Asparagus harvest is worth the wait

While the rest of us are impatiently waiting to plant our vegetable gardens, Vicki Cahill, a market gardener near Newport, Wash., is eagerly awaiting her first harvest. Cahill grows asparagus. By the middle of April she will be feasting on the tasty, pale green spears.

In its native habitat in Europe, people foraged for asparagus along stream banks and wet areas every spring. It was a welcome treat after a long winter of eating stored potatoes and canned vegetables.

Asparagus spears grow from a fleshy root planted about eight to 10 inches underground. If left to grow the spear becomes a feathery frond about three feet tall.

The roots are available in the early spring at most garden centers, the larger the roots the better. Each root will produce about pound a season once the plants have become established.

Cahill put 30 roots in a 12-by-4 foot bed four years ago and began harvesting last year.

“I had more than I could use,” she said. Good varieties include Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince and Jersey Knight.

Make the bed

A bed of asparagus will produce for 15 to 20 years if planted correctly and then properly cared for. Because of this long life span and the fact that it doesn’t compete well with other plants, asparagus needs a dedicated space that is kept free of weeds and grass. The plant needs full sun and well-drained soil amended with compost or manure. Because it is such an early plant, it may need protection from late frosts.

Cahill dug her asparagus bed 18-inches deep and backfilled it to eight inches with good quality aged manure.

“I have clay so if I’d planted it any deeper, I wouldn’t have seen it again,” she said.

Plant

Cahill staggered her roots in the bed, leaving about a foot and half between roots. Asparagus needs a steady supply of moisture so the plants will need a deep watering on a weekly basis through the fall. Use a mulch of compost, shredded leaves or pine needles to keep weeds down.

Harvest

Asparagus must be allowed to grow for at least two years before harvesting can begin to allow the roots to establish themselves. Spears can then be harvested when they reach six to eight inches for about six to eight weeks each spring. If they grow much taller than this, they become woody. The spears are harvested by snapping them off at the soil line.

Prepare

At the end of the harvest period, let the spears grow into feathery fronds that will then feed the roots and build up reserves for the next spring. In the late fall, mulch the bed with several inches of compost or manure. The nutrients will leach into the soil and be ready for the plants in the spring. It also protects the plants from cold. In colder areas of the Inland Northwest, add six to 12 inches of straw to the bed for additional protection.