In spring, nothing beats crunchy asparagus. The partly green, partly white or purple sticks from our own cultivation taste particularly good. Nevertheless, the vegetables are one of the rarities in private home gardens. Many gardeners are not even aware of how easy cultivation can be. With the right knowledge about the tasty spears, you will soon be able to enjoy freshly harvested asparagus. Find out more about the steps required in the following article.
How to grow green asparagus?
To grow green asparagus, choose male plants, loosen the soil and create a trench with a layer of compost. Plant the cuttings 40 cm apart, fill the trench and fertilize. Harvest ends on June 24th, remove berries to avoid uncontrolled spreading.
Which variety is recommended?
Depending on your taste, you can choose between green or white asparagus. Growing the green variety is a little less complicated because the variety does not need to be piled up. It also contains more nutrients because it grows on the surface. Asparagus is either male, female or hermaphrodite. Check with garden stores for male plants. These grow faster and are considered more productive.
Asparagus growing instructions
- free the area where the asparagus bed is to be created thoroughly from roots and weeds
- loose the soil with a rake
- Dig a trench about 25 cm deep and 20-30 cm wide
- Now work a layer of compost, for example made from rotted manure, into the soil. Pour some excavated soil over it to avoid the roots coming into contact with the compost
- Now place the young plants in the trench at least 40 cm apart. In doing so, the roots spread out like a spider
- fill the trench with the excavated material
- Immediately after planting, add some complete fertilizer (€47.00 on Amazon) to the bed and water the cuttings thoroughly
Asparagus cultivation - this is what you need to pay attention to
Here are two more tips for further care:
Do not exceed the harvest date
June 24th, the so-called St. John's Day, ends the asparagus harvest. After this date, green asparagus needs time to recover from growth and gain strength in order to produce edible spears again next year.
Be sure to remove the berries
Although the process is very complicated, you can use the seeds to propagate your green asparagus. The seeds are harvested in autumn when the asparagus leaves have turned yellow. But even if you don't want to use the berries for propagation, you should definitely take them from the asparagus. Otherwise, the vegetable will use the seeds to spread on its own. Next spring, shoots will appear beyond your trench, which may not be desirable.
