Home >> Home & Garden >> Planting Asparagus

Planting Asparagus

In the early spring the home garden offersfew pleasures greater than the cutting of theluscious early spears of an established aspara-gus planting. It was because of its habit ofproducing early shoots that the ancient Greeksnamed the plant asparagos, meaning to swell.

Until modern times asparagus was a me-dicinal plant. The early and abundant supplyof green spears restored men who must havestruggled through the long winter upon a poorlybalanced diet. But like many other medicinalplants asparagus later became a garden favorite,and its popularity is still increasing.

Planting: It is possible to grow fineasparagus plants from seed if care is taken tosee that the seedbed is properly drained andwell pulverized and that the seedlings are trans-planted without too much injury to the rootsystem. But an established planting reaches thecutting stage much sooner if one-year-old rootsof the best disease-resistant varieties are used.

To establish a planting of asparagus itis best to select a site to one side of the garden.This site should be free from shade; the soilshould be rich, deep and well drained. Thelocation should be so arranged that the per-manence of the planting will not interfere withthe cultivation of the rest of the garden.

In the spring as early as the ground can beworked, a trench 12 inches deep and aboutten inches wide should be dug along the linewhere the first row is to stand. In the bottomof this trench place a three-inch layer ofmature compost humus. If well-rotted manureis plentiful, this may be added. This layershould then be well dug into the bottom of the trench. The second row should be made notcloser than four feet from the first.

One-year-old crowns should then beplaced in position about 18 inches apart anc:ten inches below the level of the garden. Thecrowns should be covered with a two-inch layerof sifted compost humus and well watered.During the summer the trench should be slowlyfilled with a mixture of fine topsoil and com-posted material. Cultivation will tend to fill thetrench, but it is advisable not to do the fillingtoo rapidly or the growing plants are likelyto be stifled.

Whatever care you take in the setting ourwill be well repaid to you later. Careful sitingis important. The careful, deep preparationof the area is of great value because the power-ful fleshy roots of the asparagus plant oftenthrust their way five to six feet downward andspread out almost an equal distance in theirsearch for the heavy supply of plant nutrientsneeded for the production of the large spears.Because of this, the plants require more gardenspace than their feathery brush would seem toindicate, and because of the great depth towhich the roots develop, you will find it wiseto see that an ample supply of rich organicmatter is deeply placed before setting out thecrowns.

After the planting is established it willthrive with little care for many years. But aswith all vegetables, asparagus should be keptfree from weeds and the damaging influence oftrees, and should receive each season a liberalsupply of added organic material. This supplycan be arranged in two ways.

In the spring the rows should be ridged.Ordinarily this is done by drawing up to therow a good quantity of the topsoil between therows by using a hoe. If you use compost inmead of topsoil to form these ridges, this willierve two purposes—bleaching the shoots byexcluding sunlight, and adding valuable plantnutrients to the soil.

After the cutting season, it is good practiceto sow a cover crop of cowpeas, soybeans, etc.These should be planted between the rows ofasparagus. A cover crop of this type discour-ages the growth of weeds and when dug underadds greatly to the organic content of the soil.

But the organic material added duringridging is the most important. This ridge shouldbe several inches high; if shallow, the shootswill tend to open before assuming sufficientlength. Even if you decide to grow "greenasparagus," that is, unbleached asparagus, youwill find it necessary to form shallow ridgesto overcome the tendency of the crown to gettoo close to the surface. This slow upwardmovement is caused by the formation each yearof new storage roots on the uppermost side ofthe crown.

Harvest: If a good growth is made thefirst year, it is possible to cut the shoots lightlythe following spring, but it is generally betterto encourage plant growth and to delay cuttingfor another season. Spears should be cut whenabout six inches high. Some gardeners cutthem two inches below the ground level, othersat the surface.

In cutting, place the knife blade close tothe spear, run it downward the desired depth,then turn it enough to cut cleanly through thespear but no more. Careless jabbing duringcutting time can cause very serious injury to aplanting of asparagus.

