Home garden asparagus production

NC STATE UNIVERSITY Horticulture Information Leaflet 8002 Revised 1/01 - Author Reviewed 1/01 College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Department of Horticultural Science HOME GARDEN ASPARAGUS PRODUCTION Douglas C. Sanders, Extension Horticultural Specialist ■ Asparagus has been considered a spring- garden delicacy since Romantimes. Any home gardener can grow and enjoy this vegetable. Asparagus is a perennial. If you plant and manage it properly, it will produce for 1 5 years or more. Because this crop will occupy the land for many years, you should start the asparagus bed properly : location, soil type, soil fertility, sizeandage of crowns and correct planting are important. Varieties — Mary Washington (a rust- resistant variety) is a standard variety for most home gardeners . The all-male hybrids Jersey Gem (cercospora leaf-spot tolerant ) and Jersey Knight producesignificantly more yield. They produce no seed; thus, no seedling asparagus, which is considered weedy, will be produced. Jersey Gem and Jersey Knight can be purchased only from Walker Asparagus Farms in V ineland, NJ. Atlas is a very large-diameter spear and is available from California Asparagus Transplants and Seed in Davis, CA. How Much to Plant — To produce enough asparagus for fresh table use, plant 1 0 crowns for each family member. If you are especially Distributed in furtherance fond of asparagus or want a surplus to can or of May'Tand'june so.TiT freeze< plant at least 25 plants for each family Employment and program member. Ifyouusethenewhybridsreducethe opportunities are offered to all people regardless of number of plants by half, race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina state university, Soil and Soil Preparation — Any well- North Carolina A&T State r J university, u.s. Department drained soil will produce good asparagus. Use governments cooperating, deep, fertile, sandy loam or loamy soil. If your STATE UNIVERSITY A&T STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Helping People Put Knowledge to Work soil is clay, you should condition it with peat moss, leaf mold, or straw so spears will emerge straight. Using a raised bed is especially helpful with heavy soils. Have asoil test made at least 6 months before planting. Take soil samples 1 2 inches deep. The soil pH should be 6.0 to 6.7 because asparagus grows poorly in acid soils. Choose a site relatively free of perennial broadleaf weeds andnutgrass. Start building up the organic matter (humus) content of the soil at least a year in advance of planting. This can bedoneby turning under green manure crops, animal manure, straw, peat moss, or leaf mold . Till the soil deeply several times before planting so that it will be in fine tilth at the time of planting. Use commercial fertilizerinadditiontomanures. Follow soil test suggestions. On average soils that have not been tested, broadcast 3 to 5 lb of 5- 10- 10 per 100 ft2 of bed. Planting — Crowns (roots) should be planted in rows 5 ft apart with the crowns spaced 12 inches apart in the row. The distance between rows can be reduced, but thismayshortenlhelifeofthebed. Closerin- row spacing will increase yield. Use large, well-rooted, one-year-old, disease-free crowns, purchased from a reliable source. To grow your own crowns, drill seed in the spring '/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 ft apart. Germination is hastened by soaking seed in water for 5 to 6 days before planting. Dig and transplant