Heirloom Expert: Growing Asparagus

By Doug Oster
Published on August 11, 2016
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Photo by Fotolia/volff
Harvest asparagus gently, especially when the bed is young.

I waited three long years to pick asparagus and now I’m seeing tall ferns and wonder when they should be cut down.

It’s important not to over harvest a “young” asparagus bed. Never cut any spears which are smaller in diameter than a pencil and stop harvesting after 6 to 8 weeks. Let the rest of spears turn into fronds and don’t cut them until they turn completely brown. Next spring just before you think they’ll emerge, throw a thin layer of compost on the bed. That will feed them every time it rains.

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Mother Earth News Gardening
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