Asparagus Gardening

  The unique plant Asparagus is a part of the Liliaceae family with its origin said to be in the Caucasus Mountains and the eastern Mediterranean. Asparagus is a monocotyledonous and perennial plant, extremely popular for its edible spears. This is a widely known fact that the Asparagus plant poses great ornamental qualities but besides this, Asparagus is highly appreciated for its nutritional quality, low energy content, and delightful taste. You cannot experience the magnificent taste of this plant if you will not grow this seasonal vegetable in spring. Even though Asparagus is a native plant to the East Mediterranean area, Mesopotamia, it is now widely available and grown in tropical and temperate regions. From ancient times, this vegetable is grown for its stalks that emerge from crowns. If you want to grow asparagus in your garden, you must know that the ideal for this crop is from early to late summer. The stems of asparagus pant work as leaves that remain green throughout the harvesting time. On the other hand, the actual leaves are cut down into small scales.

Different Asparagus Types

The asparagus plant exists in several varieties so, before planning to plant it in your garden, decide on which variety will be suitable for your use. The three common varieties of asparagus are as follows.

1. Green Asparagus:This is the most common variety of asparagus that is mostly found in the United States. There are several kinds of asparagus plants that fall under the category of green asparagus e.g., Jersey Knight, Jersey King, Jersey Giant, Precoce D’ Argentruil, Mary Washington, and rose-colored buds. The size and thickness of the spears vary from kind to kind. The Jersey Knight green asparagus contains 8-10 inches long and thin stalks which are relatively bigger than the spears of Jersey Giant.
2. Purple Asparagus: You can effortlessly find and grow purple asparagus if you live in Italy or England. This Italian and England variety of asparagus contains spears that are thicker in size. In comparison to the green variety, purple asparagus is more tender and sweeter. Remember, the beauty of this variety lies in its unique purple color that fades ways when overcooked. So, if you want to retain its beauty, use it in raw form in salads as many people do. The kind of asparagus that falls in this category isthe Purple passion.
3. White Asparagus: Any variety of Asparagus can be made white asparagus if it is not exposed to light. If you are a fan of gardening, you might know that plants are unable to produce chlorophyll unless they receive light. In the case of white asparagus, the plant remains in a darker place covered with dirt. This variety of asparagus is mostly found in European countries.

Asparagus Harvest Time

For harvesting the asparagus crop in the third year, you have to make sure that you have correctly grown the crowns and fertilized them for two years. For the first harvest of the asparagus, you need to wait for two years until the spring of the third year will reach. Since asparagus is a perennial vegetable plant, you will get fresh spears in every spring season for fifteen years or more than that. Harvesting of asparagus plant can last can be continued till six to eight weeks but remember, you cannot harvest after July 1. Asparagus can be harvested when the spears appear in spring and are 8 to 10 inches above the ground. If a spear grows beyond 10 inches, don’t harvest it, instead, leave it to develop a root system for the next year. For harvesting, you simply need to cut the roots of the pant, before the flower buds open.

Asparagus Water And Light Requirements

For proper growth, asparagus plants need full sun. as mentioned above, if you won’t place the asparagus under sunlight, it will not get its original color. Moreover, if your asparagus plant does not get daily sunlight, the spears will grow extremely thin. This will weaken your plant and made it prone to endless problems. Besides sunlight, like every other plant, routinely watering is a must for asparagus. Watering is extremely essential for young asparagus who during the first two years of growth need two inches of water every week. However, when they get old, the amount of water reduces to 1 inch every week. To avoid problems in the future growth years, you need to water the asparagus plants when they are young.

How To Grow Asparagus

There are two ways to grow asparagus, from crowns and seeds. Crowns are one-year plants that reduce the time of asparagus production. However, if you are not too desperate to harvest the asparagus you can grow it using the seeds.

1. Select an appropriate site for the plantation. Remember, the plantation soil should contain a pH of about 6.5.
2. The soil should be moist enough to allow the asparagus roots to grow 12 to 15 inches in depth.
3. Make sure that the sight you have chosen to grow asparagus receives full sunlight.
4. Now take the crown plants and dig them in an 18 inches wide and 8 inches deep trench.
5. Within the trench, every crown plant should be 18 inches apart. Now, cover the crown plants with topsoil and compost of about 2 inches.
6. Add two inches more, once the plants become 2 to 3 inches tall. Continue this step until the trench reaches the ground level.
7. During the first two years of plantation, make sure your plants are receiving an appropriate amount of sunlight. Give them 1-2 inches of water every week. Use organic fertilizer for the ideal growth of the spears.
8. When the spring of the third year arrives, harvest the asparagus plant crop till July 1.

Common Pests And Diseases

Like other plants, asparagus can become a victim of certain diseases and pests.

1. Asparagus Beetles

These are insects that attack the asparagus plant and turns the spears to brown or red color. These insects often deform and damage the shape of the spears.

2. Fusarium crown rot

This condition in asparagus plants appears due to fungus. Fusarium crown rot causes yellow spots, reddish and brown spots on the crown, stem, and spears of the asparagus plant.

Remedies And Caring Tips For Disease Prevention

You can prevent your asparagus plants from diseases and pests by using the following tips.

1. Separate the damaged plants from the healthy ones by destroying them.
2. Use disinfectants.
3. Destroy the area in the fall where beetles’ eggs can thrive.