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Growing Asparagus Plants

Asparagus plants are truly magical, especially in the spring. Those gardeners who were wise enough to plant their patch more than three years ago are able to enjoy a wonderful harvest throughout April to May. At the grocery store, fresh asparagus is quite expensive. It is a simple yet elegant vegetable that adds class to any menu. Baked in butter, steamed with sauce, grilled with balsamic marinade – however way it is cooked, asparagus is best eaten when fresh.
To those who do not already grow asparagus, don't take this to heart as growing asparagus is really easy to do. With patience, desire and just a small plot of earth, it would not be long before fresh asparagus is available for picking at one’s desire. In three years time, your asparagus garden will be ready for harvest each spring. First, one has to prepare a bed – asparagus like to grow in its own space. Choose a sunny side for your spot. Make it large enough for all asparagus crowns.
Double dig your soil and remove all weeds. Establish your plants so that weeds will not get the best of them. Enriching the plot of earth with rotten leaves manure or compost is essential in making the asparagus plant healthy. This can be done gradually. Start on a small pile then keep on adding to it until it is time to plant next spring. Asparagus plants love rich organic soil. A bed of Asparagus can produce fresh products for decades to come so care and effort at the beginning will certainly pay off in quantity as well as quality.
Asparagus, a member of the lily family, is difficult to grow from seed – home gardeners should buy 1-year-old crowns, which are already rooted. Look for bundles with roots that are dormant, meaning showing no green shoots; look for crowns that are fresh and firm, not limp. Your local garden centre, mail order catalogues, hardware store and nurseries carry these asparagus crowns. Plant them as soon as possible upon purchasing.
Dig a trench around the bed of about 6 inches; set the crowns a foot away from the other. Cover with two inches of organic soil and gradually work the soil into the trench. This should be done throughout the first season. Plants will begin to grow in about two weeks. Do not fill the trench quickly to avoid stifling the plants. Keep on adding soil throughout the season until the trench levels. Do not cut asparagus shoots the first year, this will allow for foliage to grow and die on its own. Allowing this will provide food for the roots.
When winter comes, cut the foliage and haul it away to avoid harboring the eggs of the asparagus beetle. You can cut asparagus stalks on the second year, but only those that are bigger than your finger. While waiting for it to grow, keep on watering and mulching with compost and manure. The third year is the magical year for the asparagus plant as at last it can be enjoyed at the dinner table. Allow a number of shoots to mature to full growth and die to provide food for roots for a healthy next harvest.
This cycle will be repeated every year for many years to come. Asparagus is enjoyed by many - especially when served fresh. Cutting right from the home garden patch is as fresh as fresh asparagus comes.