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The Garden Plot for January 18, 2008
3:55 PM - 4:00 PM
[Program Website]
Today's Highlight: “Asparagus”
It’s time to start ordering seeds and plants for spring vegetable gardens. Asparagus is one of the first and tastiest harbingers of spring in our gardens. It is a long-lived perennial that does very well in Western Montana. In fact, it grows so well here that it escapes and can be collected wild.
Asparagus does well in almost any well-drained soil. It is happy with Montana’s usually higher pH soils, but won’t tolerate a low pH. It likes a lot of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure. Since asparagus will be there for a long period, take time to clear out any perennial weeds. Then dig raised beds; the higher the bed, the better the drainage. You can work in composted manures as you make raised beds in order to raise bed height and make them fluffy and root-friendly.
Asparagus can be planted from seed, but it is much better to purchase one-year old crowns. A crown is the root system of a one-year old asparagus plant that someone else babied through the trials and tribulations of seed-hood.
The best varieties are the new all-male hybrids such as Jersey Giant, Jersey Supreme, Jersey Prince, and Jersey Knight. Rutgers University in New Jersey has a very good asparagus breeding program. These all-male hybrids out-yield the old Mary Washington varieties by 3 to 1 because they don’t expend energy producing seed.
Asparagus can be planted from the end of April through early June, as long as the soil has warmed up to about 50 degrees F. You won’t get ahead by planting early into cold soils. Your new asparagus plants will just sit there until soil temperatures reach a consistent 50 degrees F. Remember that asparagus grows tall (up to 3-4 feet tall in fertile soil), so if you have a small garden, plant your permanent asparagus bed on the west or north side of the garden to avoid shading.
After you have prepared a raised bed, dig a furrow 5-6 inches deep. Don’t bury the crowns any deeper; it will greatly reduce overall yield! If your soil is low in phosphorus, you may need to add a source of phosphorus to the bottom of the furrow, even if you worked composted manure into the bed. A quicker release organic source of phosphorus is bonemeal. Place the asparagus crowns in the furrow on top of the fertilizer about 1-2 feet apart. If more than one row is planted, leave at least 5 feet between rows. You may be surprised by how much space a healthy asparagus plant will take up.
After planting, back fill the furrow to its original level. Try not to compact the soil in the furrow. The more soft and fluffy the soil, the more asparagus sprouts you will get per crown. The first spears will emerge in about one week if the soil is moist. They will grow into tall wispy ferns that feed the developing roots the first year.
Now here’s the hard part: don’t cheat and harvest any of those asparagus spears the first year. Let the plants establish the first season. The next spring after planting you can harvest asparagus if you have a fertile soil and plants grow well.
Asparagus is remarkably drought tolerant and may need little supplemental irrigation once established. However, if July and august are hot and dry, it is a good idea to water asparagus weekly. Once asparagus ferns grow to a height of 8-10 inches, you can mulch them with straw to prevent weed invasion. Don’t mow down the asparagus ferns in the fall. Let them collect snow for increased soil moisture. Dead ferns can also act as a mulch to protect over the winter and cool soils in the spring when an early warm period might tempt new sprouts too early. Asparagus sprouts turn rubbery and limp when exposed to freezing temperatures.
For more information on growing asparagus, contact your local county extension agent.
Helen Atthowe's new short program of gardening tips
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