Asparagus is one of the first green vegetables to grow in late winter, and its appearance heralds the coming of spring. How do you grow these soft, fragile, nutrient-rich asparagus in your garden? You can start by planting seeds or, if you want to harvest the fruit more quickly, grow asparagus crowns. Once planted, new asparagus sprouts will sprout every spring for the next 12 to 25 years.
How to harvest asparagus is part of a series of tutorials on growing asparagus, which also include preparation for growing asparagus, growing asparagus from seed, planting one-year corollas, caring for mature plants, and harvesting Asparagus, if you want to know how to harvest asparagus, follow this photo tutorial of growing asparagus from the Production Department.
How to harvest asparagus
1Pick the young asparagus stems. After 3 or 2 years (if you originally planted asparagus crowns), its time to enjoy the harvest. Cut off the tender stems of asparagus every few days with a sharp knife or scissors. As your plants produce more tender stems, you may need to harvest more often.
- Harvest asparagus shoots when they are 6 inches (15 cm) tall and begin to loosen at the tips.
- Limit your first harvest to 2 or 3 weeks, pick young asparagus stems every few days, and be careful not to pick too many from the same plant. After that, the plants need to contribute their energy to the roots.
- The following year, extend your harvest time to four or five weeks. In years with good harvests, this can be extended to 6 weeks.
2Prepare plants for the following year. At the end of the growing season, stop picking young asparagus stems and allow them to grow to their natural height. Make sure your asparagus patch is clear of weeds and free of pests all summer long. In autumn, cut off the young stems and remove them from the site so that there are noPests can overwinter in asparagus fields.
DIY Tips
- Consider waiting an extra year before harvesting asparagus, or harvesting only part of the vegetable (2 to 3 young stems per plant) the first year of your harvest. The longer you leave asparagus to grow, the longer they will live and the better your harvest will be later on.
Grow asparagus
How to care for mature asparagus. Illustrated tutorial on growing asparagus
How to grow corolla asparagus for one year. Illustrated tutorial on growing asparagus
How to grow asparagus Tutorial on growing asparagus from seeds
How to grow asparagus Let’s learn the steps of growing asparagus
