Growing Asparagus

Bring Your Patience - Growing Asparagus

By Pauline Atkins

UCCE Master Gardeners of El Dorado County

Appeared in the 5-08-24 Mountain Democrat

Fresh green stalks of Asparagus, Asparagus officinalis, ready to harvest, is a welcome springtime occurrence. The question is, how do we get to the point where the plant is producing this wonderful perennial vegetable? Growing asparagus requires patience, care, and a bit of know-how. The process isn’t fast, but it will be rewarding. 

Known as the sloth of veggies, from seeds to spears, it can take approximately 1,095 days until maturity. That’s right, three years until the plant can produce. It actually takes four years until an established plant can produce a half pound of asparagus during the eight-week growing season. But once established, this plant has stamina. Asparagus can reliably provide harvests for up to 20 years. Also, those shoots that emerge in spring can grow up to seven inches a day. That’s a speedy harvest! 

There are three ways to grow asparagus. Seeds are the most economical, but it can also be labor and time intensive. Purchasing plant starts from a local garden nursery would be option two and saves time in the process. The last option, and probably the best, would be purchasing asparagus crowns with roots which speeds up the process by about a year or two. If not available from a local nursery, the crowns can be purchased online.

Plant crowns in full sun, with roots on the bottom, 18 inches apart, 8-10 inches deep, with a layer of compost in well-draining soil. Asparagus is a good candidate for raised beds. As crowns shoot up, add another layer of soil. Keep bed weed free, and adequately watered to keep soil moist. Over the next few years, plants will bush out, and continue to grow. Companion plants that benefit asparagus are tomatoes, basil, and parsley. Flowers that help keep pests off your asparagus include marigolds, calendula, and nasturtium. Stay away from planting other root crops in close proximity.

Remember, don’t harvest for the first two years, and only harvest lightly on the third year to allow good root growth. Once the mature spears are ready to harvest, carefully snap or cut them just below the soil line. Cutting too deeply can injure the crown buds that produce next season spears.

When done harvesting, allow spears to grow and leaf out, which helps transfer energy to the roots for good development for next season. Asparagus has attractive fern like foliage. Do not cut back until the foliage turns yellow, usually after a freeze, or annually in January.

The payoff is that asparagus is good for you! It’s an excellent source of fiber, folic acid, vitamins C, E, K, and B6. Great for your gut, it can help inflammatory conditions and lower blood pressure. Your crop can be prepared in lots of healthy and delicious ways. Boiled, microwaved, marinated, grilled, a side dish with lemon & butter, in quiches, pasta, and casseroles. The options are endless. For more information on growing asparagus, check out the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR)  link: https://mg.ucanr.edu/Gardening/Vegetable/VegetablesFruits/Asparagus.

Time’s wasting, get growing those spears!

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