As winter approaches, the rows of aspara-gus should be lightly mulched with straw orsimilar material to prevent frost from pene-trating too severely into the crowns. The brush should not be removed or burned but shouldremain as a part of the mulch. This mulchshould be removed in the spring and the groundlightly cultivated.

Pests and Diseases: The asparagus beetleis considered a serious menace; it is very diffi-cult to get rid of and does much damage. Butmost of the serious damage done by this beetleoccurs when it is allowed to overwinter in theadult stage by finding concealment in fallensticks, trash, leaves, and the like. In this caseit emerges in the early spring to feed upon theyoung asparagus shoots. Garden cleanlinessand fall cultivation will prevent the insects fromoverwintering. An old method for controllingasparagus beetles was to turn chickens, ducksor guinea hens loose in the asparagus planting.These birds invariably do an efficient job ofwiping out the beetles and their larvae.

Asparagus rust is a plant disease affectingasparagus. Small reddish pustules appear firston the main stalks. These pustules, when theyburst, release a fine rust-colored cloud ofspores. Sometimes an entire planting is rapidlyinfected and dies. But the degree to which asparagus rust does damage is very largelydependent upon local conditions. The sporesrequire dampness for germination. Areas sub-ject to heavy dews and damp mists are poorlocations for asparagus.

Varieties: Mary Washington is a reliable,rust-resistant variety and a favorite of manygardeners. Roberts Strain is also rust-resistantand is a heavy producer. Paradise is an earlyvariety and very productive.

Other Gardening Articles:

| Cow Raising | Duck Raising | Geese Raising | Goat Raising | Guinea Fowl Raising | How to Build a Rooftop Garden | How to Make a Greenhouse | How to Make a Rock Garden | Hydroponic Gardening | Bees | Mushroom Growing | Ornamental Grass | Pigeon Raising | Pig Raising | Planting a Coconut | Planting a Lime Tree | Planting Aloe Seeds | Planting Apple Trees | Planting Apricot | Planting Artichokes | Planting Asparagus | Planting Avocado Trees | Planting Bamboo | Planting Banana Trees | Planting Beans | Planting Blackberries | Planting Blueberries | Planting Bonsai Trees | Planting Broccoli | Planting Brussel Sprouts | Planting Cabbage | Planting Cactus | Planting Carrots | Planting Cauliflowers | Planting Celery | Planting Cherry Trees | Planting Chestnut | Planting Chrysanthemum Seeds | Planting Clematis | Planting Corn | Planting Cranberries | Planting Cucumbers | Planting Currants | Planting Dates | Planting Eggplants | Planting Elder Berries | Planting Endives | Planting Fig Trees | Planting Ginger | Planting Ginseng • Planting Goose Berries | Planting Gourds | Planting Grapes | Planting Grass Seeds | Planting Hickory Nut Trees | Planting Hyacinth | Planting Hydrangea | Planting Jerusalem Artichokes | Planting Lemon Trees | Planting Mango Seeds | Planting Mustard | Planting Nectarine | Planting Okra | Planting Olives | Planting Onions | Planting Orange Trees | Planting Orchids | Papaya Planting | Planting Paprika | Planting Parsleys | Planting Parsnips | Planting Peach Trees | Planting Peanuts | Planting Pear Trees | Planting Peas | Planting Pineapples | Planting Pomegranate Trees | Planting Raspberries | Planting Rhubarbs | Planting Spinach | Planting Strawberries | Planting Sunflower Seeds | Planting Sweet Potatoes | Planting Tomatoes | Planting Tulips | Planting Yams | Planting Yuccas | Raising Turkey Chicks | Root Pruning | Rat Control | Raising Sheep | Tips on Growing Melons | Tree Grafting | Beekeeping | Bird Watching | Build Your Own Water Garden | Chicken Raising