Planting and growing asparagus on your own plot. Asparagus: growing, planting and care in the open field

Incredibly popular

vegetable crop. What's the secret? Why is it so actively grown and called a miracle plant and a royal vegetable? This is what we will try to figure out.

This nutritional representative asparagus family remarkable not so much for its excellent taste, but for its unique composition. Her shoots contain the necessary human body beta-carotene and choline, thiamine and niacin, folic and ascorbic acids, potassium and iron, magnesium and calcium, sodium, phosphorus, copper, manganese and selenium.

Asparagus (translated from Greek, this word means “escape”), or asparagus (Asparagus) is unpretentious and cold-resistant. She feels great in the wild: her thickets can be found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and even Siberia. The secret is that it easily tolerates severe frosts, down to -30 ° C. Although it may suffer from small (about -5 ° C) spring frosts. This is perennial herbaceous plant , reaching a height of 1.5 m. In one place it can grow for about 20 years, forming more than 50 shoots during this time.

Asparagus - dioecious plant . Her flowers on female specimens first form ovaries, and then small inedible red berries. On the males pollen is produced. In berries, a bit like mountain ash, there are a maximum of two seeds that remain viable for up to 5 years.

The asparagus bush is a tall, green, highly branched stalk that divides into many small stalks. The youngest are collected in whorls and are similar in shape to coniferous branches. And large edible shoots grow from multiple buds located on powerful dark gray rhizomes.

planting asparagus

Asparagus prefers sunny and weed-free locations fertile soils, but grows well on sandy loam.

spring planting

Asparagus should be planted in early spring before her buds start to grow. The soil during spring planting is fertilized with ordinary humus, spending per 1 sq. m of soil about 10 kg of humus. The rhizomes must be carefully laid in a previously dug trench about 30 cm deep and covered with a layer of earth in such a way that the plant itself is planted, as it were, in a recess: this will make watering it much easier.

Immediately after planting, asparagus should be watered abundantly. The distance between the trenches is left at least 60 cm, because over time, the bushes will grow. The gaps between plants in a row (for their normal development and growth) should be at least 30 cm, that is, try to place no more than 3-4 plants per 1 sq.m.

autumn planting

The site for autumn planting should dig well and fertilize, adding to the soil per 1 sq.m:

• 60 gr superphosphate,
• about 30 grams of potassium sulfate
• and 20 grams of ammonium sulphate.

When planting asparagus before winter, they do not bury it, but on the contrary, they form a low mound above it. This way you can protect the roots from the winter cold. The distance between the plants themselves is the same as during spring planting.

Here is a video on how to plant asparagus:

Please note: if you want to get asparagus seeds, you will have to plant at least 2 plants, and even more is better. This is related to the fact that one specimen develops only male or only female flowers.

Growing asparagus from seed

This method is not very popular with most gardeners. This is due to poor germination, although with the right approach, growing asparagus from seed is not difficult.

Around the beginning of April, you need to soak the seeds for two days in warm water with the addition of a growth stimulant. Prepared seeds are sown in light soil, consisting from two parts of garden land and one part of sand, manure and peat. Sprinkle lightly (about 1 cm) with earth and periodically moisten from a spray bottle, preventing drying. If you don’t have time to observe the crops, cover the container ordinary glass: so they definitely do not dry out.

Optimum temperature for germination seed is about + 25…+27°С, remember this. In order for crops under glass to feel normal, they must be aired daily, turning and wiping the glass each time.

Asparagus seeds germinate for a long time - up to 6 weeks, so be patient. It will take a maximum of a month and a half after sowing, and if you did everything right, small charming bushes will appear above the ground - asparagus seedlings.

Transplant to permanent place they can no earlier than mid-June. And when they mature, they can be transplanted both in spring and autumn.

Reproduction of asparagus by dividing the bush

Asparagus is most easily propagated by dividing the bush; You can do this not only in spring, but also in autumn, and even in summer. It is best to divide the bush during transplantation: young plants must be transplanted every year, and adults - every 10 years. When propagating asparagus by dividing the bush, remember: each division must have at least one shoot.

