How to Grow Asparagus

As a gardener who wants to learn how to grow asparagus, be aware that it is unlike any other vegetable. Along with patience, you'll need a small garden plot and three years to start to grow this perennial vegetable.

Asparagus is usually grown in a prepared bed of its own. As it grows the first year, the fern-like foliage should be left to stand through the summer and into the fall when it becomes dormant. It grows tall enough that this foliage shades plants around it, so instead of placing it in your garden, plant it next to the garden or in a separate bed of its own. However, when choosing a site for your asparagus bed make sure it will get plenty of sun. Prepare the soil well, by removing all weeds. Asparagus thrives in rich organic soil. If you take the time to prepare the bed in the beginning, it has the potential to produce for at least 10 to 15 years. If you're reading this article and the season to plant has already passed, take advantage of the time you have to prepare your plot for next spring's planting. Enrich the soil with the following:

• Rotted leaves
• Compost
• Manure

Just like any garden plot, the size of your asparagus bed will depend on the yield you hope to harvest. Each mature asparagus plant has the potential to send up 15 to 20 spears. Plants should be planted about one foot apart.

Asparagus growing does take patience and is almost impossible to grow from seed. For most home gardeners, purchasing plants from your local nursery or by mail order is best. Here's what to look for:

• 1-year-old asparagus crowns (these are the roots of the plant)
• Bundles with 10-15 dormant fresh, firm roots

Once you purchase your plants, get them into the ground as soon as possible.

1. Dig a trench of about 6 inches
2. Set crowns in the trench about a foot apart
3. Cover with about two inches of soil
4. Gradually work soil into the trench throughout the first season as plants begin to grow
5. Water weekly if you don't get rain

Growing asparagus is a process. You'll want to continue to add soil to the trench throughout the first growing season until the trench is level. However, be sure not to fill it in too fast or you run the chance of stifling the plants.

During the first year, don't cut the asparagus shoots. This allows the foliage to grow, yellow and die on its own. That's right; you want it to go through this cycle because it creates food for the roots. After winter has ended, cut the foliage and burn it or have it hauled away in case it harbors asparagus beetle eggs.

During the second growing season, you can cut the asparagus in moderation. Cut only stalks the size of your finger. Other than that, continue:

• Watering
• Mulching with manure and compost

Year number three is the year when your patience pays off. During the third year you'll finally bring the asparagus from your garden to your plate. When the stalks grow around six inches tall, snap them at the point where they begin to be tender. Avoid using a knife to cut the stalks, because you take the chance of accidentally cutting immature spears.

Don't harvest every spear. Instead, let a number of shoots reach full growth to create the food for the next year's asparagus garden. You can expect to harvest asparagus somewhere between 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the weather and growing season where you live.

Continue to care for your asparagus bed and plants and you'll be rewarded with years of fresh asparagus.

• Keep your plot clean and cultivated to stimulate hearty growth.
• Hand dig the weeds to be sure you don't disturb the roots.
• Apply manure and other organic material once a year after the cutting season.

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