Asparagus is not cheap but it certainly is delicious! So why not grow it in the comforts of your own garden? Good thing I have this how to plant asparagus from crowns guide just for you.
How To Plant Asparagus From Crowns Easily And Harvest Early
I’m learning how to plant asparagus in the garden where I know it can be fresh and most importantly, free. Good thing the cold season is just the ideal time to plant asparagus from dormant crowns. Planting asparagus is certainly going to be worth your time and effort, plant away!
Planting Asparagus From Crowns
While growing asparagus from seeds can be done, planting asparagus from crowns will allow an earlier harvest. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable which needs two to three years to be established before harvested when grown from seeds.
To bypass that stage and get to harvesting as soon as possible, plant asparagus from dormant crowns available in local nurseries in early spring. New and improved varieties of asparagus roots or crowns which are more productive are also available online.
How To Plant Asparagus From Crowns
Step One: Soil Preparation
Considering asparagus can be productive for many years, a permanent area should be considered for growing them. Growing cover crops or green manure before planting asparagus will help prepare the soil bed.
- Appoint a suitable area for your asparagus plant bed.
- Clear the area of weeds, any other plants, including roots and rocks.
- Spread compost over the plant bed with a thickness of 2 to 3 inches.
- Loosen the soil with a tiller or a digging fork to a depth of up to one feet.
- A pH of 7 is most suitable for planting asparagus so conduct a soil test and amend as needed.
- Add a layer of organic fertilizer in the trench.
Step Two: Planting Asparagus Crowns
- Dig a trench that’s 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide.
- Build a mound of soil in the center, 6 inches tall.
- Trenches for the asparagus bed should be 2 feet apart so a 4 feet bed will allow two trenches.
- Spread the roots of the crown over the mound with the crown sitting on top and the roots trailing down the trenches.
- Plant the asparagus crowns at least a foot apart.
- Fill the trenches with a mixture of equal parts compost and soil from the trench just enough to cover the crowns.
Step Three: Asparagus Plant Care
- Fill the trench with more soil after a few weeks when the shoots start to appear.
- Keep gradually filling the trench with soil and by the end of the season, you will need to have the trenches completely covered.
- Asparagus originally grows in areas with sufficient water supply so they can be thirsty at times. Make sure an irrigation system is installed in the plant bed by means of a soaker hose.
- Keep weeds suppressed with a mulch of straw or dried leaves.
Companion Planting For Asparagus
For asparagus to stay organic and fresh, it is ideal that the plant is not by any means pestered by diseases or pests. Companion planting is a natural means to prevent pests in plants and tomatoes are the best for asparagus. They repel the asparagus beetle which is a common and well-known pest to attack asparagus plants.
On the other hand, asparagus repels root nematodes that affect tomato plants. Parsley, marigolds, basil, and coriander are also great companion plants for asparagus. Avoid growing potatoes, onions, and garlic near asparagus. However, asparagus doesn’t tolerate competition, both in weeds or vegetables, so it’s best the bed to stay exclusive.
Harvesting Asparagus
Having planted year-old asparagus crowns which have undergone a dormancy period will allow you to harvest shoots the following year. Although the harvest period is exciting, hold yourself back for the first year and make sure to harvest just a few if you want the asparagus to give more sprouts on the second year.
Holding back on your harvest in the first two years will allow you more and bigger asparagus spears in the years to come.Once you’re done harvesting, try this baked asparagus recipe!
You can also watch the step by step guide on how to plant asparagus from crowns in this video:
Unlike other perennial vegetables like rhubarb or artichokes, it cannot be denied that asparagus is the most prominent among its counterparts. Although it can be an intimidating vegetable, asparagus is really a reliable and low maintenance vegetable. I hope I have been able to clearly point it out and got you growing asparagus from crowns. Good going smart green thumb!
Do you love asparagus too especially when they’re fresh from the garden? I’d be delighted to know how you went through with planning or planting your asparagus bed in the comments section below.
Before you know it, winter’s over and spring is here with the growing season. Check these spring vegetables for your spring vegetable garden plans.
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Feature image source via Appleberry Farm
2 thoughts on “How To Plant Asparagus | Garden Season Growing Guide”
Great informative article and a great layout, very easy to follow. thanks so much for sharing this helpful information.
You just can’t beat fresh asparagus & morel mushrooms in the spring. I like to collect asparagus berries in the fall and plant the seeds around my property. It takes a couple years but they will pop up eventually.