. You can grow asparagus from seeds or asparagus crowns, both of which are easy to obtain.

The only drawback to growing your own asparagus is that you must be a patient gardener. You will not get your first crop until the third season.

Here are the steps that will get you on your way to enjoying the freshest asparagus available.

Here

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A shovel.
• Gloves.
• Asparagus crowns.

1. Pick a sunny garden spot for your asparagus bed. Since asparagus is a perennial, you will want a spot that you don't mind using for at least several years.

2. Lay out a 4' x 6' bed, turning over the soil to a depth of 8 - 10 inches. Add soil that has been enriched with organic material to speed the development of your bed.

3. Dig 4 inch deep trenches the length of the bed, allowing about 8 inches between the trenches.

4. Place the asparagus crowns in the trenches, covering them with about 2 inches of soil.

5. As your asparagus begins to grow, make sure that you pull the weeds frequently. If you wait until your bed is fully established before trying to weed, you will find it almost impossible to get the weeds out whole because of the bed's dense root system.

6. Harvest the asparagus spears as they appear in the spring. They are best when you are young and tender. The more you harvest in the spring, the more production you encourage.

7. Continue harvesting until the asparagus spears become tall, tough and spindly. This indicates that the season is over. However, your bed will produce some beautiful asparagus fern through the late summer and early fall.

Tips & Warnings

• When your spears become spindly and tough, the season is over. The bed will continue to grow, producing beautiful ferns.

[saucywriter]

on 10/14/2009 Well written with easy-to-follow steps. I'm just learning to grow food (rather than just ornamentals), so this is helpful and timely. Adding asparagus to the list for next spring. Thanks!