Growing asparagus in the vegetable garden is relatively easy if there is a good drainage system and you can keep the soil moist during the growing season.
You can grow asparagus almost anywhere, even in a new garden that has never been cultivated.
If you are new to gardening, you should definitely try growing asparagus in your garden.
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalelisten)) is widely grown as a vegetable around the world. It is known by other names such as garden asparagus, sparrow grass etc
The main advantage of growing asparagus is “it’s a perennial”. This means that asparagus will come back year after year after establishing itself in the garden.
You really need to be patient as asparagus can take a while to grow (it can take 2-3 years to really get started and bear fruit).
But the wait is definitely worth it, because the plant can work for up to 25 years.
Asparagus has both male and female plants, and female plants produce berries. Plants can grow well in almost any agro-climatic condition.
So, growing asparagus in your garden can be a great addition to your garden.
How to start growing asparagus
Growing asparagus will be easy if you follow these step-by-step instructions for growing asparagus organically in your garden.
You don’t have to plant asparagus every year, and you can harvest for many years after the plants become established. However, here we take a closer look at growing asparagus from planting, care to harvesting.
Choose the variety
First, choose a good variety to grow organic asparagus in your garden. There aren’t really many varieties available, like many other common garden vegetables.
There are two common types that are popular and grown by home gardeners. The two types are purple and white asparagus.
The purple variety is actually purple in color but turns green when cooked. And this guy usually has thicker spears, but there are fewer of them.
Although white asparagus is not really a variety. Asparagus that simply grows in the absence of sunlight prevents the development of chlorophyll and eventually turns white.
In terms of flavor, white asparagus is slightly sweet but contains less fiber than green asparagus.
There are several varieties of these two types. Some popular varieties of asparagus are Jersey Giant, Jersey Knight, Purple Passion, etc.
Buy seeds / crowns
You can start growing asparagus from seeds and crowns (roots). We recommend growing asparagus from crowns. You should be able to buy wreaths at any nursery near you.
The best time to grow asparagus
Asparagus grows well all year round except during high summer heat. Wreaths are usually planted in early spring, after the ground has been worked.
Soil preparation
Asparagus grows well in sandy or sandy soils in full sun. The optimum pH range for growing asparagus is between 6.5 and 7.5. It will therefore be good to check the pH level of the soil because the plants will stay there for several years.
You can prepare a bed for growing asparagus. A raised bed will be good, about 4 feet wide. Since the plants will stay there for several years, you need to add enough fertilizer to the soil.
Dig the soil well and remove all perennial weeds and the roots of other plants. Then add plenty of manure or well-aged compost.
Keep the bed for more than a month after digging and applying organic fertilizers. And then plant seeds or crowns.
Asparagus don’t like wet feet, so make sure they have a good drainage system. For this, a raised bed is suitable.
planting
Asparagus is grown from seed or crowns. We recommend growing asparagus from crowns. However, here we describe the two methods of growing asparagus in your garden.
Asparagus seeds germinate relatively slowly, taking about 3 weeks to germinate. And the growth of seedlings is also slow. You can sow the seeds indoors 12 to 14 weeks before the planned planting date. Sow the seeds about 1/4 inch deep.
If you are growing asparagus on crowns, keep the crowns covered with a damp cloth or newspaper in a cool, dark place until planting.
When planting crowns, dig shallow trenches about 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Place wreaths 1 to 1.5 feet apart in rows 4 to 5 feet apart.
Then lay the roots out in the trench, buds up. And after planting, completely fill the trench with soil.
Care
After planting, you will need to be very careful about rooting the plants. Here we go into more detail on the extra steps to take care of growing organic asparagus in your garden.
Fertilizer: You will need to apply additional fertilizer to grow asparagus. Again, well-rotted manure or homemade compost will work well for this purpose. Additional liquid fertilizers (like compost tea) will also benefit the plants.
Watering: It is important to keep the soil constantly moist, but not wet. You will need to water regularly.
Mulching: Mulching not only helps retain moisture in the soil, but also helps prevent the spread of weeds in the garden. When the trench is full, mulch heavily (4 to 8 inches). Mulch can be hay, dried leaves, grass clippings, straw or compost. Also keep the bed well mulched during the second year.
Cannabis control: Weeds consume most of the nutrients in the soil. Therefore, weed control is very important. You can flush between rows to control weeds. Although mulching will help prevent the most common garden weeds.
Complementary care: Do not harvest the first year because the plants need more time to grow roots. But at the end of autumn, cut the dead leaves and cover with compost. Mulch the bed heavily during the second year, comb the bed in spring and early fall, and cut dead foliage in late fall.
Pests and diseases
Asparagus is not free from pests and diseases. Asparagus bugs, crown rot, cutworms, slugs and rust are common problems when growing asparagus.
You must use homemade organic methods to control all these pests and diseases.
Harvest
Asparagus must be sown to grow and can take up to three growing seasons to harvest. Although you can expect a harvest as early as the second year if the plants are growing well.
As you harvest, collect spears about 8 inches high by cutting the spears with a knife or scissors along the soil line.
During peak growth, check your plants every other day for spears ready to harvest. Asparagus thorns grow quickly and can become too woody before you know it.
But stop harvesting when the diameter of the spears is reduced to the size of a pencil. At this point you should let the plants grow and gain strength for next spring.
These are common methods of growing asparagus organically in the vegetable garden. Hope you enjoyed this guide! Good luck!
