How to Grow Jersey Knight Asparagus
- 1). Select a sunny, well-drained location for the asparagus bed. Lay 3 to 4 inches of compost or well-rotted manure on the soil and dig it in to a depth of 12 inches. Avoid planting asparagus where corn or asparagus grew the year before to minimize the risk of disease. Remove any perennial weeds because weeds can quickly strangle a newly established bed of asparagus.
- 2). Dig a trench in the newly prepared bed 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Make 6-inch high mounds of soil, spaced 12 inches apart in the trench. Remove the Jersey Knight asparagus crowns from their packaging and gently separate them. Most gardeners grow asparagus from 1-year-old crowns because seed takes too long. The crowns have long, tentacle-like roots and white tips. Lay one crown over each mound, draping the roots downward around the mound.
- 3). Cover the crowns with 2 inches of soil and water thoroughly so the soil is evenly moist. Gradually add more soil over the next four to six weeks until the trench is full. Water weekly if the weather is dry.
- 4). Spread a 1-inch layer of wood chip mulch around the emerging plants to conserve moisture and keep weeds down. Pull weeds weekly so they don't get a stronghold. Keeping an asparagus bed weed-free is one of the most important tasks for growing asparagus successfully.
- 5). Fertilize the asparagus the first three years by spreading 1/2 cup 10-10-10 granular fertilizer per 10 feet of row on the soil in spring. Thereafter, apply the same amount of fertilizer in June, after the harvest is finished.
- 6). Do not pick Jersey Knight asparagus the first year. You'll see tender spears emerging, but resist the urge to harvest them. The spears will grow into lacy ferns, which store energy and food for the growing plants. You'll have greater yields and healthier plants in subsequent years if they develop strong roots the first year or two. If the ferns grew shoulder high the first year, you can pick the spears for two weeks during the second year. Otherwise, give the plants one more year before harvesting. By the third year, you can harvest a full crop of asparagus, picking all the spears that emerge for six to eight weeks. Don't pick any spears that are smaller than your finger and stop picking when the spears become spindly and smaller than a pencil.
- 7). Apply 1 inch of compost or manure to the asparagus bed after you're done harvesting each season and continue watering and weeding the patch through the rest of the summer. Taking good care of the leafy ferns throughout the summer will ensure a bountiful crop the following year.
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