Cultivation
We can grow it from the seed and transplant it when the roots become too large. Hybrids bear more fruit, but their seeds are not available, so we buy the seeds. The first two years after sowing, we must not cut the first sprouts for the plant to become stronger.
Distances
Among the rows at least 2 m, among the plants in a row at least 50 cm.
Position
With sunny skies.
Quantity
From 5 to 10 plants per person.
Date of sowing
We buy the seedlings in April, and we plant them. Instead, the seed should be sown in early spring, and the seedlings transplanted to a permanent place the following spring when the earth is at least 10 ° C. The seed sprouts about four weeks.
Composting
Before sowing, we fertilize the soil well with manure. In autumn, we cover the plantation with straw and home compost. In the summer, we water the plants with a mixture of nettles a few times.
Watering
Only necessary the first year after the transplant, otherwise not. But after years of drought, the harvest is smaller, so it is good to water it occasionally.
Good neighbors
beans, peas, broad beans, kohlrabi, bell pepper, tomato, parsley, basil, lamb’s lettuce, spinach, marigold, nasturtium
Bad neighbors
mint, onion, garlic, shallot
Diseases and pests
Asparagus fly, asparagus rust. In the early years, we grow tomatoes near asparagus to chase away pests. We strengthen the plain with preparations of algae; if rust occurs, we use prepared horsetail.
Collection
We cut the new shoots in the early morning hours. The best are the fresh ones, so we collect them gradually and cool them immediately in hot water. For a short time, we can store them in the fridge in a damp cloth or in a glass-like bouquet. We can store them in acid or in brine. If the plant is young, they grow from 2 to 4 weeks, if it is 12 weeks old. We are careful that at least six shots remain on the plant for summer growth.
Supply
We eat young shoots when they spring up. They contain vitamins C, E and B vitamins, alkaloid asparagine, essential oil and tin, molybdenum, and silicon minerals. They are good for the renal system and the liver and purify the whole body.
Important
It is a perennial plant, so before sowing it, we must clean the earth of the weeds and hoe it deeply, since the asparagus has very deep roots. The root system does not develop in a circle, but only to the left and to the right, so we plant them so that the roots do not go into the space between the rows – otherwise, we would damage them at every treatment of the earth. In autumn, we cover the growth site with a layer of straw and compost, but in spring, we discover it.
Special features
It is a perennial plant that derives from Asia Minor and Central Asia. White asparagus is grown in a particular way when we cover and whiten the shoots. The cultivation of big shoots is more demanding. Moreover, they contain half less of useful substances.
