How to Grow Asparagus

The arrival of the asparagus season is eagerly awaited each year. The fresh, sweet new shoots seem to appear overnight from the bare soil.

If you are going to grow your own Asparagus, you need to know it’s a long-term crop. During the first two years you won’t get many spears - it’s not until year three that you will start getting a crop. When established in beds, asparagus can last for at least 20 years or more.

Plant Type

• Jersey Giant: produces large spears; the flavour is sweet when the tips are small.
• Pacific Purple: Pacific Purple is a new "super-sweet" asparagus variety. It is a neat-looking dark red or purple variety with a sweet taste when young.

Timing

• Mature crowns are available as dormant plants over winter.
• But the best time to plant asparagus is when soil temperatures rise in spring.
  • July to December in warmer parts of the country.
  • Early October to December in cooler parts of the country.
• Planting asparagus any earlier often results in death of plants through frost damage or diseases associated with wet cold soil.

Light

Choose a position in full sun.

Soil

• Asparagus likes deep soil that is well-drained and free of compaction layers. The best soil is a sandy loam or free draining volcanic soils so the spears can easily push through the soil surface.
• Asparagus also likes plenty of organic matter, so dig well-rotted garden compost into the soil prior to planting.

Watering and Feeding

• Water regularly for a greater amount of spears.
• Use Vegetable Food or an all-purpose variety, such as NovaTec Premium fertiliser. Give liberal dressings in Spring to encourage vigorous top growth.
• If you have acidic soils, a light dressing of garden lime will be needed.

Planting

• The best times to plant are early in the morning or late in the day, so the plants aren’t exposed to the hot sun straight away.
• You need to consider a section of permanent space in the garden as once established, asparagus plants are very long-lived, and can produce crowns for up to twenty years.
• Don’t worry if you’re in an area where you get frost as asparagus dies down each winter and will produce new shoots or spears in the spring.
• The better the soil, the better your plants will grow. Cultivate the soil to a spade depth (approximately 30cm) and blend in organic matter like compost or sheep pellets to your soil.
• Water and leave to settle for a month or so prior to planting.
• Make sure the site is free of perennial weeds before planting.
• Dig a row of trenches in your soil. Add a layer of vegetable mix, then mix in a handful of novatec fertiliser. Make sure the fertiliser is worked into the soil so it doesn’t burn the fresh young roots.
• Plant crowns with their roots facing downwards, setting crowns 7-8cm deep and 45cm apart at the bottom of a trench.
• Then fill the trench with an initial 5cm of soil, adding more soil as the asparagus starts to grow.
  
  
   
• Rows should be spaced at least 50cm apart.
• Shoots will appear as the soil warms in spring. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, as asparagus crowns will rot in waterlogged conditions.

Harvesting

• Do not cut any spears in the first season of planting. The number of spears increases each year as the plant grows older, reaching full bearing in four to five years.
• In the second year, start cutting the spears as they appear. This is generally in August / September depending on where you live.
• Harvest every day or two and continue cutting for 8-10 weeks.
• Cut asparagus off at ground level with a sharp knife. Don't be tempted to rip it out of the ground as you may pull out the whole crown. Eat as soon as possible - the fresher the better - although asparagus will store in the fridge for several days.

Pruning

• Once the fern has completely died off and turned brown, cut the dead fern off at ground level and either compost it or burn it.
• The stalks that remain at the soil surface can be buried with soil or compost to help them rot down. This makes picking the following spring much easier.
• Then fertilise again to encourage spears in spring.

Pests and Disease

• Asparagus don’t generally have any issues with pests and disease, but if you do find something take a picture and bring instore.