How to Grow Asparagus

Many people are quite surprised to learn that asparagus is actually a member of the lily family. Asparagus is a perennial plant which can either be harvested for food or grown just for ornamental purposes. The mature asparagus plant itself is really quite beautiful and has delicate fern-like foliage.

Asparagus is a great source of vitamin C and foliate. Not only that but it is delicious and works well as a side dish to wide variety of meals. Besides being tasty and supplying a good source of vitamins, asparagus is also very low calorie with about 45 calories per cup making it a great food for people who are dieting.

Growing asparagus in your garden is not necessarily an easy task. It can take up to three years until asparagus is ready to harvest. However, given the high cost of asparagus at the grocery store and the delicious flavor of this plant it is well worth the wait and effort.

Asparagus thrives on well drained soil and sunny conditions so try to find a spot for it in your garden that gets plenty of sun. It does not compete well with weeds so you will need to keep the area weed free and remove any existing weeds before planting the asparagus. You can either remove the weeds the old fashioned way by taking them out by hand or you can use a weed killer to kill them more quickly.

Turn the soil where you plan to plant the asparagus and mix in a generous amount of compost and fertilizer to help the asparagus thrive. You will need to dig a trench approximately 7 to 9in. deep in the shape of a V to plant the asparagus, making sure there is plenty of compost in the bottom of the trench before planting.

Asparagus is nearly impossible to grow from seeds, but does well when planted from "crowns" which you can get at a garden center or nursery. Asparagus crowns are simply established root systems that have dormant growth at the top. Plant the crowns approximately 12 to 16in. apart in your trench - the closer the plants are together the narrower your asparagus spears will be.

You should cover the crowns with about 2in. of soil. As the plants begin growing you will want to continue adding soil to the trench gradually taking care not to cover any of the foliage of the new plants. Eventually the soil will reach the top of the trench and be level with the surrounding soil.

The first growing season the asparagus will require a lot of water. Be sure to thoroughly water them weekly during the first year. After the first year the roots of the asparagus plants will be strong enough not to need as much watering so you can cut back your watering schedule to once every two to three weeks from the second year on. However, if the weather is particularly dry you may want to water more frequently.

You should not harvest any of the asparagus during the first growing season. Instead let the ferns fully mature to help the root systems to become established. The second year you can harvest a small amount of the asparagus taking only the stocks that are as big as your finger. From the third year on you can harvest as much of the asparagus as you would like.

Although planting asparagus is not easy and it takes awhile to get established, it is well worth it when you have a plot of asparagus that keeps producing for you year after year.