At the beginning of the year, I tackled a chore I’ve had on my bucket list for quite some time. I decided to dig and divide my half-row of asparagus to create a full row of asparagus. I didn’t grow up eating asparagus, but I’m a full-blown horticultural and gastronomic fan now. I started with one clump of asparagus about thirty years ago. I eventually divided that clump into three clumps and then five as I grew them in homemade crown tire planters for several decades before dividing them into a half row in my former garden (current chicken yard). But ever since discovering how delectable (and easy to grow) asparagus was, I dreamed of a full row where I could harvest half in the spring and half in the fall. It will take a year for my divisions to re-establish, but I’m one step closer to my dream. If you can find (or order) them, winter is the time to start your asparagus from dormant crowns.
In my opinion, there are generally two types of people, those who love fresh-picked asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) and those who have never tried it. Adding to that divide is the misconception that asparagus is hard to grow. This couldn’t be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, my start of this tasty delicacy came from a former home place, growing in the middle of a pasture on the Darnell Hill nearby where my parents built their retirement house in the 1980’s. The most important thing to remember is that the delicious shoots you harvest each spring are courtesy of energy stored in the root system from last year’s abundant foliage.
Asparagus is most often planted from dormant roots or crowns, which can generally be purchased during the winter and early spring. Crowns should look healthy and shouldn’t be dried out. It is best to plant them immediately after purchasing. I suggest soaking them in water for several hours first. However, they can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Asparagus crowns should be spaced at least 18 inches apart. Mine are currently around 36 inches apart, but I hope to finish digging the rest of the row to fill in the space. Old Greg doesn’t get as much physical work done in a day as Young Greg used to!
Asparagus produces best in a well-drained soil amended with organic matter in a location that receives direct sun at least eight hours a day. There shouldn’t be a tree anywhere in sight. Many successful gardeners plant their asparagus in beds 3 to 4 feet wide that are amended with 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and a complete lawn fertilizer (15-5-10, 16-6-12, etc.) at 2 pounds per 100 square feet of bed area. Spade or till to a generous depth of 10 to 12 inches. Organic fertilizers are ideal, but the rate will need to be increased according to the nitrogen content. I frequently use chicken litter from Mrs. G’s flock. The ideal soil pH for asparagus is 6.0 to 6.7.
In the spirit of honesty and transparency, I’ll admit that though I tilled my rows with a tractor mounted tiller, I didn’t add any organic matter or fertilizer. I’ll add fertilizer later once they are established. Meanwhile, Mrs. G’s chickens are delivering fertilizer one drop at a time!
The crowns should be planted 18 inches apart in rows or beds that are at least 4 feet apart. In loose, sandy soils, plant them 10 inches deep. In heavier clay soils, plant them 6 to 8 inches deep. Cover them with well-prepared soil and water them immediately. A 2 to 4 inch covering of coarse organic mulch such as pine straw, clean hay, or grass clippings will help prevent weeds and keep the root system warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Asparagus has very few insect or disease problems. It’s all about growing the biggest plants you can during the growing season so that you can harvest the succulent spears for a few months the following spring. Fertilize the plants with a sprinkling of a complete lawn fertilizer (15-5-10, 16-6-12, etc.) or any high nitrogen organic fertilizer late each winter and provide them with the equivalent of an inch of water per week during June, July, and August. Keep the bed weed free to prevent competition. Harvest no shoots or spears during the first two years. Each year the 3-5-foot-tall foliage will go dormant during the wintertime and should be cut (or mowed in my case) and discarded. During the third growing season, all tender green asparagus shoots may be harvested from late winter up until the first of May if they are plentiful. It’s imperative that all shoots are harvested during this period to encourage the plant to continue to produce new shoots. If you have a plethora of asparagus as I hope to, you can forgo the spring harvest on part of your crop, cut those in late-summer, and harvest them in the fall instead of the spring. You can only harvest either spring or fall, not both. The sooner you cook them, the better they taste. Fertilize the plants as soon as you finish harvesting with a complete lawn fertilizer and mulch the plant generously to prevent weeds during the summer and the winter.
Asparagus has been cultivated almost since the beginning of history, as the elite of the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman societies enjoyed it as a treasured culinary delicacy. Recommended asparagus varieties for Texas include ‘UC 157’, ‘Jersey Knight’, ‘Jersey Giant’, ‘Jersey Gem’, or in my case, anything you find in the middle of your dad’s pasture. Asparagus is native to the Mediterranean and Asia Minor.
Somewhere, John and Fannie-Mat Darnell are smiling knowing that I’m keeping their old asparagus going.
