How To Harvest Asparagus So It Keeps Growing

Now that a month has passed since you cleared your fields of any old asparagus stems and pests, come summer you should have gotten a new growth of asparagus plants that have grown up to 6-10 inches tall. This means it is indeed time for you to finally start harvesting your asparagus spikes.

However, before you can learn how to harvest asparagus, you need to gather the appropriate tools even though your hands can suffice to minimize damage to the plant and reduce the risk of disease. You can either get a sharp knife or a dedicated asparagus cutter to make things easier for you, make sure to also wear some gardening gloves.

As stated previously, depending on your region you can harvest anytime from mid-spring to early summer hence it isn't exactly easy to tell you what month to harvest asparagus. However, what you can do to know when to pick asparagus is to check the height of the plant. 

The height of the plant has a strong relationship with the appropriate harvest timing of asparagus, depending on how tall your asparagus cultivar you should harvest them at their max height which is generally between 6 to 10 inches as well as several stems on your spikes with true matured leaves to get the biggest buck for your muck.

Okay, so now you have the tools and the proper timing, all that's left is to cut and harvest them, but how to cut asparagus? If you haven't already figured out from the hint in step 1, then you have to grab the asparagus and cut it using a clean, sharp, and sterile knife or an asparagus cutter just below the soil level.

Yes, you read that right, when you harvest asparagus you cut as low as you can go along the stem and below the soil level if possible because the asparagus stems can regrow completely over the next few days which is also what you previously did but for pest control.

Okay, now that you know how to pick asparagus, once the timing is right, look and check the height of each and every asparagus spear. Ideally, they should be around 10 inches with their pods still closed tightly at the top to indicate a lack of bolting as bolted asparagus doesn't taste good.

When picking asparagus make sure that the asparagus has nice mature leaves as immature leaves lack any flavor which can worsen your dish and try not to disturb the roots and the stems of the surrounding plants. If the asparagus are smaller or thinner, allow them to continue growing so you can harvest them when they get taller and thicker.

As stated previously, asparagus is a very fast-growing plant so at the start of the season, you might be able to harvest some mature 7 to 9-inch spears every two to four days. But as the temperatures increase your harvesting frequency can increase up to once or twice per day. 

You’ll want to do asparagus picking at least every 2-3 days during the growing season to keep the plants producing so you can harvest up to 24 harvests per season. Once the harvest season begins to slow down which is usually after 6 to 8 weeks, you should stop your asparagus harvesting as their crowns start to fern out.

Once you have picked enough asparagus and the harvest season, which is to say the growing season, is over, they start sending out a sort of fern-like foliage, a healthy natural course in their growth cycle towards the end of a growing season.

This allows them to photosynthesize on a whole different level and helps build up energy reserves in the roots of the plant for next year's growth. Trimming or cutting off these fern growths will have negative results on the health of your asparagus bed.

Now that we're done with the entirety of the harvest and maintaining the asparagus to keep them healthy for the next year to come, all that's left to do is enjoy your fresh-fresh asparagus directly from the garden.

You can enjoy the asparagus a variety of ways, from simply steaming to grilling, and even adding it to soups and salads. Freshly picked asparagus has a much more delicate flavor that is so tender compared to what you will find in a store, making it one of the best garden-to-table treats.

Yes, you should keep the asparagus flowers because it indicates that your asparagus plants are healthy and growing well, it is a sign that they've matured and have reached a growth spurt. plus the blooms are more than just aesthetics, asparagus has separate male and female plants so those with the blooms are female plants producing seeds.

Whereas the males produce spears, this distinction is important as you will be harvesting the male plants rather than the females. So noting which plants have flowers can help you know your future harvest size in advance, but if you don't want extra seeds then you could always remove them.

The asparagus plants' harvesting period depends on a lot of things, including how long they have been established, the date of your last frost, and how tall they are. Asparagus plants generally take 2-3 years to get fully established before you can harvest them to their fullest potential.

You can harvest them in the second year for about 2 weeks but their shoots will be small and you shouldn't overdo it to allow them to continue developing strong roots. However, after your second year, you can harvest asparagus spears for the full 6 to 8-week growth cycle when they become tender and about 6-8 inches tall. 

During the seasonal asparagus growth stage, if your asparagus is only in its second year you will only be able to harvest a spear maybe once every 3-5 days and only for 2-3 weeks.

However, once your asparagus is no longer juvenile and has entered its established phase then you can harvest them every 1-2 days for up to 6-8 weeks which totals up to 24 harvests of asparagus a season.

Asparagus plants are quick growers so is it any surprise that they are also heavy feeders? However, if you haven't been taking care of your soil well then that could inadvertently lead to the demise of your asparagus collection. 

You should be prepared to regularly amend your soil and fertilize periodically, especially after the last frost and before fern growth once the last harvest is done. Here are all the things that you will need to do starting with fertilization:

Fertilizers:

Before Planting

The edible part of the plant is the stem (spears), not the leaves so you should be using a 0-20-0 phosphorus fertilizer to feed your plant. To feed your plants, dig a trench about 8-10 inches deep and spaced 4 feet apart then mix the fertilizer, alternatively, you could also use bone meal as an organic option. 

