Asparagus Planting Tips For Beginners In Garden Farm | Aplus Farms

Each spring, delicious spears of asparagus are best in garden - but it's a mixed blessing. Unfortunately, the previous gardener ignored the first rule of asparagus planting give them a dedicated bed. As a result, they're growing in a garden bed, fighting for space and attention between a large clump of acanthus and garden perennials.

Every year resolve to clear out the other plants and every year forget so the annual spot-the-asparagus hunt goes on.The reason for the dedicated bed is to give the asparagus, which is a very long-lived crop, all the space and nutrients it needs to flourish - as well as help you easily spot the emerging spears. 

One thing discovered however is that even quite tall spears (30 cm-plus) are tasty and tender and worth picking, which is good news as it's easy to miss the first fresh shoots.The shoots are best harvested at 10-20 cm in length, however, so keep a close watch on the bed in late winter and early spring. Unharvested shoots quickly become woody and unpalatable. 

Asparagus mature into tall, slender stems up to 1.5m high with ferny green leaves. In summer Asparagus may produce yellow flowers followed by berries, which contain seeds. Asparagus has separate male and female plants (berries indicate a female) but male plants are preferred as their stems are usually thicker and tastier. 

Different Varieties In Asparagus

There are many ways to start off an asparagus patch including planting crowns (dormant roots), sowing seeds or even simply buying and planting small potted plants.While seed is enticing as it is cheap, seed-grown asparagus takes many years to reach a productive size and the plants can be either male or female. Most of the plants sold as crowns or potted plants are male. 

Crowns are more expensive to start with but provide a quicker harvest. They are planted in late autumn and winter while the plants are dormant; the edible shoots don't appear until very early spring.Potted plants can be planted year round but are usually available in spring and summer. Seeds are sown in spring. 

One of the advantages of growing from crowns or small plants is that it's possible to select from a large range of named varieties that have been selected for shoot size and colour.The commonly grown 'Mary Washington' has a thick spear, as does the aptly named 'Fat Bastard', and both are heritage varieties. There's also 'Purple', which has plum-tinged shoots. 

If you are looking for white asparagus, you won't find it as a named variety. Grow white asparagus by excluding light to "blanch" the spears. You do this by covering the row with a 30cm layer of soil before the shoots appear. This depth of soil excludes light so the shoot remains white and tender rather than turning green. 

Growing Tips For Asparagus

Asparagus is a herbaceous perennial that grows from spring to autumn then dies down over winter to start the cycle again when spring comes around. Once established, asparagus can grow and crop for 25 years or more. For ease of harvest and care, plant asparagus in rows.Select an open, sunny spot for an asparagus bed. 

This is one plant that isn't suitable for growing in a container or raised bed. Prepare the soil prior to planting by digging in well-rotted manure and a Give a side dressing of fertiliser and manure in early summer to keep them growing. The ferny growth begins to yellow and die back in autumn, which is the signal to cut the old growth to the ground. 

While the plants are growing, keep the area weed and plant free. Hill soil over the rows at the end of winter to encourage the growth of long, tender spears.If well grown and not harvested for the first three years, asparagus plants have few problems. Thin or few spears suggest plants lack either nutrients or water or both. 

To correct this and get fatter spears, spread a complete organic fertiliser such as well-rotted manure around the plants and increase the amount of water the plants are getting, especially in spring and summer.Keep the area well weeded and leave the spears unharvested to encourage strong root growth.complete organic fertiliser such as blood and bone.

If growing from a crown, plant into a 30cm-deep trench lined with a layer of well-rotted manure then cover the manure with a 5cm layer of soil (to keep the asparagus roots out of direct contact with manure).Alternatively, just dig a hole for each crown about 30cm deep and wide enough to accommodate the crown's root system.Set the crowns in the base of the trench or hole, spreading out the roots.

Space them about 45cm apart and cover with 5cm of soil. As the crown begins to grow, cover it with more soil until the trench or hole is filled. This style of planting encourages deep roots.If the soil is heavy clay, grow asparagus in raised beds to avoid problems with waterlogging or root rot but still follow the same planting method. 

Harvesting, Storaging

The hard part of growing asparagus comes after the planting, as it's recommended to leave the shoots unharvested for the first two to three years of growth. That's a long wait and more like waiting for a fruit crop than a vegetable! 

Patiently ignore the newly planted shoots for at least the first two years to allow them to feed energy down to the roots to establish a strong, vigorous plant. If you get impatient, harvest a small amount in the third year. 

Nutrients

Fresh, homegrown asparagus is delicious but is also packed with vitamins A, B6, C and K along with some potassium, selenium, copper and good amounts of dietary fibre. 

• Asparagus also contains saponins, which are phytonutrients with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. 
• Use a long, sharp knife to harvest asparagus spears as they emerge, cutting just below the soil or just snap off low down. 
• Harvest each day as these fat stems grow fast. 
• Spears appear from late winter or early spring (August or early September through until October in cooler zones) and can be harvested for 10 weeks from mature plants. 

As asparagus loses its freshness very quickly, it needs to be eaten or preserved soon after harvest to maximise both flavour and nutrient value. Fresh from the garden, asparagus is delicious either raw (try slicing them in a salad) or cooked - either lightly steamed or microwaved for a minute or two. 

To keep longer, blanch asparagus spears in boiling water, immediately submerge in cold water and then freeze. Asparagus can also be bottled using a water bath or preserving system. Keep uncooked spears fresh by standing them in a container with a few centimetres of water, covering with plastic and placing the container in the refrigerator. 

Farming Wild Asparagus

Asparagus was introduced to Australia as a vegetable crop from its native Europe. It can be found growing wild, including in some parts of south-west New South Wales where it has naturalised around irrigation channels. There are also forms of ornamental asparagus that have become weedy in Australia, including asparagus fern and bridal creeper, but these are not edible. 

Scientific Asparagus

• Common name: Asparagus 
• Botanical name: Asparagus officinalis 
• Family: Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae) 
• Aspect & soil: Sun to part shade; well-drained soil 
• Best climate: Cool, Mediterranean, temperate, subtropical 
• Habit: Herbaceous perennial 
• Propagation: Crowns, seed, potted plants
• Difficulty: Moderate