Fresh Asparagus in Your Own Backyard

Asparagus is one of the earlies spring vegetables you can plant in your home garden. It is a very hardy perennial that will come up every spring if well taken care of. The vegetable is native to Asia, but is grown throughout the world. The spears contain a great source of Vitamin A and C, as well as calcium and iron. Asparagus is also very low in calories, high in fiber and full of flavor! Planting an asparagus bed in your backyard is simple and can be done by anyone! Follow these easy steps and you'll have fresh asparagus in your own backyard!

When selecting your site for your asparagus bed, look for any area that is well-drained. This means a spot that will not puddle in the spring, or following a rain shower. The soil should not be hard and full of clay, but it should be nice and soft, containing lots of organic matter. Be sure to consider the future use of the spot since the asparagus will keep growing for many years. You can always dig up the asparagus, but try to plan for the future and plant the asparagus in a permanent spot that you will not want to use later. Applying a fertilizer with a ratio of 10-20-10 will help the plants grow and produce healthy, delicious spears. You can then till the fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil for optimum results.

Selecting your plants is the next step in planting your asparagus. There are both male and female producing varieties. It is best to stick to the male varieties, such as Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince, and Jersey Knight. Mary Washington is a common female variety, but the all male varieties will produce much better than any female variety. Asparagus should be bought in a crown form. A crown is a set of roots from a one year old asparagus plant. Asparagus can be planted from seed, but it will take much longer and you will have to transplant the roots to allow for more growth. The year that you transplant the roots you will not be able to harvest.

Planting is best done in the early spring, as soon as the chance of frost is diminishing. Plants should be placed 6 inches deep. The top of the crown should be 6 inches below the soil level, so you may need to dig your hole 8 inches to allow for the roots. It is best to mound the soil in the hole and spread the roots over the mound. Space the crowns 12-18 inches apart, or follow the planting directions included with the crowns. Cover the crowns with soil, and follow with a good watering to moisten the soil evenly.

It is very important to control the weeds in an asparagus bed. Some people have salted the soil in their asparagus bed to control weeds. This can be done, but m ay not be completely effective. It is best to till the soil between the asparagus plantings in early spring, and mulch heavily to keep the weeds away.

Harvesting the asparagus spears is very exciting! Early in spring you will notice the spears shooting out of the ground often before anything else is growing. Be sure to not cut the spears the first year so that the roots can develop fully. The second year be sure to harvest very lightly and only for the first 4 weeks of growth. In subsequent years the spears may be harvested until the middle of June. After that point, you will need to allow the spears to grow out and develop fully so that the roots will have enough reserves for the following year's production. Spears should be harvested with they are 6-8 inches tall. You can simply snap the spears at ground level. In warm temperatures you can harvest daily, but during cool weather cutting may be done every 2-3 days. Be sure to harvest the spears prior to any fern growth.

After harvesting, immerse the spears in ice water and then place them in a bag in the fridge. They will keep for 1-2 weeks and still taste delicious! Asparagus is best steamed or boiled, and makes for a great stir fry! As asparagus bed will produce many pounds of vegetables for you and is a healthy option for your diet!