Once that is done, mix the purchased asparagus crowns in the trench with 12-18 inches of spacing and cover it with 2 inches of soil, do some periodical light watering until new asparagus growth appears. Make sure to add more soil to the trench as the growths grow in height until the trough of the trench becomes level with the ground.

After Planting

Now that your asparagus crowns have grown into small shoots with a height sufficient to become flush and level with the ground level, you can stop providing purely phosphorous and should provide them a balanced fertilizer with a ratio of 5-10-10 or 8-24-24.

Of course, you should also have your soil tested and learn asparagus nutrient management to determine how much phosphorus, potassium, or nitrogen your plant needs as well as any other amendments. Apply fertilizers in spring for the first two years and then apply after the final harvest from the third year onwards.

Maintenance:

Fertilization is just half the routine of taking care of asparagus, you will also have to carry out some maintenance. Although asparagus is indeed a low-maintenance plant, that doesn't mean they're a low-maintenance plant.

Performing maintenance work for asparagus shouldn't take one very long, but ignoring them for so long will make them decline severely in health and vigor posthaste. Here's all that you need to know regarding proper asparagus maintenance:

1. Weed management

Weed management is extremely important especially if you don't use herbicides as the asparagus bed is generally kept bare just to house the asparagus. A combination of deep deep roots and the regular application of fertilizers means weeds can especially pressure the asparagus into starving which can decimate your garden.

Make sure to hand-pull any large weeds that you see after harvest and before the ferns start to grow to prevent weeds from seeding and to avoid having the ferns compete for resources against the weeds.  To kill any small weeds and their seeds, you may have to apply pre and post-emergent herbicides on the same day of the final harvest.

2. Irrigation

Unestablished juvenile asparagus patches should at least receive 1 inch of water every week, if there is a severe drought or if the patch is grown on very sandy soil then you should soak the soil with water immediately to facilitate proper asparagus growth and development. 

However, once your asparagus becomes properly established after 2 or 3 years then you can lower 1 inch of watering to once every two or three weeks as long as there isn't a drought or sandy soil. I'm pretty sure by now you understand exactly just how low-maintenance asparagus is.

Although many factors decide the taste and flavor of your asparagus, there are some things that you can do to maximize your chances of not only a bountiful but also a delicious harvest.

• Avoid Overharvesting: The process of ensuring a good and bountiful harvest actually begins not from the current season but rather from the previous season. Avoid overharvesting your asparagus as it can greatly stress them and ultimately diminish their stock. Stop harvesting once the crowns start to fern and allow them to store energy for the next season. 
• Harvest Early Morning: Asparagus spears are freshest and taste the best when they are harvested early in the morning just after the morning dew as dried as they're the most tender before the sun heats them up. This allows you to lock in the asparagus in its best possible state when you harvest it.
• Monitor For Pests: After the last frost, a month or two before harvest season make sure to check and monitor for pests such as the asparagus beetles and use organic pest control if you have to as they will eat into the asparagus spear and ruin them. Furthermore, always be on the lookout for similar bests while harvesting as you don't want them to settle in your garden or find an infested asparagus on your plate. 
• Harvest Male Asparagus: Male asparagus produces the largest spears so you will be getting a lot more value and flavor from them. If you don't want any additional asparagus seeds then make sure to remove any blooming female asparagus as they will produce small spears and asparagus seeds are toxic to consume and provide no value if you don't want to propagate more asparagus.
• Transplant Asparagus: If you notice a steep decline in vigor and robustness of your asparagus plants after several years then you might want to consider transplanting asparagus.

If you want to dry asparagus to preserve its freshness for longer, you can begin by washing the asparagus stalks into small 3-4 pieces and halve them if you'd like. Then, blanch the asparagus in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes until the spears are cooked.

Immediately transfer the cooked spears into a container filled with cold water to halt the cooking process and afterward place the asparagus in a single layer on a dehydrator tray in order to dry them. Make sure you dehydrate at 140°F for about 4-6 hours or until the asparagus is brittle or leathery.

Asparagus is a low-maintenance plant partly thanks to its being relatively pest-resistant, but there are still some common problems that you need to watch out for lest they ail your garden and lose your entire garden patch forcing you to uproot the entire thing.

Here are some things that require your constant vigilance:

Asparagus Beetles

As their names suggest, although asparagus is resistant to pests, these beetles have evolved to specifically take advantage of asparagus with asparagus being their only source of food. 

These insects damage the spears and ferns so if you notice them you should remove them by hand or use an organic insecticide. You can try having some asparagus companion plants to attempt to alleviate asparagus battles.

Rust and Fusarium Wilt

Asparagus doesn't require a lot of watering and generally prefers dry areas as it is highly susceptible to rot and fungal diseases when in damp soil.

So avoid having wet and poorly drained soil which can foster and afflict fungal diseases on your asparagus. Remove any infected asparagus immediately from your garden. 

Asparagus ferns need winter protection, particularly for colder climates where your temperatures can drop below 55°F during the winter. Begin by cutting back any remaining asparagus fern stalks once the first frost has started, and trim them about 2 inches above the soil line.

Aside from cutting them back, you should also mound a thick 4-5 inches of mulch over the crowns of asparagus by making use of things such as straw leaves, wood chips, or even compost from your own DIYed compost bin. Once you have cut back the plant and mulched, avoid watering for the entirety of winter to encourage dormancy.