Asparagus

Plant family

Spargelgewächse (Asparagaceae) (Asparagaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Light germinator

Germination temperature

18 - 22 °C

Seeding distance

30 cm

Row spacing

120 cm

Seeding depth

1 cm

Instructions

Mid of May

Weeding

Every two Weeks

Description

Vegetable asparagus belongs to the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). The perennial shrub grows mainly underground. The rootstock overwinters and sprouts new shoots in spring. These young shoots are harvested as asparagus. After harvesting, the cut shoots form asparagus greens or asparagus haulm.

Growing tips

Asparagus grows for several years in the same location. As a heavy grower, it needs a lot of nutrients. Start preparing the bed as early as the previous year. Loosen the soil to a depth of about 30 cm before winter. Work in plenty of compost, manure and coarse material. From April you can begin with the cultivation. The young plants are planted in the bed from mid-May and covered with 10 cm of soil. If they continue to sprout, add more soil. However, the uppermost shoot tips must always remain visible. Patience is needed until the first harvest. Only from the third year you can harvest fresh asparagus annually from the beginning of May to June 24. At the end of the season, perennial asparagus goes into dormancy. After harvesting, cut off the stalks and the greenery in the fall. In this way, you remove any basis for diseases. You can return missing nutrients with a nettle liquid manure and compost. Finally, a layer of mulch helps against weeds. When the asparagus sprouts again in spring, you can add more soil. You can also grow asparagus from pre-pulled rhizomes, then the culture takes only 1 year. Plant green asparagus 15 cm deep, white 25 cm deep and cover with soil 8-10 cm. As the plant grows, fill in the trench. Asparagus can be grown for 10 years in the same location. Keep the bed free of weeds, because asparagus can not tolerate it.