As we get deeper into winter there will be more and more asparagus available for planting. Asparagus can be grown from seed, plants or crowns. Crowns are the quickest way to grow successful asparagus. Dormant crowns are only available from your garden centres through winter. Once established, asparagus can remain viable for up to 20 years, making it a sound investment in your veggie garden
Origins: Asparagus is a native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia, but it was the Romans that first cultivated it more than 2000 years ago. The name asparagus is Greek for ‘sprout’ or ‘shoot’. Asparagus is now enjoyed worldwide.
Varieties: Asparagus can come in three colours, green, white and purple. ‘Mary Washington’ is a commonly grown green species, noted for its vigorous growth habit. The white asparagus is the same variety as the green, but it is grown in the dark, making it devoid of the chlorophyll that makes the green asparagus green. Purple asparagus is a variety that has been developed in Italy and is becomeing more common.
Planting – Plant asparagus crowns into deeply cultivated soil, rich in manure and compost. Dig a trench up to 60cm deep. Back-fill the trench with composted manure. Plant crowns 10 to 15cm deep approximately 40cm apart. Water well, particularly in Summer.
Fertiliser – Mulch with a 5cm layer of composted manure every winter while the plants are dormant.
Harvesting – The spears of asparagus start to appear in early Spring. Harvest spears when they are approximately the thickness of a pencil. This may take several seasons, particularly with young crowns. Harvesting too early may damage the crown and reduce its viability. Spears should be cut just below the soil surface with a sharp knife, rather than pulling from the soil.
Post Harvest: The spears that are left unharvested will produce fern-like fronds. Leave these on the plant until they die down in winter before cutting them off and adding a think layer of compost.
Asparagus plants, spears and fronds
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