Asparagus officinalisDeveloped from the Italian heirloom Violetto di Albenga. Brian Benson intro.
Very large deep purple stalk with a creamy white interior. Purple asparagus is actually a type of white asparagus shown the light.
Sweeter and less stringy than its green counterparts, so you can use more of the spear. Tender enough to eat raw in salads. Turns green when cooked. Z4. (1-year bare-root crowns)
Items from our perennial plants warehouse ordered
on or before March 7 will ship around March 26
through late April, starting with warmer areas and finishing in
colder areas. Orders placed after March 7 will
ship around late April through early-to-mid May, in the order in
which they were received.
A spring staple for millennia, may have originated around the Mediterranean
Sea,
perhaps in Asia Minor. The pharaohs, Greeks and Romans were all aware of its
highly nutritious qualities and delectable flavor. The earliest known
American
horticultural advertisement, from March 1719, is for “English
Sparrow-grass Roots.” Uncut shoots become a light green feathery
hedge, a
beautiful backdrop to a flower garden. Honeybees love the dainty dangling
flowers, which develop into bright red spherical seed pods on female plants.
Occasionally non–spear-forming females will show up in a planting.
Leave
them be or rogue them out as you wish.
Growing Asparagus
Soil: Requires fertile soil and high levels of
phosphorus.
Sun: Full sun.
Planting: Plant 14–18" apart,
6–10"
deep, in trenches 4' apart. Or dig your trenches somewhat deeper and
fill the bottom with 4" of compost and rotted manure. For an
extra
fertilizer boost, use Fedco’s own Gungnir Asparagus
Mix.
Lay plants with crowns up and cover with 2" of
soil. Plants emerge very slowly. As young shoots grow, add soil
gradually, just covering the shoots, until the trench is full.
In late fall, remove dead stalks and mulch with
3"
of manure.
Second summer: Add lime, rock fertilizers
and
compost as needed. Control weeds but do not injure crowns.
Later years: Same routine but increase
fertilizer. Be sure to leave some spears each year to grow
stalks that will nourish the roots and give you more spears
next
year. Keep the bed weed-free and mulched heavily.
Harvest: We recommend caution in harvesting too
much
too soon. Before the third or fourth season, harvest only the
largest
shoots from vigorous plants so the young plants can establish
themselves.
