Asparagus where is it grown

I have been almost my whole life. And I've never been scared until now," Andrews said. Andrews, for his part, has no plans to give up asparagus farming any time soon. A large portion of his asparagus acreage will reach the end of its life cycle in , and he plans to replace it with a new planting in the spring of , meaning he will be committed to asparagus through Will we be underwater in five? I don't know. But I can't control that. All I can do is be conservative and flexible to adapt to what comes next.

Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. These are hard times for the American asparagus farmer.

Watte, asked about the impact of the drought, expressed many of the same concerns as Andrews. Suggest a correction. Parchment, Wax And Freezer Paper. Thanksgiving Without Turkey? They may be future stalks; let them be.

You could lay on some mulch and prepare to set stake poles and string around the bed like a simple fence so that when the ferns become top heavy they do not fall to the ground. I have a wonderful asparagus bed that is years old.

I have little fern like things coming up around each crown. Separate and very different than the spears of asparagus. Are they weeds or part of the plants?

I have a half dozen plants in my garden they are doing well and we were able to harvest some this is the third year. My issues is the ferns, they are so tall they fall over and cover the path and what is growing the next row over. Can I trim them back some? You would do well to leave them. Run string around the poles and around the asparagus bed not the plants at about four feet high or higher, there is no magic formula to keep the ferns off the ground.

When you cut the ferns later in the year, put away the poles and string for next year. It is early. If you added that much material you added days to the emergence calendar. I bet you will see spears within 10 days. That being said, IMO, the time to add compost to the bed is fall, not spring.

The Asparagus bed I have has plants of 2 and 3 years of age. We had a decent harvest last year but I felt they needed more soil. So this spring around the 1st of April we added approximately 3 to 4 inches of soil mixed with compost and also added a heavy layer of straw.

It is now the last day of April and I do not see any asparagus coming up. What could I have done wrong? I recently planted asparagus crowns for the first time.

The first spear to come up from any of them was brutalized by wind and frost and most likely my well-intentioned, but poorly executed insulating row cover. Now it's a pitiful bent thing. I tried to support it with twine and stakes which I've heard are recommended later in the season for ferns anyway , but it looks like it is beyond hope. For now, just support it with stakes and twine as best as you can. The plant should send up more spears soon enough! Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides.

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Asparagus. By Catherine Boeckmann. When to Plant Asparagus Plant asparagus crowns in the early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Many gardeners plant at about the same time as potatoes go in the ground.

Starting with asparagus crowns, however, eliminates the year of tedious weeding that comes with starting from seed, and will speed up production overall. Start seeds indoors in spring and set out the seedlings when they are 12 to 14 weeks old, just after your last spring frost. Soak seeds in water for up to 24 hours before sowing. Sow seeds in moistened peat or seed-starting soil in flats or peat cups. Once plants reach 12 inches in height, harden them off outdoors for a week. After the last spring frost, transplant the young plants to a temporary garden bed.

Once they mature in the fall, identify the berry-less male asparagus plants and transplant them to your permanent planting site, removing the less-productive female plants.

Choose a site that gets full sun. Place the asparagus bed toward the edge of your garden, where it will not be disturbed by the activity of planting and re-planting other areas. Ensure the bed will drain well and not pool water. Asparagus does not like to have its roots get too wet.

If you do not have a site with good drainage available, consider growing asparagus in raised beds instead. Learn how to make a raised garden bed here. Asparagus thrives in neutral to slightly acidic soil pH of about 6. Eliminate all weeds from the planting site, digging it over and working in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost, aged manure, or soil mix.

Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. The soil should be loosened to 12 to 15 inches in depth to allow the asparagus crowns to root properly and not be disrupted by rocks or other obstacles.

How to Plant Asparagus Plant crowns deeply to protect them from the cultivation needed for annual weed control. Dig a trench of about 12 to 18 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches deep.

If digging more than one trench, space the trenches at least 3 feet apart. Soak the crowns briefly in lukewarm water before planting. Make a 2-inch-high ridge of soil along the center of the trench and place the asparagus crowns on top of the mound, spreading their roots out evenly.

Soil testing and fertilizer Asparagus grows best in well-drained soils with a pH between 6. Selecting plants. Male and female plants There are female plants and male plants. This means the plants are dioecious.

All produce edible spears. Only plants with all female flowers produce red, inedible berries in summer. Female plants grow larger spears. Male plants grow a greater number of smaller, uniform spears. Most hybrids, such as Jersey Giant, are plants with only male flowers that produce no seeds. Plants with all male flowers do not use energy on developing seeds and fruits. Male asparagus plants tend to live longer and produce more spears. Female plants can produce undesirable weedy seedling asparagus plants.

Varieties that do well in Minnesota Varieties recommended for Minnesota include: Millennium: A newer variety from the University of Guelph. It is very vigorous and high yielding. The Jersey varieties are popular and very high yielding. These are open-pollinated varieties.

Yields are lower than the Jersey varieties, but they are very cold hardy. Location A planting of asparagus can last 15 years or more, so choose the spot for an asparagus bed carefully. Choose a fertile, sunny, well-drained site with soil that holds moisture well.

Starting crowns. Starting seeds Asparagus is typically planted as crowns, rather than seeds. However, gardeners wishing to try starting asparagus from seed may follow these recommendations: Choose an area of the garden as a nursery bed.

How to keep asparagus healthy and productive. Watering Soil moisture is important for good root and fern growth in asparagus. Controlling weeds. Insects The most common insect pests on asparagus in Minnesota are the common and spotted asparagus beetles. Diseases Use good cultural control practices to reduce disease problems. Common diseases of asparagus include Fusarium crown rot, asparagus rust, and Stemphylium purple spot.

Asparagus rust causes yellow and rusty orange spots to form on asparagus stems after harvest. Purple spot causes sunken purple spots on asparagus spears, and tan spots with a purple border on mature stems.

Plants suffering from crown rot have poor growth. Leaves and stems may yellow and die back. When cut open, infected crowns are brown and decayed. Harvest and storage Harvest In spring, spears will start to emerge from the soil. Storage Fresh asparagus is such a springtime treat that you can eat it within hours of picking, but it can also keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Put them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer. You can freeze an asparagus harvest. You should only can asparagus if you can process it in a pressure canner.

Share this page:. Page survey. To plant the crowns, place them "head-to-toe" bud-to-root tip in a line down the furrow, so that the buds of the crowns are spaced above 12 inches apart.

See the photo below:. China had the highest production volume of asparagus in that year, at 8. Peru, Mexico, and Germany are also major producers of asparagus. Vegetable consumption in the U.

On average, Americans consume around 1. In stark contrast, per capita consumption of tomatoes and onions among Americans in amounted to This might be explained by the fact that tomatoes and onions are main ingredients in many different foods, such as sauces, sandwiches, and salads. Show source. Download for free You need to log in to download this statistic Register for free Already a member? Log in. Show detailed source information?

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