How To Grow Your Own Asparagus

March 15, 2015

Early spring is the best time to grow asparagus. This healthy green packs in a blend of nutrients that work wonders for your health, especially digestion and blood sugar. It is also said to have anti-aging and anti-cancer properties.

While you can pick it up at the local grocery store for immediate consumption, growing your own plant is more satisfying. Sure, it takes two to three years to yield, but is productive for up to 20 years after that. As Daily Express reports, an adequate amount of sunlight and water could be all you need to grow asparagus. Let’s take a look at the steps:

Ready The Space: Choose a sheltered spot to plant asparagus. Make sure that it receives plenty of sunlight. Dig the soil thoroughly, clearing off weeds and stones, and add organic manure to the chosen spot a week before you plant.
Get The Roots: Buy dormant one-year-old asparagus crowns from a nursery that sells fresh, disease-free roots.
Prepare The Crowns: Before you plant, soak the dry crowns in water for a few hours. This will replenish them.
Plant The Crowns: Dig a trench, around 30cm wide and 20cm deep. Make a ridge, about 5cm high, in the middle of the trench, using some of the soil you have scooped out. Place the asparagus crowns 30cm apart, and spread them over the mound on either side. Cover them with 5cm of the soil. If you plan to plant several rows, be sure to maintain a distance of 30cm between each row.
Nurture Them: An asparagus plant needs a lot of moisture, especially in spring and summer. Make sure you water it well. As the plant grows, keep covering it with more soil. Don’t harvest spears in the first year, as it will weaken the plant and lead to smaller harvests.
Harvest After Two Years: When they reach a height of around 12cm, harvest the spears. Snap them off close to the ground level. Doing so will cause less damage to young spears. In doing this, you’ll be ready to eat your own home-grown asparagus spears.