| Once
established... a good Asparagus bed should provide fresh spears
for 10 to 20 years.
The Bed: Start preparing
your bed in the fall for planting the following spring. Loosen the
soil to a depth of 18" - 20" working in plenty of humus
rich compost. Remove any perennial weeds roots and rock that you
may dig up.
How to Grow: Asparagus
needs to be grown in very fertile well drained soil in
full sun to light shade. Asparagus can be grown from seed, but
it's much quicker to purchase root clumps (crowns) at you local
Garden Center. Crowns can be planted three weeks before average
last frost. Dig a trench 6" to 8"" deep, 10"
to 12" wide in loose soil. Rows should be spaced 36"
apart. Spread out the roots laying them in the trench. Cover the
Crowns with 2" of soil. As the plants grow keep filling in
the trench until full.
Keep the soil moist during the growing
season. Add fresh compost to the soil during the fall and again
the following spring. At the end of the growing season after
plants have browned cut them back to within 5" of the
ground. Asparagus beds can be mulched for the winter but remove
the mulch before the Asparagus plants start growing.
Harvesting: Asparagus takes
two seasons to harvest your first small crop. It is very important
to not cut any Spears the first season. During the spring of the
second season a limited number of spears can be harvested. During
the third season spears may be cut freely. Harvesting can
continue for about 6 weeks. Stop cutting by the end of June. The
remaining spears need to mature to build energy in the Crowns for
the next season.
Available Hybrids - Cultivars: 'Jersey
Prince', 'Jersey King', 'Larac, Connovers Colossal, Giant Mammoth,
Marhta Washington, Minerve, Sutton's Perfection and Lorella to
name a few.
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