Planting Asparagus in Your Vegetable Garden

Some people are afraid of planting asparagus in their vegetable garden because asparagus requires some extra TLC. If you take a few key steps, planting asparagus can be easier than you think and very rewarding. Your vegetable garden will thank you for this hardy perennial that will produce succulent stalks year after year.

After Planting Asparagus, How Long Will it Be Until I Can Harvest It From My Vegetable Garden?

The most important thing to remember when planting asparagus is that prior planning will make all the difference in your crop. Other garden plants should be in beds that are separated from the asparagus in the vegetable garden. Asparagus needs at least 5’ between each row. The soil should be prepared with plenty of organic matter (your fall leaves can be raked into the bed the autumn before planting; organic fertilizers also work). The asparagus should be planted in spring as soon as the ground is soft enough. It can be planted from seeds in soil blocks, which take about 3 weeks to germinate, or from root stock purchased from a nursery. Asparagus planted from seeds will take an extra year to establish in the bed, so plan for your stalks in four years. Remember to plant the seeds or root stock deep in the soil (about 6 inches) so that its roots will grow far into the soil and you will snap off beautiful dark glossy stalks for years to come.

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