Anyone here grow Asparagus?

I am located in central NC and I am thinking about starting an asparagus bed in my garden. Any advice on varieties, planting techniques, or places to order asparagus crowns? Thanks.

I grow it. You can go two routes on it. Buy the old school non hybrid strains which will give you a mix of male -female that will last about your whole lifetime, or go with the more male hybrids which you may have to replant over the years. Even the hybrid crowns you get will have a certain (smaller) percentage of females though since it's not an exact science sexing them. You'll just get more males than females as compared to the old strains.

If you want to know why most plant the hybrid males it is because of the way they produce. The males generally produce thicker stalks, and a longer harvest where the females will bolt to flower and seed as fast as they possibly can.

Try to get two year old crowns if you can. Starting them from seed will add a few years to the first harvest.

ETA, make sure you put some effort into picking a spot as it will be there almost forever and it's not all that easy to move unless you have a backhoe. It doesn't suffer trying to dig it up with a shovel all that well.

what zones can it grow in?

You're in NH, I'm in NEO. You'll be fine, it likes and pretty much needs a dormant winter period.

Thanks, I think I am going to try it out.... I am a fan of perennial veggies, and am trying to incorporate as many as possible into a "forest garden"....

off to see about seed options.

How long and at what temperature is required for dormancy?

I'd go with crowns (dormant established roots) over seeds. You'll save yourself a year or two.

Asparagus is probably tied with sweet corn and heirloom tomatoes as my very favorite garden veggies. Perennial veggies rock, and asparagus is one of the first things to pop out in the spring - a welcome sight after a long cold winter. And if you price (semi) fresh asparagus in the grocery store, it's pretty obvious why it's a good idea to grow your own. Anybody who likes it and has the space should be growing a patch.

This is my third summer with my asparagus. It is already sprouting. I was given crowns to start mine.

Those who are starting it from seed should realize that it needs two full years to establish itself before you can begin harvesting.

I planted mine next to my front sidewalk so that I can keep an eye on it and harvest as needed.

TRG

I use SuperMale Asparagus from Miller Nurseries, this year will be the 3rd year after planting and I am expecting a great harvest this year. Each year it produces more asparagus and I have refrained from picking much the last 2 years while the asparagus bed establishes itself. Miller's Purple Passion Asparagus looks really good also.
I have grown Mary Washington Asparagus from seed in the past, but there were a lot of female plants and it takes an extra 2 years growing before you have any harvest, figure 4-5 years before you start getting a good amount of asparagus when growing from seed.
Remember to prepare your asparagus bed well, do some research online on how to prepare your asparagus beds so you do it right and get the best results for many years. Good luck and happy gardening!

What about mixing crowns and seeds to allow a mix of male and females that will allow you to have seeds and a quicker harvest?

How big of a bed should someone have to get a meaningful harvest for personal use?

First of all, thanks for all the info. I also want to know how much production (after 3 or 4 years) should I expect from each crown? Locally I found Jersey Knight crowns and I like what I have read about them. If anyone else has any info please add.

I ordered from Daisy Farms two years ago. This should be my first harvest year. The roots were fresh and good sized. I ordered around this time of year and they arrived in early March. I had a nice bed of asparagus ferns last year and am hoping for a good crop this year.

I planted mine in raised beds and Mel's mix.

If I wanted to plant say 25 roots approx what size area would I need, in full or partial sun?

This will be just for the wife and I

Most stuff you read says to plant the crowns 1' apart. But I've seen them planted much closer together than that. There's a guy down the road from me that has a big 75' row of it where they are very close together, as in almost touching, and they seem to be doing very well.

I think you can get away with some intensive planting as in sq. ft. gardening type without a problem.

Based on the seed pattern, it should be able to grow fairly close together.

The females drop seeds about 6-12" from their base. The ripe seeds are red, which normally means they are not scattered/eaten by birds.

I had ripe seeds left on my females at the end of the season.

TRG

Most of the info I have read says they should be 15-18 inches apart and the rows should be 4-5 feet apart. Full sun. I think I am going to try either Jersey Giant or Jersey Knight, maybe both.

I've been around that stuff my whole life, so whatever you decide will probably work. (Outside of the deep south-southwest) Once established, it's really hard to kill even if you have a brown thumb.

my patch will be 3 years this year (well hopefully lol... if this winter ever decides what it's going to do) I had enough last year that I picked a couple and ate them. so delicious :)

Thanks for the link to Daisy Farms. I plan on ordering from them tomorrow.

I second that....I jusy ordered from them.

Ordered from Daisy farms Sunday night online, no e mail confirmation so I call them today, message on phone says leave your name number etc but soon as it beeps it beeps again, tried 6 or 8 times no answer.

Anyone else having trouble contacting them?

I called Daisy Farms yesterday to ask a couple of questions and someone answered right away. They told me that unless you were ordering a large quantity, they would ship with 5-7 days. I am just trying to time my planting. Try again tomorrow and keep in mind the time zone versus yours.

I ordered my asparagus today from Daisy Farms. Looking forward to starting this bed for the long term.

Harvesting mine for the first time this year. Doing mine all in containers and they are doing great (large 10 gallon buckets 1 crown per). Wake Forest area.

I live outside Atlanta. This is my 4th year of Jersey Giants. I planted them about 10 inches apart in rows about 2 feet apart. I had a small harvest 2 years ago and a huge harvest last year.
The only care they get is:
When the spears start popping thru the soil, I spread a generous helping of MOO-Nure along the rows. Then harvest when the spears get about 8 inches tall (once the second year, twice the third year, maybe 3 times this year). Then let them grow. When they completely die back in the fall, I cut them off at ground level. Super easy to take care of.

This will be my 1st time with them. I plan to plant them in a raised bed 6" from either side wall and about a foot apart between the roots in both directions.

Daisey hit my card so hopefully they will be here around the 1st of March.

Planted mine 2 weeks ago. I tilled a trench and made a hill in the middle of it, draped the asparagus over the hill and piled 2" of topsoil on top. It has grown to 3+ feet at most plants, and yesterday I added a bunch of garden dirt to get the depth to 10 inches. Sorry it looks messy, we've had a ton of rain the last three days.

Been growing it for years...all good points in the thread.

Here is a couple things...1) If you plant enough, you can vary the depth of planting. That will give you three different dates when it emerges and extends the harvest over a longer period. I do 6 inch, 8 inch and 10 inch.

2) Allow the ferns to turn brown and totally dry then for me in Missouri, I burn them in February. Why burn? Asparagus beetles lay eggs all over the spears and plants and are just nasty. But if you burn the ferns, you kill the little nasties and you won't have asparagus spears covered with icky nasty asparagus beetle egg cases.

3) Asparagus loves Nitrogen. Fertilize once after last harvest and again in the fall. Horse or Cow Manure as a top dressing on the bed is great in addition. And last, Kill any grass growing around your bed at least 2 feet away from the bed. Grass competes with your plants, has deep roots, and will stop the new shoots dead in their tracks as your roots expand and grow over the years.

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