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Asparagus ‘Jersey Giant’
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Consistently yields 2-3 times more spears than ‘Mary Washington’.
Resistant to rust, fusarium, crown and
root rot. Very hardy; adapted to temperate and cool climates. 7-9 in
green spears with purple bracts,
Sun Zones 4-6
ProNur Availability, ProNur
Sold Out List, for Late summer /early fall and early/mid spring planting
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Asparagus., USDA Home and Garden Bulletin #202, 1972 by Robet E. Wester,
Horticulturist. N.E. Region, A.R.S.
Asparagus is among the earliest of spring vegetables.An area about
20 feet square, or a row 50 to 75 feet long, will supply plenty of fresh
asparagus for a family of five or six persons, provided the soil is well
enriched and the plants are given good attention. More must be planted
if a supply is to be canned or frozen.
Asparagus does best where winters are cold enough to freeze
the ground to a depth of a few inches at least. In many southern areas
the plants make a weak growth, producing small shoots. Elevation has
some effect, but, in general, the latitude of south-central Georgia is
the southern limit of profitable culture.
The crop can be grown on almost any well-
drained, fertile soil, and there is little possibility of having the
soil too rich, especially through the use of manure. Loosen the soil far
down, either by subsoil plowing or by deep spading before planting.
Throw the topsoil aside and spade manure, leafmold, rotted leaves, or
peat into the subsoil to a depth of 14 to 16 inches; then mix from 5 to
10 pounds of a complete fertilizer into each 75-foot row or 20- foot
bed.
When the soil is ready for planting, the bottom of the trench
should be about 6 inches below the natural level of the soil. After the
crowns are set and covered to a depth of an inch or two, gradually work
the soil into the trench around the plants during the first season. When
set in beds, asparagus plants should be at least 11/2 feet apart each
way; when set in rows, they should be about 1½ feet apart with the rows
from 4 to 5 feet apart.
Asparagus plants, or crowns, are grown from seed. The
use of 1-year-old plants only is recommended. These should have a root
spread of at least 15 inches, and larger ones are better. The home
gardener will usually find it best to buy his plants from a grower who
has a good strain of a recognized variety. Mary Washington and Waltham
Washington are good varieties that have the added merit of being rust
resistant. Waltham Washington is an improved strain of Mary Washington.
It contains very little of the purple over-cast predominant in the Mary
Washington, is a high yielder, and has good green color clear into the
ground line. In procuring asparagus crowns, it is always well to be sure
that they have not been allowed to dry out.
Clean cultivation encourages vigorous growth; it
behooves the gardener to keep his asparagus clean from the start. In a
large farm garden, with long rows, most of the work can be done with a
horse-drawn cultivator or a garden tractor. In a small garden, where the
rows are short or the asparagus is planted in beds, however, hand work
is necessary.
For a 75-foot row, an application of manure and 6 to 8
pounds of a high-grade complete fertilizer, once each year, is
recommended. Manure and fertilizer may be applied either before or after
the cutting season.
Remove no shoots the year the plants are set in the permanent
bed and keep the cutting period short the year after setting. Remove all
shoots during the cutting season in subsequent years (fig. 15). Cease
cutting about July 1 to 10 and let the tops grow. In the autumn, remove
and burn the dead tops.
Asparagus rust and asparagus beetles are the chief enemies of
the crop.
 Figure
15.—Asparagus shoots ready to be cut.
USDA Home and Garden Bulletin #202, 1972 by Robet E. Wester,
Horticulturist. Northeasthern Region, A.R.S.
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