A few tips for growing asparagus

A well-cultivated asparagus bed can produce for 20 seasons or more. Bed preparation if extensive, but if you have the time and the space, there are few more rewarding crops.

Gardeners usually start their asparagus beds with roots, not seeds, because a seed-planted bed requires another year's growing time. You can buy roots from a nursery or mail- order house.

• Allow seven metres (22 feet) of row for every 12 plants, with rows spaced 60 centimetres (25 inches) apart.
• Asparagus can be grown in any well-drained, fertile soil. Test for pH — the soil should be slightly acid but not below pH 6.
• As soon as the ground can be worked, dig a trench 45 centimetres (18 inches) wide and 25 centimetres (10 inches) deep. Backfill the trench with 10 centimetres (4 inches) of compost and sprinkle in 500 grams (16 ounces) of bone meal per six metres (20 feet) of row.
• Fill the trench with this mixture to about 15 centimetres (six inches) below ground level. Tamp it down and place the roots on top, 60 centimetres (25 inches) apart.
• For the best results, cover the roots with five to eight centimetres (two to three inches) of soil. As the plants sprout, be sure to add more soil until the trench is full.

Feed the stand each spring and fall by spreading one to two centimetres (1/2 to 3/4 inch) of compost around and between the crowns. Top that with a three-centimetre (one-inch) layer of shredded leaves or pine needles.

• Watch for weeds. Hoe them out carefully to avoid injuring the underground stems.
• Mulching around the plants will help keep weeds down and moisture in.
• In the fall, when the leaves have been killed by frost, cut off the top growth to ground level and mulch the bed again.

The asparagus will not be ready for harvesting until the third year after you plant it. Over the first two years an extensive root system will grow to feed and support the stalks.

• The second spring after planting, you can pick a few shoots when they are about 15 centimetres (six inches) — but make sure that you restrict the harvesting to a month at most.
• From the third year after planting, cut all shoots except the very thin ones.
• Harvest shoots when they are about 12 to 20 centimetres (five to ten inches) tall and buds are still tight; when buds open, the spears are past their prime.

Harvest by cutting about two centimetres (one inch) below the soil surface.

• If you cannot use the asparagus immediately, keep the stalks upright in water until you are ready to cook them.
• The harvest season lasts six to eight weeks. After this, the stalks will grow into tall, fernlike branches that will feed the roots.

Properly grown, asparagus has few problems.

• Rust, which used to be a major cause of failure, is now almost unknown in newer plantings, thanks to rust-resistant varieties, like 'Mary Washington' and 'Viking'.
• Crown rot can be serious, and if plants become infected, it is best to remove them and start a new asparagus patch elsewhere in the garden.
• If small beetles are feeding on foliage or berries, spray with insecticidal soap. The spotted asparagus beetle feeds mainly on berries, so plant an all-male variety.
• If growth is stunted and the ends of branchlets are blue-green, the plants have asparagus aphid. Sanitation is a good control; clean up dead foliage in fall to remove winter hibernation sites. If plants are badly attacked and severely stunted, spray with insecticidal soap.

Now you know how to plant and grow one of the most versatile vegetables available to farmers. Take extra care in preparing the bed for your asparagus and you'll be blessed with a healthy crop for many years to come!