Sound the trumpets, unroll the banners, and get the butter sizzling in the pan: You may or may not know this, but the 23rd of April is National Asparagus Day.
Isn’t that St George’s Day, you may be asking? Well yes, indeed it is – and just as leeks have become closely linked to St David’s Day, as the asparagus growing season starts right around that time in the UK, a group of committed asparagus enthusiasts have made the case to connect the delicious stems to St George’s Day too.
And why not? These delicious shoots are full of nutrients, a joy to grow and beyond delicious on our plates as spring turns to summer.
Growing Asparagus
Before we get too excited, it’s important to know that if you start growing asparagus now, you won’t be harvesting it for at least two years. So compared to a lot of vegetables, it’s a long game. But, that said, once your plants are established, and producing delicious shoots and spears, you’ll be able to harvest them for up to twenty years – so it may be slow off the mark, but your patience now will be filling your plate for years to come.
Choosing a variety of asparagus to plant
There are of course many varieties from which to choose. As well as a focus on flavour, size and the conditions in which they thrive, with asparagus you need to know that it is a plant that has male and female plants. The male plants are the ones that produce more bountiful crops, so many gardeners choose to plant male-only varieties, saving themselves the job of thinning out the female plants.
Where to grow asparagus
Your asparagus needs space to grow, and it’s not advisable to mix it with other crops. Well-drained soil is a must, and either full sun or lightly dappled shade. You’ll need to keep the beds around them free of weeds, so as you choose your spot for them, keep accessibility for weeding in mind.
You can grow asparagus from seed or speed the process along with 1-year-old crowns. And depending on which route you go, the planting instructions and timings will vary.
Growing from asparagus from a crown
Crowns are dormant plants, that you can often order online as bare-root-plugs, that go straight into your vegetable patch, usually in March. To plant, make a trench about 20cm deep, and layer in well-rotted manure or compost into the bottom of it. Place the crowns with the tip facing up, and then fill in with excavated soil. Give the crowns plenty of room, spacing them about 30-45 cm apart.
Growing from asparagus from seed
If you’re growing asparagus from seed, you can start them in your greenhouse [link?]in February, in modular seed trays or small pots. Sow one seed in each pot, keep them sheltered and warm, well-watered and in a bright location. They can be hardened off when the frosts have passed, and transplanted in June, when you can treat them the same way as a crown, planting spaced out along a ridge.
You can also choose to sow seeds outdoors, starting in March or April. The seeds need to be in rows that are well spaced (30cm apart). Plant each seed in a drill that is 2.5cm deep. As your asparagus seedlings grow, you’ll need to thin them out to 15cm between each plant. They will need protecting from slugs and snails. Next year, you can either thin them out again to space them 30-45cm apart, or transplant them to their permanent bed, following the same steps as for growing from crowns.
In their first summer, keep your asparagus plants well-watered. Once they are established, they are tolerant of dry spells, and will only need watering if the summer is particularly dry.
Harvesting asparagus
Your asparagus will be established after two years, if planted from a crown, or three years if grown from seed.
The time to harvest these succulent shoots is from the second half of April, through May, and into early June.
When the shoots come through and get to about the thickness of a finger, you can snip them with a sharp knife just below the soil line. This will then encourage another shoot to pop up within just a few days. Be ready to harvest regularly during this short-but-very-sweet growing season. How many shoots each plant has will vary depending on variety, and stem will re-shoot around ten times each growing season.
Caring for your asparagus plant after harvesting
Asparagus are relatively easy to care for the rest of the year. After their first summer, they are drought tolerant, so will only need watering in particularly dry summers.
Over the summer, they will grow into a tall, fern-like plant. Their stems turn woody, and their leaves feathery. The protective measure you need to take is supporting the plants, so that a snapped stem doesn’t damage the crown. Otherwise, let them flourish and thrive, and when the foliage turns yellow at the end of the summer, cut them down to the base to regrow next year.
Weeding is important, because asparagus plants do best when they don’t have to compete for nutrients with hungry neighbours. Because asparagus roots are quite shallow and fragile, it’s important not to let weeds take over the beds, otherwise removing them can harm your plants. It’s recommended also that you weed by hand rather than with a hoe.
An important part of weed management is mulching. You can cover the bed with a thick layer of mulch in winter, so prevent weeds from taking root, and also to contain moisture.
The only other measures you’ll need to take are to protect them from slugs and snails in the spring, and, if you have female plants popping up, removing them so that the male variants have more room.
How to serve asparagus
A sizzle of butter in the pan, a bit of salt, maybe some garlic, and your fresh asparagus shoots will be a hit.
But if you’re looking for something more adventurous with them, asparagus can be wonderful ingredients in springtime recipes. Have a look at some of Gill Meller’s dishes that include these succulent spears:
Wild garlic polenta with barbecued asparagus
New potatoes and asparagus dish
Keep in mind that asparagus is most delicious when eaten close to harvesting, and even in the fridge, doesn’t have a particularly long shelf life. If you want to prolong the deliciousness of spears that have already been harvested, you can trim the ends off and put them in a glass of water in the fridge. Keep the water shallow, around 2cm, and change it daily until you’re ready to serve them up.
Happy National Asparagus Day, and wishing everyone a delicious asparagus season ahead!