When to Seed Asparagus
Start seeds indoors ten to 14 weeks before your last frost date. After all danger of frost has passed, starts can be transplanted outside to their permanent home. The first year starts from seed of asparagus are quite frost sensitive - so don’t be fooled into planting in March like you would for asparagus crowns.
Where to Plant Asparagus
Asparagus must be planted into its permanent home where it will produce for ten to 15 years. Ideally this spot will get full sun and have rich, well-draining soil. A raised bed with a generous amount of organic matter mixed in is absolutely ideal, but you might be surprised how resilient established asparagus can be in years to come when planted in an in-ground bed.
Growing Asparagus
Sow seeds ½ inch deep and four to six inches apart, if direct seeding. Direct seeding is only recommended in warmer growing zones. They may take two to four weeks to germinate. When transplanting, set each plant two to three inches deep, and space plants about two feet apart in every direction. At planting time, provide a nice, thick layer of mulch and a hefty watering. They’ll want a lot of water as they get established, but ensure they don’t just sit in water as this will result in the developing roots rotting. Keep your planting area weeded and watered and cared for for the next several years, and your labor will absolutely pay off. You may see some spears that have grown up and gone to seed in the fall, when you’re preparing your garden for winter. Cut this back and compost them. This is a good preventative measure to keep asparagus-loving pests from overwintering in your garden.
Harvesting Asparagus
You will not be harvesting asparagus the first year, or even in the second year. We warned you - this is the long game! But it’s absolutely worth it for the abundance of spears you’ll get to harvest in the fourth and fifth years and beyond. By year three, as a treat, you should be able to start cutting some of the larger spears. Do this by taking sharp shears to the base of the spear at soil level and snipping the whole spear off. Try to harvest while the tip of the spear is still smooth. You’ll want to leave the most of the spears, and certainly the smallest ones, to grow up and frond out, so they can feed and support the root system. Allow this to happen until year four or five. As your crop matures, if you continue to side dress with good compost, mulch the beds each fall, keep everything weeded, and allow some spears to fully grow and mature, you should have a robust bed of asparagus plants that will provide abundant harvests for years to come.
