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Asparagus has to be my favorite early spring vegetable. Though it is wonderful cooked. I think it is best eaten raw while working in the garden. Asparagus is often started from one-year crowns, however you can plant asparagus from seed, too!
It's not hard to grow asparagus from seed; it just adds an extra year onto the wait period until you can begin to harvest. We planted 'Argenteuil' a French heirloom variety.
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The plants are only about 6 weeks old and they already have impressive root systems.
Plus, asparagus is a perennial vegetable—plant it once and enjoy it for many years. Crunchy, succulent and flavorful, asparagus is good for you as well.
Anything this tasty and reliable does not come easily though. It takes up a lot of space, there is a lot of prep work to get the bed ready, and it requires about three years from seed to harvest before we get to taste a single spear.
The good news is that, once started, asparagus can last a generation, so there are big rewards!
Planting Asparagus From Seed
Two years ago, I started some asparagus from seed and transplanted them to a nursery bed in the garden. They were immediately eaten by cutworms! It was late summer and I did not think they were still active. Wrong!
Imagine my relief when a few weeks later they sent up new fronds and continued to grow until freezing weather set in. Last spring they popped right up—cute little miniature spears of asparagus that turned into lush green fronds.
Since male plants are more productive we were able to figure out which ones were female when they blossomed and formed seed pods. These plants were pulled out, leaving only male plants. This spring, before any growth emerged, it was time for us to move the plants to their permanent location.
I couldn't believe how huge the root systems had gotten!
We dug a trench about 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep. We added compost to the bottom of the trench and used it to make 4 inch high mounds about 18 inches apart in the trench.
We placed the crowns of the plants on the mounds and let the roots drape down over the sides, then covered them with a few inches of soil. As the spears grow we can continue to fill in the trench until it is level or even slightly higher than the surrounding soil. The crowns should end up at least 4 inches below the surface.
Now comes the really hard part. We can't pick any spears this year and maybe only a few next year. The third year we can pick only spears that are finger-sized but have to stop when they get to be less than 1/2 inch in diameter.
Patience is something that doesn't grow in my garden! I have to work at it.
Read how to plant asparagus by crowns on the Almanac's Aspargus Growing Guide.
Robin Sweetser
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I started Erasmus asparagus indoors from seed. As soon as they were anywhere from 1-6 inches, I transferred them to 3" pots, but they're growing really fast. I can't transplant them out for another couple of months (May) to my established asparagus bed (I'm pulling the established females after I figure out who they are). I wasn't all that impressed with the germination rate, out of 30 seeds (the Erasmus seeds were expensive, but nobody on the internet seemed to have crowns) I got 20 plants.
In the meantime, what do you think would be a good sized pot to keep them in for those few months? I really don't want to keep transplanting them into bigger and bigger pots, as they don't seem to like being transplanted much. I don't have a whole lot of space, so I'm looking for the minimum sized pot I can put them in til I can stuff them in the ground outside. Each plant is in a separate pot, except for a couple that I got a couple late sprouters.
Also, is there any way to encourage them to grow their crowns faster? Seeing as how they don't branch, I'm guessing cutting the tips would not be a good idea. And they're very spindly, I had to tie a few of them to a kebab stick so they didn't break off.
Hi Maya,
It sure sounds like your asparagus seedlings have done quite well. Given that asparagus does not like to be transplanted and your seedlings are growing well, it might be best to keep them in the pots you currently have them in. Since asparagus seedlings don’t have huge root systems, they should have space to continue to grow until they can be planted outside.
If you notice that growth slows or you see roots coming out of the bottom of your containers, you should then consider transplanting to a slightly larger pot, but it all depends on how close it is until they can be planted outside. The less transplanting the better.
There is not a way to get the crowns to develop faster; you just need to let nature take its course. It is best to prop the ferns up with supports and not cut them.
I direct sowed asparagus 2 years ago. It came up strong, but close. Do I have to thin it or can I let it go
Hello. You will want to wait at least one more year to touch your asparagus plants. If they are at least 12 inches away from each other, we would suggest leaving them alone after this year. If not, you can thin any that are too close together.
I bought about two dozen 2 year old crowns mail order. Planted them as you described in the spring after the last frost in a raised bed, mulched them, and now it's been about four weeks. Shouldn't I be seeing some kind of growth? I've kept the bed watered, and they were plump and healthy when I planted them. I know patience is required, but I was thinking that I should see something by now?
Asparagus will not tolerate acidic soil.
Using peat moss when planting Asparagus crowns will often kill them.
Don't ask how I learned this...
If the crowns were healthy and planted correctly you should be seeing some growth any time now. Be patient!
About how many stalks should I expect to come up from one root crown? Seems there are more than one per crown.
You can get 8-10 stalks or more per crown once the plants are well-established.
I've read most of the questions and answers & im confused on male and female plants and what to do with the berries on the ferns? Their pretty ferns now with berries that are turning red! I live in NW Montana
