Introduction
Asparagus can be grown in many soil types, but deep loam or sandy soils with good surface water and air drainage are best. Good production is also possible in heavier soils. In asparagus production, it is important that the plants develop an extensive storage root system. Therefore, good soil drainage is essential. Asparagus roots can develop to a depth of 10 ft in well-drained soils. It will do well in most soils if the water table does not come within three feet of the surface during the growing season. Asparagus will thrive in soils having a salt content too high for many other crops, but it will not tolerate extreme acidity.
Although asparagus will tolerate less than optimum soil conditions, yields are likely to be reduced and the life of the planting will be shortened in these soils. Soil should be made fertile and free of troublesome weeds before the crowns are planted. Since it is more difficult to improve soil after the crowns are planted, soil improving practices must be started at least a year before planting. If soil pH is below 6.0 it should be raised to 6.5 by applying lime according to soil test report recommendations. Asparagus thrives best in soils well supplied with organic matter. Applications of animal manure or turning under a green crop are desirable practices prior to planting asparagus.
Growing Asparagus Crowns
For small plantings, buy one-year-old crowns from a reliable grower or nurseryman. Alternatively, an asparagus producer can grow his own crowns if a large acreage is to be planted. To grow crowns, high quality seed should be obtained and planted in soil that has never grown asparagus. Soil should be sandy, so crowns can be easily dug and be free from adhering soil. Phosphorous and potassium fertilizer should be applied based on soil test information and worked into the soil prior to seeding the crown bed.
Approximately 15 Kg per acre of nitrogen should be applied and an additional 25 Kg per acre top dressed in early July. Seed should be planted in early April in rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Eight or nine seeds should be planted per foot of row. 400-500 gm of seed should produce crowns for planting one acre of asparagus. A planting depth of one to two inches is needed. Asparagus is slow to germinate requiring two to three weeks for the seedlings to emerge. Crowns are ready to dig after one growing season. While lifting the asparagus crowns from the nursery rows, care should be taken not to injure the crowns during digging. Crowns should be planted as soon as possible after digging.
Setting the Crowns:
Before planting, separate the individual crowns that are tangled and grown together. Place the crowns in the bottom of planting furrows four to six inches deep. Space the rows five to six feet apart. Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart in the row. This requires 6,000 to 9,000 crowns per acre depending on spacing in and between rows. The distance between rows may be determined by the harvesting and field equipment to be used. Cover the crowns with two to three inches of soil immediately after planting.
Fertilizing the First Year
Have the soil which is to be planted to asparagus tested so that the amount of fertilizer to be plowed before setting the crowns should be determined from soil test results. First year application of NPK consists both basal dressing and top dressing application, before setting the crowns and after the setting of crowns.
Fertilizing Established Plantings
The objective during the first two years after planting crowns is to develop maximum fern growth in order to build an extensive storage root system. So another fertilized application is done during the second year.
Each year after the second year, topdressing of recommended dose of N per acre nitrogen about two weeks before the end of the harvest season should be done. At five-year intervals conduct a soil test, and if recommended, apply needed lime, phosphate, and potash fertilizers in addition to the annual nitrogen application. Animal manure is excellent fertilizer for asparagus where available.
Irrigation
Irrigation is important to relieve drought stress, particularly during the first two seasons after crown planting. Asparagus is very deep rooted and draws water from a large volume of soil. This allows the crop to withstand considerable dry weather. Deep rooting also permits longer intervals between irrigation applications than in other irrigated crops.
Asparagus Harvest
The harvest period in a mature asparagus planting lasts about eight to nine weeks. Spears are hand picked by snapping them just above the ground. Once harvest begins, picking takes place every other day in cool weather, and every day later in the season. When harvest is delayed by wet field conditions, the spears may open up and begin to fern out and loose spears become non-marketable.
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