Reproduction by cuttings

You can also propagate asparagus with green shoots, using them as cuttings. For this March to June from last year's shoots of an adult plant, cuttings are cut, which are planted for rooting in moistened sand. Planted cuttings are covered from above with a cap (for example, half a plastic bottle).

Cuttings should be regularly sprayed and ventilated, removing the bottle for several hours a day. They will take root in about a month and a half. After this happens, they must be dived into pots of the appropriate size.

Forcing asparagus in winter

This universal vegetable crop is successfully cultivated not only in summer, but also in winter (in greenhouses) and in spring (in greenhouses). So let's talk about growing asparagus in the winter-spring period in more detail.

Get asparagus in winter and in early spring can by forcing shoots from the rhizomes of adult 5-6 year old plants. To do this, in October, the rhizomes of plants must be dug up and removed to the basement until December, the temperature in which is maintained at from 0 to +2 °С.

About in the beginning of December asparagus rhizomes plant in a greenhouse, in small containers, tightly pressing against each other, trying to place on 1 sq. m at least 18-20 rhizomes. From above they are covered with a fairly dense layer of humus (about 20 cm), and the containers themselves are additionally covered with a black film.

During the first week in the greenhouse, you need to maintain a temperature of about +10 ° C, but as soon as the roots start to grow, the temperature must be raised to about + 18 ° C. It is necessary to maintain the temperature regime for about 2 months - all the time while the harvest will last.

And here, in addition to the usual, an old way of growing asparagus - steam is described.

Asparagus Care

Asparagus, like most of the crops that we grow in greenhouses and in the garden, needs care, consisting of timely watering, fertilizing and loosening the soil.

water the asparagus necessary in small portions, systematically. The main thing - try to prevent stagnation of water, asparagus can not stand it. However, the slightest drying of the soil will also not benefit her. Loosening the soil should be done immediately after watering and weeding, but at least 7-8 times per season.

The yield of asparagus directly depends on fertilizers, which is why top dressing should begin even before planting and continue throughout the life of the plant:

• During spring planting we introduce ordinary into the soil humus(spending about 10 kg of humus per 1 sq.m of soil).
• During autumn planting we bring in for 1 sq.m 60 g of superphosphate, about 30 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of ammonium sulfate.
• One month after planting must be applied to the soil mullein diluted with water(in a ratio of 1:5). Every year after you have harvested asparagus (somewhere by the end of June), the plants need to be fed (we spend 30 g of superphosphate, potassium salt and urea per 1 sq. M) and unravel and level the ridges. Thanks to such measures, we will give asparagus the opportunity to develop stems and build up mass so that a sufficient amount of nutrients.
• At the time of flowering need to be carried out periodically preventive sprayingsystemic insecticide. This simple procedure will help repel pests.
• By July when the asparagus begins to grow again, it needs to be fed again - with mineral or organic fertilizers. For example, bird droppings diluted in water will be an excellent top dressing: for this, dilute 1 part of the droppings with 10 parts of water.
• fourth and last season top dressing need to be carried out in a special complex fertilizer around the end of October before the first frost. So, in order to stop the growth of asparagus, superphosphate and potassium salt can be added to the soil (spending 30 g per 1 sq.m).

autumn, before the onset of frost all old stems must be removed(this applies to both young and old bushes), and spud and cover the lower part of the plants with peat (1.5 buckets per 1 sq. M) or compost, completely covering the lower part of the stem with a slide about 5 cm in height - this way you will save the plants from freezing.

spring, in the second and third years of life asparagus is also needed feed - complete mineral fertilizer: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, spending about 30 grams of each per 1 sq.m.

Harvesting

For the first time, food shoots appear on asparagus only in the fourth year of life. And it is necessary to break them out only when they begin to lift the crust of the soil. As a rule, harvesting begins in May. But if the winter turned out to be warm, and the spring is early, then asparagus can be harvested from the first decade of April.

Carefully rake the ground where the cracks have appeared, and, having found a seedling, cut it off at the base, being careful not to damage the young shoots and rhizomes. Cut off all seedlings: this will only contribute to the growth of new ones. Holes formed after cutting should be covered with earth again.

