Asparagus

Planting asparagus

Plant one-year crowns in early spring in a permanent bed, set in trenches 6 to 8 inches deep and covered gradually as they grow.

Planting details

• Spacing: 12 to 18 inches between crowns
• Skip harvest the first year; cut lightly in year two
• A well-kept bed produces for 15 to 20 years

Growing requirements

Asparagus needs full sun and deeply worked, well-drained soil. The whole job in the first years is patience: every spear you skip becomes the roots that feed future harvests.

Harvesting and care

Snap spears at ground level when they are 6 to 9 inches tall, for 6 to 8 weeks only, then let the patch grow into ferns. Cut the ferns down after they yellow in fall and top-dress with compost each spring.

Common mistakes

• Harvesting in the first year, which weakens the young crowns
• Letting weeds establish while crowns are small
• Cutting ferns early while still green, which starves next year's spears

Companion plants

Asparagus earns a dedicated bed where its ferns can grow undisturbed all summer. Keep the bed weed-free; weeds are its biggest long-term enemy.