Growing Asparagus

The herbaceous spring vegetable asparagus or asparagus officinalis is a prized culinary ingredient. It is typically served with Hollandaise sauce and potatoes.

Asparagus can be quite challenging to grow compared to other vegetables. But if you know the basics, then you can eventually manage and obtain bountiful harvests right from your backyard. Asparagus can be grown either in commercial herb garden kits or on a traditional backyard garden plot. You may cultivate them from crowns or seedlings, though crowns or roots are preferred because they grow much faster than seeds. After buying asparagus crowns, plant them as soon as possible to retain their viability. The age of the crowns must be at least a year old when you plant them.

Asparagus cultivation started in saline locations or those associated with saltwater environments. Thus, your herb garden plan dedicated to asparagus must place an importance on the salinity of the soil. A soil pH of at least 6.0 is needed to make the asparagus thrive well. At this pH, weeds and other plants cannot grow. That means your asparagus garden will have no competition in getting the nutrients from the soil. Take note that asparagus roots penetrate deeply into the soil. This allows the asparagus to survive even during drought conditions. Don’t forget that, like normal plants, asparagus need plenty of sun, soil that drains easily, and lots of space.

When planting asparagus for the first time, dig a furrow or a trench within five to six inches from the other crowns. Never crowd asparagus shoots because that will significantly affect the harvest.  Place the asparagus crowns in soil trenches that are about a foot away from each other so that they will mature properly. Do not use more than two inches of soil to cover the buried asparagus crowns so that their roots will spread properly. Asparagus roots develop a horizontal root system, unlike the typical vertical root system of other plants. Soil must be added on top of the growing crowns after the first year of planting. Do not cut asparagus shoots at this point. Harvest them later once they have fully matured.

Another important thing to note when growing asparagus is that this vegetable does not respond well to fertilizers. Thus, a small amount of fertilizer will go a long way. More of it will damage the asparagus.

Start your asparagus backyard garden today and reap the benefits of healthy and safe organic vegetables.