Growing Asparagus In The Garden
A popular garden vegetable growing asparagus is becoming a crop of choice. It is enjoyed by many people and can easily be grown in your garden. It is in fact a perennial plant that pops up every season from the same root system. If your going to plant growing asparagus you should choose a location using some thought because a producing bed of asparagus can be around for fifteen years. It is a great vitamin A source and has large amounts of vitamin C,phosphorus,riboflavin and calcium. A cooked one cup of fresh growing asparagus has very few calories which is approximately 30. You need to consider the necessary requirements of the home garden asparagus such as well-drained very loose deep soil and at least eight hours of sunshine.
Growing Asparagus Soil And Preparation RequirementsThe preparation of your selected area for the home garden asparagus needs to really begin the year prior to planting the asparagus. It is necessary to clean the area of any perennial weeds becomes it will be difficult to rid the area of these weeds once your growing asparagus is established. In addition you should either have the soil tested or test it yourself. Asparagus choice is a pH of 6.5-7.5 and will have difficulty in soil with less than a pH of 6.0. The soil should be specifically tested to ascertain the need for phosphorous and potassium. There should be generous amounts of organic material plus a good 10-20-10 fertilizer to the soil. A natural fertilizer could also be employed using a combination of manure, blood meal,wood ash,and bone meal. Now your soil should be prepared to receive the asparagus roots during the next spring. Growing Asparagus With Various Varieties
It is best to purchase one year old roots. Sometimes year old roots are not available so you may need to change your plans. I hate to take sides in the vegetable garden but growing asparagus really should be done with the purchase of the all-male hybrid cultivars. These roots include Jersey Giant,Jersey Prince,Jersey Knight,and Jersey King. The problem with the female variety includes the dropping of seeds produced on the plant and then it becomes a weed problem.
The female plants are also engaged in additional energy to produce these seeds which results in decreased yields of growing asparagus spears on the female plants. It is amazing but the all male plants yield is three to one to the Mary Washington variety. There is an interesting variety bringing additional color to your garden by planting the cultivars of either Purple Passion or sweet purple. The purple will disappear during cooking.
Growing Asparagus Selecting And PlantingAs a gardener,you can plant growing asparagus using seed. This is a time consuming way to proceed only because your seeds are spaced just a few inches from each other and the crowns will have to be dug up and transplanted to wider area. This after one year in the garden forcing you to miss one year of spear production. You should purchase year old healthy and disease free crowns from your local garden center or mail-order establishment. A trench should be dug at a depth of eight inches and sufficiently wide to receive outspread roots which are usually about ten inches long. The asparagus should be spaced at least eighteen inches apart. A space of four feet should exist between rows. There is conflicting information that the depth of the roots must not be more than five to six inches or it will reduce the yield. I see no difference as long as you don't go beyond eight inches. The roots should be covered with two inches of soil and as the shoots grow continue to fill in the trench slowly. Avoid covering the green shoots completely with soil. The trench can usually be filled in by the end of the first growing season. It is important not to harvest the growing asparagus during the planting season. It is important to note here that no spears should be cut until the third year after planting. The obvious reason for this is to give the asparagus the opportunity to build a healthy root system. What will occur in the first season of planting as the spears elongate,they will reach a length of eight to nine inches and the tips will open. The spear itself will take on a woody appearance to support the fern-like foliage. This foliage has the job of producing carbohydrates for the plant and which it sends down to the crown for the next year's spear production. In the the third year start your cutting for only a few weeks in May and possibly early June. In upcoming seasons gradually increase your harvest time to six weeks. The spears should be cut at about six to eight inches in height making sure that the tips are tight and not opened as described in the first season above. It is best to remove only thicker spears and leave the thin or weaker spears alone. The growing asparagus can be snap off at the soil line or a sharp knife can be employed to cut through the spear on angle at about inch below the surface of the soil. After July 1st all spears must be allowed to mature into the ferny growth shown below. 
It is the tall green ferns that supply the energy for the rest of the summer which is stored in the root system. This will enable your growing asparagus to provide another excellent crop in the following spring. The ferns should remain over the winter to capture and retain the snow which in turn protects the below ground root system of the plant. The remaining debris should be gathered in the early spring to avoid being an nuisance when you begin to cut your crop in May.
Growing Asparagus Problems With Weeds,Insects And Rust
Growing Asparagus Proper StorageSome will say that asparagus cut from your garden should be cooked and served in the same day. Of course it will be at its peak taste on the same day but if precautions are taken,it can be enjoyed up to one or two weeks after the harvest. It is very perishable and should be harvested in the morning when the temperatures are cooler. After harvesting,immediately immerse the spears in ice-cold water to remove any remaining heat. After performing this act drain all the water and insert the spears into plastic bags and place in the refrigerator at thirty-eight to forty degrees F. It will keep its quality for at least the time referenced above. Go to home from Growing Asparagus
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The rust disease appears in spring as oval yellow spots on stems and branches in seedings that are consider wild and have appeared surrounding older plants. This rust disease will be transferred to your healthy spears as seen in this picture as the season develops. Some of the newer varieties such as Jersey Giant are presented as slow rusting because they are more resistant to the disease. You should remove the wild seedlings and when practical spray the plant. This should be done following the final harvest of your asparagus. The so called wild seeds should be removed immediately upon appearing in your garden.
