Common Name Biological Name Type Family Zone Height Spread Bloom Time Bloom Description Sun Water Maintenance Suggested Use Flower Other Tolerate |
asparagus Asparagus officinalis Herbaceous perennial Asparagaceae 3 to 10 3.00 to 4.00 feet 1.50 to 2.00 feet Flowers not showy White Full sun Medium Low Vegetable Insignificant Thorns Rabbit |
Unlike most vegetables, asparagus plants are perennial, which means the same plants grow in your garden year after year. The spears that we enjoy as a vegetable are the new shoots that emerge in spring. The most important part of growing asparagus is to realize that it will take a couple of seasons before you taste the first bite of homegrown asparagus. Plants need to be allowed to mature before you can harvest. They will remain in the same place in your garden for many years—15, 20, sometimes 30. In fact, a productive asparagus bed is a good reason to renovate your house, rather than move! Asparagus grows well in all parts of the country except the warmest portions, zones 8b and higher. Because of the mild winters, plants do not go completely dormant. Plants cannot gain strength and will decline. Soil, Planting, and Care Asparagus should be grown in a dedicated bed where it can come back year after year and where weed competition will be low. This bed is shown in late summer. The key to growing asparagus is to have healthy, vigorous plants that produce a lot of spears. Choose a sunny, well-drained site on the edge of your garden where it will not be disturbed by the activity of planting and re-planting other areas. Planting asparagus is like preparing for a trip. Careful preparation makes the journey easier. It is the same with asparagus. Before you buy the plants, you need a prepared bed. Hopefully this is the only time you’ll plant asparagus. How well you prepare the bed determines the vigor of your asparagus patch for years to come. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart. If there are tenacious weeds or grass, treat with an herbicide for use with food crops, or cover the area with black plastic during the summer before planting to eliminate problems in the future. After the spring harvest, asparagus plants grow tall with beautiful fern-like foliage through summer. In early fall, they begin to die back. In autumn, prepare the soil by placing at least 3 inches of organic matter on each row. Use organic matter such as composted manures, leaf mold, anything you can use to create a rich bed. Till it in. Have your soil tested and amend it with lime if the pH is below 6.0 to 6.5. Add any other nutrients as recommended on test results. Mulch for the winter, or grow a cool season cover crop that can be turned under before planting in spring. In spring after danger of frost has passed, dig a depression 6 to 8 inches deep running the length of the row, mounding the amended soil on each side for later use. Set seedlings into lowest part of the depression, planting about 2 inches deeper than they were originally growing. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart. Feed plants with Bonnie Herb & Vegetable Plant Food at planting and twice a week through the summer as directed on the label. This will give plants the best growth possible during their first season. As plants grow taller, rake a little of the soil on the edge of the row into the depression where plants are growing. Soon the bed will be level. Mulch to prevent weeds. Then all you need to do is be patient. The ideal is to wait at least 2 seasons and probably 3 before harvesting. It may be hard to resist tasting the first spears to emerge, but go easy on the plants until they mature. You’ll be rewarded in the long run! |
YEAR | SEASON | VARIETY | RESULTS |
2017 | Fall | Outstanding growth every year. | |
Information on this page is from Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dave’s Garden, All things Plants, Texas Superstar or Aggie Horticulture |
This page last updated or reviewed [210919]