In the first year of fruiting cleaning should not be extended for more than a month, so as not to once again weaken the young rhizomes. Collection of seedlings from old plants should be completed by the end of June. The warmer it gets outside, the faster the asparagus starts to grow. But as soon as its shoots appear on the surface of the earth, the plant heads begin to crumble, and the shoots themselves lose their taste, turning dark pink, and sometimes purple. To prevent this harvest in time- twice a day: early in the morning and late in the evening. At a temperature of about +15 ° C, asparagus should be harvested every 2-3 days.

After harvesting the asparagus, the ridges of the earth must be unraveled, and the surface of the soil must be carefully leveled. Plants, if manure was not applied under them, it is necessary feed using slurry or ammonium nitrate for this.

Carving beautiful openwork greens of asparagus for arranging bouquets, do not cut all the branches from one bush: this can be detrimental to the plant. And collect the seeds only when the berries become a rich red color.

How to properly store asparagus

That, it would seem, is all: the asparagus shoots are collected, the plants themselves are securely covered, and they are no longer afraid of frost. But not everyone knows how to properly store asparagus. Certainly, experienced gardener it will not be difficult to save the crop. And those who grow this crop for the first year often complain that the shoots quickly wither and darken. How to avoid it?

Store asparagus shoots in a dark cool place- on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Only in this way they will not lose their taste for quite a long time - about 3 months. Asparagus is perfectly preserved in an ordinary wooden box, placed in a cool, well-ventilated cellar. And so that the shoots do not fade, sprinkle them with sand.

Varieties of asparagus

There is not just a large, but a huge number of asparagus species - over 300, among which there are vegetable, medicinal and decorative.

In this article we will not talk about each type and, as you already understood, we will only talk about the most common vegetable asparagus and its most common varieties. And what is the difference between green, white and purple asparagus, we have already discussed.

snow head

One of the most popular varieties of vegetable asparagus is the mid-early variety Snezhnaya head. Medium-sized shoots are distinguished by a pointed greenish-cream relatively loose head. The flesh is very tender, tastes like green peas.

Glory of Braunschweig

No less popular late variety, one of the few whose juicy white fruits are intended mainly for canning.

The peculiarity of the Slava Braunschweig variety lies not only in the highest palatability fruits resistant to greening, but also in their large number.

Argenteuil late

This variety of asparagus has fairly large, low-fiber white shoots with slightly splayed head scales.

Differs in the long period of receipt of fruits suitable both for preservation, and for fresh use.

Diseases and pests of asparagus

Despite the fact that asparagus is an extremely disease-resistant plant, it may be affected dangerous fungus Helicobasidium purpureum, which is able to destroy asparagus in just a couple of days. The first sign of damage to asparagus by this dangerous fungus is the shedding of branches. The reason is the death of the root neck. You can get rid of such a dangerous disease with the help of the drug "Fundazol".

The most dangerous enemy of asparagus are asparagus leaf beetles- small black bugs, the larvae of which devour the foliage, as a result of which the plants quickly die. For effective fight insecticides are used with asparagus leaf beetles - Fitoverm, Fufanon, etc.

In the spring, asparagus plants often attack asparagus flies, whose larvae gnaw small holes in the shoots, due to which the growth of the shoots stops and, unfortunately, they are no longer suitable for food. In the fight against asparagus fly, ordinary chlorophos is excellent. Remove all damaged shoots, and treat young plants with the preparation.

It is difficult to imagine such a bouquet that could not be decorated with a sprig of asparagus. In fashionable compositions, arrangers widely use heat-loving species, which give needle greens of various shapes and density, but also species growing in open field are still popular.

Description of asparagus (asparagus)

In addition, asparagus is great for stage plantings, creating a graceful veil of openwork branches that can hide a fence, compost heap or farm yard. Asparagus is especially beautiful in autumn, when bright scarlet berries ripen on a yellowing bush. We add that in Europe young shoots of asparagus are used for food. Since the time of the Roman Empire, asparagus has been considered an exquisite aristocratic vegetable.

