Different colors – different varieties? Don’t be surprised if you need 10 shoots of, say, white and green asparagus to prepare your next culinary masterpiece. In fact, these are parts of the same plant (not varieties, as many believe). The shoots can even turn purple or pink if the harvesting period was missed. However, there are many varieties of asparagus, most of them are grown in Germany and Holland. Some are more focused on white asparagus, others – on green.
© Rasbak
Asparagus yields a harvest for 15-20 years, so the soil for it needs to be prepared especially carefully. The main thing is that the area is sunny, reliably protected from cold winds. Asparagus loves loose sandy loam soil, rich in nutrients (it does not tolerate acidic and poor soil!). The groundwater table should not be too close. Asparagus needs proper watering. In stale soil, the shoots turn bitter, and with excess moisture, the plant’s roots rot and die.
Rotted manure is added to the plot in advance (1-1,5 kg/sq.m). Dig holes 20-50 cm deep at a distance of 90-100 cm from each other. Plants are planted and covered with ordinary soil. If necessary, the soil is loosened during the summer, removing weeds, and in the first two years after planting, the plants are hilled. In early spring and after cutting at the end of May, feed with mineral and organic fertilizers, lightly digging the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm.
© Rasbak
The first shoots will appear in the second year at the beginning of May. But the real harvest will be enjoyed only next year. Young shoots are usually collected in May, and in cold weather – three days later. After they grow, the shoots are broken off or cut at a height of 3-4 cm from the rhizome. After harvesting, the asparagus is fed, the soil is loosened.
The first harvest is usually small – 2-3 shoots per plant. 3-4 years after planting, the harvest will constantly increase (25 or more), the next 8-12 years will become more or less constant. Then the stems become smaller and the harvest decreases.
© Muffet
