🌿 Asparagus Planting Instructions

 

Asparagus is a long-lived, highly rewarding perennial crop that can provide delicious harvests for 15–20 years or more. Once established, it produces tender spears each spring and is an excellent addition to any kitchen garden or allotment.

 

🌱 Planting Position

Choose a sunny, sheltered site with fertile, free-draining soil. Asparagus dislikes waterlogged conditions and performs best in soil enriched with well-rotted organic matter.

 

📏 Planting Distance

  • Plants: 30–45cm (12–18 inches) apart
  • Rows: 1.2–1.5m (4–5ft) apart

 

Allow plenty of room for the plants to develop their extensive root systems.

 

🌳 Planting

  1. Soak crowns in water for 30 minutes before planting.
  2. Dig a trench approximately 20cm (8 inches) deep and 30cm (12 inches) wide.
  3. Create a small ridge of soil along the bottom of the trench.
  4. Spread the roots evenly over the ridge, like the spokes of a wheel.
  5. Cover with 5cm (2 inches) of soil and water well.
  6. Gradually fill in the trench as the shoots emerge and grow.

 

💧 Watering

Water regularly during dry spells, particularly during the first two growing seasons while plants are becoming established.

 

🌿 Feeding & Care

Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring and mulch annually with well-rotted compost or manure. Keep the bed free from weeds and allow the fern-like foliage to die back naturally in autumn before cutting it down.

 

🌱 Harvesting

Do not harvest during the first two years after planting. In the third year, spears can be harvested lightly for a few weeks. Established plants can then be harvested each spring from April to June.

 

🌟 Top Tip

Patience pays off with asparagus. Allowing plants to establish fully during the first two years will result in stronger crowns and larger harvests for many years to come.

 

English’s Fruit Nursery Tip

 

A well-maintained asparagus bed can remain productive for decades, making it one of the best long-term investments for the home vegetable and fruit garden.