How to Transplant Asparagus – Asparagus is one of the first plants that welcomed us in the spring! It is a perennial plant, which means that once established, the soft spears will return year after year. In addition, its fern leaves are excellent ornamental plants. This is how asparagus is grown – from planting to harvest!
About Asparagus
Larisia | Can be grown in most temperate regions, but grows most vigorously in cooler regions with long winters. The edible part of the asparagus plant is the young stem, which is discovered when soil temperatures rise above 10 degrees Celsius in the spring.
The most important thing to know about asparagus is that it should not be harvested for the first two seasons. These plants should be allowed to take root before they can be harvested in a sustainable way. However, patience is worth it, because asparagus beds can be productive for 15, 20 or sometimes even 30 years.
Because asparagus remains productive over time, it is important that you grow the best asparagus available for your area. (See recommended varieties below.)
If you are starting an asparagus plant for the first time, we will plant 5 to 10 asparagus plants per person (15 to 30 feet in a row).
How long does it take to grow asparagus?
As mentioned earlier, newly planted asparagus plants can take 2-3 years to really start producing, so patience is required! However, once established, asparagus can be productive for decades.
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In addition, asparagus plants are productive very quickly, sending new spears every few days for several weeks in the spring. The plant produces a pound of spears per foot row in the spring and early summer, so we think it is definitely worth the wait.
Planting
Since asparagus is a perennial plant that returns year after year in the same place, it is important to choose a suitable planting place where it will grow.
- Choose a location that gets full sun (6-8 hours of direct sunlight).
- Lay the asparagus bedding towards the edge of your garden, where it will not be disturbed by the planting and replanting activity of other areas.
- Make sure the bed drains well and does not collect water. Asparagus does not like to have its roots too wet. If you do not have a site with good drainage, consider growing asparagus in raised beds instead. Learn how to make an elevated garden bed here.
- Asparagus thrives in neutral to slightly acidic soil (pH around 6.5).
- Remove all weeds from the planting site, dig them up and work in a 2 to 4 inch layer of compost, aged compost or soil mixture. (Learn more about soil repairs and soil preparation for planting.)
- The soil should be loosened to a depth of 12 to 15 inches to allow the asparagus crowns to take root properly and not be blocked by rocks or other obstacles.
When to Plant Asparagus
- asparagus Asparagus crowns in early spring, after the soil has worked. Many gardeners plant at about the same time as the potatoes enter the soil.
- Asparagus is usually grown from annual plants called “crowns”, but it can also be grown from seeds. However, starting with asparagus crowns eliminates the tedious weeds that come with starting from seed, and will accelerate production in general.
- Several varieties can be grown, such as open-pollinated ‘purple pheasant’ and hybrid ‘sweet purple’, from seeds. Start seeds indoors in the spring and set seedlings when they are 12 to 14 weeks old, immediately after the last frost in the spring.
How to Plant Asparagus
- to grow asparagus crowns in depth to protect them from the planting needed to eradicate annual weeds.
- Dig a trench about 12 to 18 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches deep. If you are digging more than one ditch, separate the ditches at least 3 meters apart.
- Soak short crowns in lukewarm water before planting.
- Form a ridge 2 cm high along the center of the canal and place the asparagus crowns on top of the mound, spreading their roots evenly.
- Inside the canal, the asparagus crowns are 12 to 18 inches apart (measured from the root tip to the root tip).
Once you reach this point You can follow one of two cultivation methods: the traditional by little” method or the “every time”.
Before Harvesting
- Do not harvest the spears in the first year or two (the plant needs time to grow its root system), but cut dead foliage in late autumn and dress on the side with compost.
- During the second year, dressed on the side with compost in the spring and early fall and cut dead ferns in late fall. Keep the bed well covered.
- During the third year, the bed should be in full production so that asparagus can be harvested in moderation throughout the season.
Asparagus Transplant
If you must transfer asparagus, plant the crowns in early spring when they are dormant or in late fall before the first frost (after pruning the foliage). Dig and lift the crowns with a garden fork, taking great care not to disturb the roots. Divide the block into two or more parts. Water transfer operations. Do not harvest heavily the following year.
Recommended Varieties
Asparagus plants are male or female. Female plants produce berries. Male plants do not consume energy on berries, so they can be three times more productive than female plants. For this reason, male asparagus plants are often preferred.
- Gardeners in areas 4 to 6 have a wide variety of varieties, including ‘Jersey Giant’, ‘Jersey King’Knight’. Older varieties ‘Mary Washington’ and ‘Martha Washington’ are female plants, and they are not as productive as males
- In cooler climates, ‘Gelph Millennium’ and other varieties show late damage from spring freezing.
- In warmer climates, early varieties and heat tolerant like ‘Apollo’ and ‘UC-157’ before the weather gets too hot.
White asparagus is not a variety, but is simply grown in the absence of sunlight to prevent the development of chlorophyll. White asparagus is slightly sweeter, but contains less fiber than green asparagus.
Asparagus will be purple in color, but turns green when cooked. The purple varieties tend to have thicker spears, but less of them. ‘Purple pheasant’ is delicious but it’s not just the male variety.
Harvest
- Skipped the crop in the first year and in the second year if possible. Ideally, allow three growing seasons before harvesting to allow the crowns to be fully established.
- If you have young plants, the season may last two to three weeks. However, established plants produce more time – up to 8 weeks.
- Check your plant every day to see if there are any spikes that are ready to be picked. Spears grow fast and may be too woody before you know it! Once the asparagus spear starts to open and get foliage, it is very difficult to eat it.
- Harvest the spears when they are 8 to 10 inches high and 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. (Keep in mind that smaller, thinner spears will be finer, so pick to your liking.) To
- harvest asparagus, simply chop the spears with a sharp knife or scissors at ground level.
- Stop harvesting the spears when the diameter of the spears drops to the size of a pencil.
- Asparagus fertilizer in early summer after harvest. You can dress a well-balanced compost or sprinkle another inch of rich, weed-free compost on the perishable cladding.
- Do not trim ferns left in the summer or ruin the asparagus bed. Allow ferns to grow and mature; It nourishes the nutrients for next year’s spear production. Always leave at least two or three spears on the plant during the growing season.
- Cut the asparagus fern only after the leaves have died and turned brown or yellow. It usually occurs in early winter after a few severe freezes. Cut the fern back to the ground.
- We fertilize the bed with a 1-inch layer of rich, weed-free compost or compost covered with 3-inch straw, rotting sawdust or other weed-free cladding. Clean spears will shoot up through the cladding in the spring.
How to store asparagus
- Immediately dip freshly chopped spears in cold water to preserve sugar content.
- The asparagus is not preserved long after harvest, so be sure to eat it within two or three days of harvest.
- For storage, assemble the spears together, wrap the stem ends of the spears in a wet paper towel and place the package in a plastic bag. Store it in the refrigerator drawer drawer.
- If you have enough space in the fridge, you can also store asparagus by placing the spears in a glass of water. Keep about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of clean water in a glass.
Hopefully this discussion helps you all and see you in the next discussion.