How to Plant Asparagus, How to Grow Asparagus, Harvesting Asparagus

Easy tips on how to plant asparagus in a backyard vegetable garden. Learn all about growing, caring for, and harvesting asparagus plants fresh from your garden.

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Asparagus is a member of the fern family.

The stalks that are eaten are actually young shoots that will turn into a frond if not harvested promptly.>p>Shoots should be harvested when they are about the height of your hand.

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About Planting Asparagus

The success achieved when growing asparagus is in direct proportion to the care taken in preparing the soil.

Asparagus matures very slowly.

It takes three years from seed to first light harvest.

Planting seed in the garden is taking the longest possible route to fresh, homegrown asparagus.

Most gardeners begin planting the crops in May.

Cut a full year off the maturation time by planting one year old roots.

Two year old roots are also available but many gardeners prefer the younger ones.

When the two year old roots are dug from the nursery bed, so much of their structure is left behind that they are slow to recover from the shock of relocation.

How to Grow Asparagus

How to plant asparagus--soil preparation:

Caring for an Asparagus Bed

As the summer progresses, pull in more soil from the sides of the trenches until it is filled in completely.

Every three months or so, dress the rows of growing asparagus with a handful of 10-10-10 fertilizer for each plant.

Harvesting Asparagus Plants

When learning how to plant asparagus, learning when and how to harvest the fresh tender shoots is most important.

Choosing Asparagus Varieties

Purple Extra Sweet

Purple Extra Sweet is a new strain of asparagus with uniquely colored burgundy spears that are larger, sweeter, and tastier than most other varieties.

The vegetable turns green when cooked but has the same great flavor as when eaten raw.

Mary Washington

Mary Washington is crisp, green, delicious and an excellent selection for freezing.

Plants and seeds are both available with this variety.

Plants are rust resistant and should not be cut for two years.

Jersey Knight

Hybridizers have developed Jersey Knight, a variety that grows only male plants.

Gardeners have been known to pull female plants from the asparagus patch.

This left the bigger, more succulent male plants.

Stalks are larger, up to 4" around.

The yield is three to four times more top quality than older varieties.

The perennials are disease resistant as well as vigorous growers.

If your space is limited, learn how to plant this asparagus type as it produces larger, flavorful spears in a quarter less gardening space.

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How to Plant Asparagus to Vegetable Gardening

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