We have planted our first thing in our front yard garden and it is asparagus! Ben picked up a lot of asparagus plants last week and they look so much like something that would be growing in the “upside down” (don’t you agree, Stranger Things fans?!). The plant is so interesting and will shoot up the stalks, as well as grow fern-like plants. Not that we know from personal experience (yet!), but if you google asparagus plants, they look very billowy. Asparagus are perennials, and will last up to 15-20 years, at least according to what we’ve read. None of this is from experience, but we hope to gain it as we care for these plants. Another asparagus fact… we have to wait 3 years until we can eat it. The plants will sprout, but we won’t harvest it. Lord willing we get there and stay patient, True will be 15 when we can eat our asparagus!

To plant asparagus:
1. Till soil and mix in composted chicken manure. Dig a trench 8” deep.
2. Mix 15-20 pounds of fertilizer per 100 feet of 5-10-10 fertilizer AT THE BOTTOM of the trench or row. Then, cover the fertilizer with 1-2” of soil before placing the roots.
3. Take a crown, and with an equal amount of roots in each hand, place it “crown-side up” at the bottom of the trench. When placed, it will look like its doing the “splits.”
4. Continue placing crowns 18” apart in the trench
5. Cover with 2” of soil
6. As new shoots come up, continue covering them with a couple inches of soil until it reaches ground level.

The particular variety we planted is UC-157 that we purchased from a local nursery. For more in depth info on planting asparagus, we used this (thank you UC Davis) as a guide. If you’ve ever planted asparagus, do share any of your tips and tricks!