3 Stages of Growing Asparagus and When to Pick! (Guidelines)

There are three stages of growing asparagus goes through as it grows from the ground to maturity. Each stage has its own characteristics and is accompanied by a harvest period when you should start harvesting the asparagus.

The asparagus plant grows wild throughout the United States. It is one of the most abundant plants, and it provides many of us with a welcome vegetable during the winter months. Growing asparagus is easy enough that anyone can do it. Asparagus is also considered a “low-maintenance” crop. It requires no fertilizer or pesticides, and it grows quickly in a variety of soil.

About Asparagus

Asparagus can grow in most temperate areas, but it does best in places with long, cold winters. The asparagus plant’s edible part is the young stem shoot, that grows when the soil temperature rises above 50°F (10°C) in the spring.

The most important point to note concerning asparagus is that you shouldn’t harvest it in its first couple seasons. Before you can harvest these plants in a sustainable way, you need to give them time to grow. Asparagus beds can produce crops for 15, 20, or even up to 30 years, so being patient is well worth it.

Habitat of Asparagus

Naturalized in temperate locations all over the world, asparagus originated originally from the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, it has been a subject of cultivation.

How long does it take to grow asparagus?

As previously said, it may take 2 to 3 years for newly planted asparagus plants to actually get started and grow, so be patient! However, once established, asparagus plants can produce for decades.

Furthermore, asparagus plants grow rapidly in the spring, bringing up new spears in a few days for several weeks. In the spring and early summer, the plant yields 12 pounds of spears every foot of row, so we believe the wait is well worth it.

3 Stages of Growing Asparagus and When to Pick

1. Planting

You must choose between planting through seeds or crowns. There are so many herbs and spices that you can grow in your garden, you could never know which ones to plant.

You have to begin planting the crowns, because you will not be able to tell which crown you should plant until the roots are completely established.

With this planting method, you won’t have to struggle with weeding through the seed. This is a great and convenient way to plant when space and time are limited.

Start your plants indoors before you take them out to grow, because by the time they’re ready to go out into the garden, it may be winter and your Asparagus plants

Once the last frost of spring occurs, transplant your bulbs into a temporary garden bed.

If you want to grow Asparagus in a raised bed, you should start them indoors when they are 12 inches tall. A temporary garden bed, or a temporary potting area, will help you enjoy growing and nurturing your houseplants.

Because the transplants will get more mature in the fall, you can now select the tall male plants to move into your regular bed. This is because the transplants will become more mature in the fall.

When growing through asparagus crowns, on the other hand, you will need to cultivate the plants in a trench that is 18 inches wide & 8 inches deep.

Find a spot that is three feet away from these trenches and create a ridge of dirt that is two inches high on each of the provided trenches. This will provide a place for you to grow the crowns 18 inches apart from one another and allow their roots to drape out.

2. Growing Stage, Care, and Maintenance

The following stages of growing asparagus answers how long it takes to develop asparagus. Growing asparagus takes two to three years. Most growers harvest spears early.

It’s not recommended because it takes longer for crops to grow and establish themselves. Don’t be shocked if weeds grow during your asparagus’ life. Two years following planting, weed control is key.

This will prevent weeds from overrunning the area. Compost mulch surrounding crops will suffocate weeds. You can do it as soon as you see weeds to prevent them from becoming out of stage.

In its first two years, asparagus needs 2 inches of water. You can easily regulate watering needs when your crops are in the greenhouse because of drip irrigation. Asparagus must be fed in the fall and spring to grow healthily.

Asparagus usually multiplies. In three years, it should cover the planting area. In order to avoid overpopulation, measure your pots and beds before growing the plant. During the first two years, you can prune dead leaves as needed.

Cut dead leaves 2 inches from the ground. This will make handling plant diseases and pests easier.

3. Harvesting

• Pre-harvest Do not harvest spears in the first or second year (plant requires time to establish roots), but cut off dead leaves in late fall and side-dress with compost.
• Side-dress with fertilizer in springtime and early fall and scale back dead ferns in fall. Mulch the bed. In the third year, the beds should be full-production, so harvest asparagus sparingly.
• Avoid harvesting in the first and second years. Wait 3 seasons before harvesting to let crowns establish. Young plants may endure 2 to 3 weeks. Established plants last 8 weeks.
• Check for spears every other day. Spears might become too woody rapidly. Once asparagus spears open and develop leaf, they’re tough.
• At 8 to 10 inches tall and 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, harvest spears. Younger, thinner spears are more delicate; harvest to taste. To harvest asparagus, cut the spears at ground level. When spears are pencil-thick, stop harvesting.
• Early summer after harvest, fertilize asparagus. You can top-dress decomposing mulch with organic fertilizer or weed-free compost.
• You’ll damage your asparagus bed if you cut down the remaining ferns in summer. Growing and maturing ferns supplies nutrients for next year’s spear production. Please leave at least 2 or 3 spears on the plant during the growing season.
• After the foliage becomes brown or yellow, trim asparagus ferns. Early winter after numerous harsh freezes. Cut ferns low.
• Fertilize the ground with 1 inch of compost or manure and 3 inches of straw, sawdust, or any weed-free mulch. In spring, spears emerge from the mulch.

