Spring Chill Slows Asparagus Harvest

Cold weather has slowed the asparagus harvest, say growers who are hoping for more springlike temperatures.

“We always seem to have a cool start,” Washington Asparagus Commission administrator Mike Harker said of the harvest, which started last month and continues through late June.

Nighttime temperatures dropped into the lower 30s during the last two weeks and daytime temperatures have not climbed much above the mid-50s. Optimal temperatures for harvest are between 50 degrees at night and 75 in daytime.

As a result, production for the 40 asparagus growers in the Walla Walla valley has been a little behind schedule, Harker said.