Rinse asparagus under clean running water to remove dirt.
Asparagus grows as a perennial vegetable, and the plant will often continue to grow for 15 years. Asparagus plants prefer warm days and cool nights. The tender and sweet vegetable requires patience. You cannot harvest the asparagus until the second year after you plant them because it will weaken the plant. The vegetable grows through rhizomes and roots. Caring for the asparagus plant properly will ensure that you have edible shoots that you can enjoy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Create a garden bed away from other vegetables. The asparagus can create shade that will minimize the growth of other plants. Select a location that has well-drained, fertile and loamy soil.
2. Plant the asparagus crown after the threat of frost passes. Plant crowns with developed roots 8 inches deep in the soil and space them 12 inches apart. The roots on the crown need to spread out in in a slight mound inside the planting hole.
3. Water the asparagus plants frequently during the first two years. Water them deeply at the base of the plants to keep the soil wet to 4 inches in depth.
4. Remove weeds from the soil by hand or with a garden hoe. Weeds will steal nutrients and moisture from the asparagus.
5. Add compost or topsoil to emerging shoots. This will fill the trench around the vegetables.
6. Apply a 4 to 8 inch layer of mulch around the asparagus. The mulch protects the soil by keeping it warm and it prevents weeds from growing.
7. Harvest the asparagus once it reaches 6 to 8 inches tall. Cut the asparagus stalks at the soil level. The asparagus will need to be harvested during the second year after you plant them.
8. Apply a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 to the asparagus by following the instructions on the package after you finish harvesting them. Apply the fertilizer again in the spring before new spears grow.
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