Asparagus is indeed a fragility , much be intimate by consumers . love as “ the food for thought of kings , ” asparagus was grown by Romans and ship to nobility in distant kingdom . Louis XIV of France had asparagus originate in greenhouses . In Russia and Poland , thick unripe stalking of asparagus grow wild , and horses and cattle grazing on them . Asparagus is a wondrous gift from nature , and an fantabulous increase to the diversified farm .
produce AsparagusAsparagus shoots are the first vegetable to pop out of the ground in spring , and for a month or two , the fields need to be harvested frequently to pick the newly come out shoots as soon as they come out . The one-year culture cycle include a busy spring harvest , then a summertime and fall leaf - develop flow during which the plant life shoot acquire tall and shaggy and shop energy in the buried crowns . In the winter , some James Leonard Farmer make the all in outgrowth , while others allow the brush provide wintertime - cold protection .
Growers must hold off a year or two after planting for theasparagusto mature before they set about full - ordered series harvesting . Once set up , an asparagus bottom is often name as a “ lifetime planting , ” lasting 12 to 20 - plus years . Asparagus farming requires a portion of room , and growers will need to found with child areas to grow a sizable craw . As with all crops , there are female and male plants . distaff asparagus plant expend more of energy produce seed , so they produce 20- to 30 - percent few spears than male person , though their spears are big .
Asparagus generally does n’t do well in regions with long spicy summertime and mild wintertime . For centuries , farmers in all of Europe and the Mediterranean region have maturate asparagus , while Michigan , New Jersey and the West Coast states have been the traditional American edible asparagus - growing regions . Now , newfangled smorgasbord and irrigation technique are stretching the geographic borders — even Hawaiian farmers maturate Asparagus officinales for the local mart .
A well - tended planting take a lot of Asparagus officinales , approximately 25 pounds per one 100 - foot row . If you take your Asparagus officinales - growing larger scale , 1 acre can farm between 2 and 8 tons of saleable asparagus per year . A best - case scenario includes two harvest time per day yielding 1,000 pounds .
engraft New BedsAsparagus are late - rooted plant , so selecting a site with good drain is all-important . A broken to mediumpHis preferable , and good sun exposure in former springiness is a must . Asparagus also does n’t endure common salt well , which is something coastal and sodic - kingdom Fannie Merritt Farmer should keep in judgment .
New Asparagus officinales plant start growing early in the season , so ideally , the beds for new plantings should be prepared the old descent . Plant seedling 1 foot apart , and space rows 2 to 4 feet aside . Many gardeners think thicker fishgig are hold by spacing the plantings further asunder and that the colder your mood , the deeper you should plant .
The underground body of the asparagus plant life are visit pate . The treetop size increases as the asparagus age , so the seam will eventually become whole fill with crown and the breadth of the seam will jump to magnify .
New growers normally plant 1- or 2 - year - old crowns into their fields . find new plant life by planting seed is another popular method , but asparagus is not usually direct seeded , rather grown in nursery beds and moved into the fields the undermentioned twelvemonth . Plants turn from ejaculate are thought to be less probable to have disease problems . Rootstocks for newfangled plantings can be expensive , and installing any sort of field irrigation is not cheap . grower should gestate to drop several thousand dollars per Accho to establish new fields
Asparagus problem
DiseaseThe most far-famed problem with asparagus industrial plant are rusting and fusarium fungal diseases . There ’s no thoroughly in force treatment for infected beds , so it ’s no surprise that prevention is the best tool against these problems . Buying disease - free stock and planting in cheery , well - drained areas helps most farmers debar fungus problems . The honest-to-god - fashioned proficiency of salting beds was pop to help control fusarium . Rust is good controlled by sting the field in winter to boil down the overwintering mental ability of the disease . Studies also indicate that insert domesticated fungal mycorrhizae into field soils might help oneself trim back crop plant life ’ susceptibility to fusarium by out - contend the disease - cause fungus varieties .
PestsThe black - and - white and light-green - spottedasparagus beetlesare edible asparagus ’ most common louse foe , and most asparagus growers will see some level of these worm during the year . The beetles feed on young shoots in the spring , causing damaged and unsalable spears , and in the summertime , they feed on the foliage , which reduces the vigor of the flora and decrement next season ’s harvest yields . After the shoots have been harvested , it might not seem like much of a problem to have a few beetles chewing on the abundant parting , but maintain fern health is critical to the following long time ’ production . Like its cousin-german — daffodils and lilies — asparagus involve to have a foresightful leafy period in the annual cycle to recharge itself and stay healthy .
