How to Grow and Cook Asparagus

by Lee @ Lady Lee's Home

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. Even though I garden for a few years now, I never planted asparagus because I know the house we live in right now won’t be our forever house, and once you plant asparagus, it will grow for years in the same spot, year after year, but you can’t move it and take it with you.

how to grow and cook asparagus, gardening, how to

When we bought our 20 acres in the country, I know a bed of asparagus was priority number one. After all, it takes it a couple of years to grow to the point you can harvest it, so I figured by the time we finish building a house I’ll have asparagus ready to harvest.

So this spring (2016) is going to be the second year of my asparagus. I’ll show you how to plant asparagus crowns, we will talk about how to care for your asparagus, and then we will cook it. I think one of the reasons asparagus is one of my favorites is because it only takes a few minutes to prepare it as a side dish.

How to Grow Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial. Once you plant it it will grow in the same location for 15-20 years. The young spears that come out of the ground are the only part that is edible, you must avoid the little red berries that appear on the foliage later in the season, those are poisonous to humans (we will talk more about harvesting later).

Should I Plant Asparagus Seeds or Crowns?

I say crowns.

You can start with seeds if you want, plant them in a container and once they are a few inches tall transfer them to the garden. It’s no different than starting other transplants like tomatoes or cabbage. Seeds are much cheaper than crowns, however, you are going to need to wait an extra year until you can harvest from your asparagus plants.

I bought my Jersey Supreme crowns from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They are delivered in a box, wrapped in white paper. When you get your crowns they are already a year old, saving you the year you would have to wait if you start from seed. It’s better to plant them right away, but if for some reason you are not able to do that you should wrap them in newspaper and store them in the refrigerator.

25 crowns cost $35. Not that big of an investment if you ask me.

Where to Plant Asparagus?

Since this is a perennial that will produce for years, make sure you choose a location that won’t be in the way of other things. Don’t plant it where you plan to build a shed because you won’t be able to move it.

Make sure your asparagus bed is in full sun (8 hours), and a well-drained location. Asparagus will not survive in wet beds.

It is best to send a soil test to the lab (can be done through your cooperative extension) the fall before planting to make sure your soil is not acidic. Best soil pH is 7.0, if your soil’s pH is lower than that make sure to add lime to raise the pH.

Also, before planting add lots of compost, aged manure, and fertilizer, and work it well to a depth of 12”.

It takes some time to prepare a good asparagus bed but I assure you it is time well spent. It’s very hard (if not impossible) to fix planting mistakes after planting and they will result in lower yields.

Asparagus is a bit spoiled, it won’t grow in acidic soil, wet beds, or poor soil, but once it’s established it will grow for years without much work on your part.

Once your soil is ready, dig a furrow 5”-8” deep. This depth is critical. If you plant the crowns too shallow, they will produce a large number of small spears, if you plant them too deep yield will be very low. This is not a mistake you can fix later, so make sure to grab your child’s ruler before you go out to the garden to plant so you can measure the depth of the furrow.

Next, separate your crowns. They will be a bit tangled with each other so do it carefully so you don’t damage the roots.

Spread the roots apart and place the crown in the furrow with the bud upright.

Head over to Lady Lee's Home to view the rest of the process of planting asparagus crowns and for two delicious asparagus recipes.

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1 question

Christine on Jun 11, 2019

I planted some asparagus crowns and have some kind of plant that sprouted in it's spot but am not sure it's actually asparagus can you show me what the sprouts look like lol this is a first on this type of crop for me thanks in advance Christine

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