Store Asparagus

Just-cut spears should be plunged into cold water to preserve sugar. Eat asparagus within two or three days of harvesting.

Bundle spears, wrap stem ends in moist paper towel, and store in a plastic bag. Crisper drawer in the store. Alternatively, you can store asparagus spears in a cup of water in the fridge. Keep an inch of water in the cup.

When to Cut Asparagus Ferns?

At this point in the growing season, gardeners who intend to harvest asparagus may be pondering the question of when they should cut the tall, slender stalks that have developed from their asparagus plants. To get the most out of the harvest the next year, you should hold off on gathering until the ferns have turned completely brown and gone dormant.

Asparagus Companion Plants

1. Beans. Beans are great for supporting your asparagus, and are a natural deterrent to asparagus beetles.
2. Garlic. Garlic is one of the most effective insect repellents for asparagus, but be careful not to spray it directly onto the spears. That will cause them to become pungent, bitter, and unpleasant to eat. Instead, use a strong garlic spray on surrounding foliage and soil.
3. Rosemary. Rosemary can deter aphids and mites.

What Not to Plant with Asparagus

Asparagus is an easy one to remember, but if you’re going to plant it, there’s a chance your neighbors might not be as amenable. A member of the lily family, asparagus is susceptible to a disease called white mold that can infect other plants in the yard. You can make sure this doesn’t happen by using proper crop rotation techniques, which will avoid the same problem in the future.

Why Does My Asparagus Have Ferning?

Similar to plant bolting, asparagus ferning out early is likely triggered by warmth and severe weather. The quicker a plant begins to produce ferns, the hotter it gets.

Growing Asparagus In Raised Beds

When you are growing asparagus, you want to use raised beds instead of regular soil. These raised beds are very easy to build.

• First, you should make sure that you buy good quality soil.
• Use composted manure and/or manure mixed with peat moss.
• You should mix in some soil and sand.
• After mixing together, you should put it in a wheelbarrow and sprinkle it around your raised bed.
• Then, you should fill in all the spaces between the rows of soil. You can leave it alone for several weeks until the bed is ready to be planted.
• After it is finished, you can plant your vegetable seeds directly into the bed.
• You will need to water it often. After about 2 months, the roots will be able to grow into the soil.

Best Fertilizer For Asparagus

Soil should be fertile. Asparagus needs fertile soil, but there are other plants that also need fertile soil. If you don’t have a lot of fertile soil, you should get some fertilizers that will help your soil become more fertile.

For the best results, use a combination of 10-10-20 fertilizer. This will guarantee a great yield. The best time to plant is spring. Asparagus plants are ready to harvest by mid-summer.

How Deep Do Asparagus Roots Grow?

A lot of people think that asparagus roots are about 3 feet deep, but in reality, they actually grow much deeper than that. They can be up to 10 feet deep or more. There is no exact rule for the depth of asparagus root, but most experts say that they should be at least 2.5 feet deep to be able to harvest the asparagus. This can vary depending on the variety of asparagus that you are growing.

To know how deep to dig, you will need to use a shovel. Then you will need to pull the asparagus out of the ground. Make sure that you don’t lose any of the roots.

Does Asparagus Regrow After Cutting?

When you cut an asparagus, you cut off the bottom part of the stem. Then, you can just grow new stems with new leaves. This means that asparagus regrows after cutting. After being cut, asparagus grows back. Its because perennial plants come back again and again. The fact that a plant can live for 20 years shows that it can grow back after being cut.

Conclusion

Stages of Growing Asparagus, for best results, choose a location that gets plenty of sunlight, has good drainage, and that drains well. Then plant in holes that have been dug for the previous season’s crop. Next, add compost to your planting beds. This will provide the necessary nutrients for the plants to grow and thrive. Lastly, water the newly planted plants in well. Be sure to use fertilizer with a slow-release rate.

Asparagus can last 20 years. Knowing how to plant, maintain, and harvest asparagus can assure sustainable crop output. Asparagus requires patience and consistency.

Asparagus harvesting takes three years. It’s important to plan crop spacing and circumstances. Greenhouse asparagus allows for optimal spacing and conditions.