Asparagus is a tender and flavorful vegetable that emerges in mid-spring and lasts until early summer. It is easy to grow asparagus, but the plants need to settle in the ground for several years, so what you need to do after growing them is wait and take care of them patiently until they are edible. As soon as it is time to harvest the vegetable, you can enjoy the flavor over the next few years, which may be a treat of your hard work.
1) Water the plant regularly
Asparagus requires plenty of water. In the first growing season, the plant should get an inch of water every week. When it is time to harvest, the plant should get an inch of water every week, while in other times it only needs a little water. Keep in mind to water the soil around the asparagus.
2) Apply fertilizer to the soil
Test your soil to learn about how much fertilizer it needs. Then apply fertilizer around the plant every early spring when spears have not come out. If necessary, do it again after the harvesting season. While applying fertilizer to the soil, keep it away from the roots to avoid damage.
3) Scatter mulch around the plant
Scatter some leaf mold or compost around the asparagus plant every early spring when spears have not come out. Then do it again at the end of the harvest season. This will help depress the weed growth, keep the soil damp and remain soil temperatures. Scattering mulch after summer is good for controlling disease and balancing soil temperature in harsh weather.
4) Deal with health problems
It is an unpleasant thing that you have to deal with health problems to ensure the growth of asparagus plants. It occurs occasionally that pests and diseases appear on asparagus plants. As soon as you find red asparagus beetles, kill them or wash them away with water immediately. After the growing season, you should check if there are ferns in the field. Get rid of them so that pests have no place to harbor during the winter. If you can’t deal with the health problems, ask for help from local professionals.
5) Harvest asparagus
Keep in mind that you should not harvest the asparagus for the first two years. Thus the plants can establish better, although the asparagus are so appealing to you. You can do it in the third year from mid-April until the end of May. Then in the following years, you can harvest from mid-April until the end of June.
When spears grow to 18cm or less in height, it is time to harvest. Put a knife about 2.5cm under the soil and cut each spear off. You can harvest them twice or three times a week when it is warm.