How to Plant Wild Asparagus

Plant wild asparagus in the late winter or early spring.

Wild asparagus plants are easy to grow and can produce for up to 15 years. Asparagus mainly requires well-drained soil, plenty of sunlight, and room to grow. Proper soil preparation is required before planting asparagus, as you must till the ground and add fertilizer to the soil. Asparagus will produce best if grown from one-year-old crowns, which can be purchased from reputable crown growers. Planting is generally done during late winter or early spring.

Things You'll Need

• Garden tiller
• Super-phosphate fertilizer
• Asparagus crowns
• Shovel

Instructions

1. Use a garden tiller to till a furrow in your garden to plant the asparagus crowns. The area should be about 12 inches deep, 4 feet wide, and however long you wish. Asparagus needs to be in direct sunlight at all times, and requires plenty of space to grow.

2. Apply 2 pounds of super-phosphate fertilizer per 50 feet of row into the bottom of the furrow. Asparagus crowns produce greater yields when plenty of phosphorus is available. Cover the fertilizer with 1 inch of soil to avoid planting the crowns directly on the fertilizer.

3. Toss one-year-old crowns in the the furrow, spacing them 15 to 18 inches apart. Crowns are the root system of one-year-old asparagus plants that are grown from seeds. Wide spacing is very important because it prevents fungus diseases.

4. Use a shovel to fill the furrow back to its original soil level. Do not compact the soil over the newly-planted crowns, or the growth of the asparagus will be reduced. Water the soil well to moisten the crowns.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant the crowns as soon as possible to prevent them from drying out. They can be stored for up to a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

References

• Establishing An Asparagus Bed
• Growing Asparagus In The Home Garden