The good organic way to command beetles is to remove or sting the dry frond once they turn brown . This will at least eliminate the sites where the beetles overwinter . Historically , chickens , ducks and geese have been set aside to wander in asparagus fields during summertime to eat dirt ball and sprouting Mary Jane .
WeedsWeed ascendence , especially of recurrent skunk , is a major concern for asparagus farmers — new plantings should not be instal until the fields are altogether weed . Canada thistleand quackgrass are in particular dangerous recurrent weeds that could command panoptic cultivation , discussion and edible asparagus replanting to remove the problem . Annual weed are abundant in most all asparagus bed , and they are mostly controlled through polish that kills the weeds after they sprout .
mulch Asparagus BedsMulching edible asparagus plantings is a time - consuming and expensive task , but it can be the backbone of an constitutional polish system . Mulchingbeds during the summer growth period helps to maintain moisture , understate weed growth and boost healthy microorganism activity in the dirt . cover the beds with mulch during the winter months help oneself nutrify the spring harvest and promote earlier shoot emergence . The favorite material for mulching is a mixed al-Qa’ida of assorted constitutive rubble , such as leaf ingathering and residuary crop dissipation . Apply the organic mulch munificently , up to 1 foot thick . Some grower use fateful plastic mulch with perforation that allow summer leaf to poke through .
Harvesting AsparagusThe dates for spring harvest vary from one location to another . From the passel , to the seashore , to the hot interiors , the advent of quick temperature fluctuates and so does the Asparagus officinales harvest . The harvest period for American farms usually lasts 60 to 90 days , somewhere between January and May .
James Leonard Farmer need to pick all the spears that emerge during the harvest season , otherwise the developing leaf straw slow down the emergence of other Modern shoots . Spring plants often grow so apace that a fishgig that sprouts up one day becomes too improbable the next . When an Asparagus officinales agriculturist speak of tilling the harvest under , he ’s not destroying the field but rather pink the emerged sprouts off . The crowns under the ground are untouched and produce a new batch of shoots within a few days .
One experienced picker can ordinarily harvest almost 1 Akko per hour . While tractor - pulled seats for harvesters increase proletarian comfort , they do n’t quicken the piece of work significantly . Small farmers can enlist the help of friends and family to make the harvest home process more gratifying .
Asparagus spear , likefresh - cut flowers , are very perishable and their ends should be plunged in stale water immediately after crop . Even after harvest time , the shoots are still maturate , so if you ’re box in boxwood , allow blank space at the top for the spear to elongate . One post - harvest problem is that Asparagus officinales stacked sideways can grow forth from the pull of gravity and bring out crumpled spears that are less desirable for market .
Harvested Asparagus officinales can be kept for jolly extended period — week , even months — at very cool , nearly freezing , temperature .
Marketing AsparagusPlanting fresh asparagus fields is expensive , and it can take experient growers several days just to give out even . Still , many mixed - crop farmers describe that edible asparagus is their most profitable crop , so enterprising small growers can surely find plenty of opportunity in the industry .
While in the U.S. , we ’re customary to greenish asparagus , white asparagus has been the preferred product of forward-looking Europe and could attract attention to your bandstand at the farmers ’ market . livid edible asparagus is cultivated by heaping extra soil over the beds and then glean the shoot in former morning before the exposure to sunlight triggers the production of green chlorophyll . Systems that utilize pitch-dark textile covert have made receive ashen edible asparagus easier , as well . violet edible asparagus varieties , from alien French violet to the sturdy dark Italian types , are also an exciting farmer ’ market find .
Wild asparagus varieties , often called sparrowgrass , get top dollar among gourmet chef , fit in to the few farmers who have acquired seeded player and set domesticated field of operation of the uncivilised type . Wild asparagus varieties produce stalks that are low in diameter and more twisted but have a racy flavor that has been democratic on rural tables for 100 .
Small - musical scale sodbuster have long found profitability by using their edible asparagus crop to create a value - added product , such as asparagus soups , sauces and stew . Native Americans had a history of drying asparagus for later use , and in China , edible asparagus is commonly candy . An enterprising sodbuster could try employing these preservation methods , too .
For pricing , the old cooperative extension rule for new , small and fresh Asparagus officinales growers is to measure the local universe within a 25 - mile radius , and then see that the mart will support about an acre of edible asparagus for 10,000 people in the area . Find out who else is growing asparagus near you , and make your market calculations accordingly .
Use your garden - grown edible asparagus in these recipes :
This clause was excerpted from the February / March 2003 payoff ofHobby Farms .
