Grow the Best Asparagus!

  I love fresh asparagus!

And after a long cold winter, it’s usually the first gem to emerge from my sleeping garden here in the southeast US.  And asparagus is full of those reviving ‘green’ nutrients that we need after the hearty stews and heavy meals of winter that kept us warm.   Asparagus reminds me of the joys of eating with the seasons, looking forward to every fresh harvest and anticipating the goodness that my garden will bring.

Asparagus is special.  It’s a diva in the garden!  Asparagus demands its own space and doesn’t like to share with weeds, grasses, and only a few select companions.   It also needs a good 2-3 years before harvesting, to allow establishment of roots.  But when we take that little extra step to make it happy, it rewards us year after year with bountiful, scrumptious spears that just beg for butter and lemon. So much reward, a decent sized bed can produce enough bounty for the year!  Freeze the extra harvest and feed your family, or give to lucky neighbors.   And even through summer and fall, it’s a beautiful fern-like plant that fulfills our other senses.  This is a perennial worth the effort to give it a good start!

How to Prepare an Asparagus Bed

Pick a sunny spot for your bed.  Asparagus really does benefit from preparation of the bed.  Don’t skimp on this part, you’ll be rewarded for your patience later.  Asparagus roots like to sprawl and it does like a slightly raised bed of loose, fluffy soil.  Dig about 12” deep and amend the soil with plenty of compost and slow release phosphorus and potassium.  This plant benefits from double digging, and If you have plenty of soil, then you won’t have to dig as deep by allowing the bed to be raised.  Whether you dig down or raise it up, the bed needs to be light, well drained, and rich.

Dig a Trench

Dig a trench about 8-12” deep along the length of the asparagus bed. Plan each crown about 18” apart, if you will be planting companions.  Add a 1” layer of extra compost, then pull back some of the soil.  Make a little ‘hill’ in the trench for the crown to sit on.  Allow the roots to surround this little mound of soil and spread out the roots.  Cover the roots with about 2” of loose compost and soil.  As the plants grow, add back more soil so that the roots are always covered.  Do this throughout the growing seasons until the soil level of the trench is even with the surrounding soil.  And then, we wait….

Companion Plants In and Around the Asparagus Bed

Companions for asparagus include:

Tomatoes:  I like to put in an extra tomato plant at the ends of my bed.  Tomatoes will deter asparagus beetles.  I also like to save room for a cherry tomato plant or two in the middle or edge of the bed, just because the little red jewels pop with color among the ferny overgrowth in summer.  I’m just romantic like that.

Basil and Parsley:  Interplant these seeds at the edges of the crown area and along the edges of the bed to help deter tomato hornworms and asparagus beetles, and to improve flavor of tomatoes.  They also improve the growth of asparagus.

Marigolds:  The bright yellows and oranges of marigolds at the edges of all the ferny green stuff, are pleasing to the eye.  But more importantly, French marigolds deter insect pests all through the garden.

Dill:  Deters spider mites and aphids, two of the worst enemies of my garden!  As a plus, it also attracts ladybugs.  Carefully select an area for dill to grow, at lease a foot from the asparagus crown.  I plant a large bunch in an area at each end of the asparagus bed.  Planning for accent plants in any bed, will delight the senses!

Coriander:  Again, deters mites and aphids.  Same planning required as with dill.

Comfrey:  An all-around companion in the garden, put in comfrey at the back of the bed for beauty and benefit.

Plants to Avoid

Onions and Garlic:  Alliums do not benefit asparagus, and will actually hinder its growth and flavor.

Potatoes:  Again, not friendly to asparagus.  It can attract certain pests that will destroy your asparagus crop.

Although asparagus is finicky, it will produce a delicious crop for the next 15 to 20 years!  Wait until the spears are 5 to 10 inches long, and then snap at the tender point of the base.  Careful not to disturb the crown.  Then run, don’t walk, with your daily harvest to an awaiting steamer, have the butter and lemon ready with a little salt and pepper.  Don’t forget to wipe your chin of butter!

Enjoy your harvest!