Varieties and types of asparagus (asparagus)

Only a few types of asparagus, or, scientifically speaking, asparagus, are suitable for open ground. The most traditional medicinal asparagus (A. officinalis) is a 1.5-2-meter plant.

The whorled asparagus (A. verticillatus) is more graceful, producing thicker greens that are ready for use in bouquets earlier than the previous species.

If your garden does not have room for such large plants, you can recommend Shober asparagus (A. schoeberioides) native to Far East. Its bushes are more compact and reach a little over 1 m in height.

Reproduction of asparagus (asparagus)

Propagate asparagus in the spring by sowing seeds in the ground. They remain viable for 4-5 years. Buy seeds in stores. At abundant fertilizer already in the first year you can get good quality seedlings.

They are transplanted to a permanent place in early spring (until the buds start growing) or in autumn (September). Asparagus prefers open, sunny locations and is wind tolerant.

Planting asparagus (asparagus)

For planting, dig holes or trenches 30 × 30 cm in size, lay organic fertilizers (compost or manure) on the bottom with a layer of up to 10 cm, cover it thin layer land and plant seedlings.

As an adult, asparagus does not tolerate transplants well and hardly restores roots. It can be propagated by dividing the bush, but after that the plants get sick for a long time.

In early spring, thick shoots with numerous scaly leaves appear from the soil. Until they become tough, they can be cut and eaten as a vegetable. If you want to get bleached asparagus, then in the fall you need to pour a layer of sand or light soil (15-25 cm) over the plant. As soon as the tips of the shoots are on the surface, the soil is raked and bleached shoots are cut out at the base.

It should be remembered that harvesting asparagus weakens the plant, and it must be allowed to photosynthesise. Therefore, at the end of May, the layer of sprinkled soil is removed, the plants are fertilized with a solution of mullein or complex mineral fertilizers, and the bushes are allowed to develop lush greenery.

Remember that you can cut shoots only from well-developed plants, it is better not to disturb newly planted and young specimens.

Spring shoots are unstable to frost, but it is not necessary to make a special shelter for them: dead shoots are easily replaced by new ones growing from dormant rhizome buds.

Closer to the top of the shoots, the scaly leaves become smaller, but flattened lateral branches appear, which perform the function of photosynthesis. In addition, small yellowish-green flowers can be found on the branches.

Asparagus has a peculiarity: either female or male flowers develop on the same plant. So if you want to get your own seeds, you need at least two plants: a male and a female.

Caring for asparagus (asparagus)

At the time of flowering, carry out preventive spraying with a systemic insecticide. If this is not done, flowers and future berries will become prey for beetles. Usually this does not affect the decorativeness of the branches, but it will be more difficult to propagate asparagus.

In the middle of summer (July), the second wave of growth begins in asparagus, which is especially noticeable on young plants. During this period, asparagus should be fed with organic or mineral fertilizers.

Openwork greens for arranging can be cut all season, but do not cut all the branches from one bush at once.

The seeds are harvested when the berries turn red.

After the first autumn frosts (at the end of October), the asparagus branches die. They are cut off, leaving only stumps (10 cm) and composted. Then you can pour a bed for spring bleaching of shoots. If asparagus serves purely decorative purposes, it does not need special shelter for the winter. However, it is useful to add soil regularly, as the rhizome grows upwards and may eventually come to the surface.

Source: V.V. Chub, Yu.V. Maleeva "Modern Garden"

Often, the owners of summer cottages pay very little attention to growing asparagus. In some flower beds, a green "herringbone" decorates a flower bed, does not require special care, its branches are added to bouquets - that's all the use of a useful plant. And if you plant bushes correctly and organize good care behind them, you can treat yourself to a vegetable delicacy that in many countries only people with high incomes can afford. Your main task is to choose the right place in the country for asparagus - that's what they call asparagus in a different way - and it will give a tasty harvest for more than a dozen years.

Planting material preparation

The easiest way to get planting material is to buy a root in a specialized center. There you will be explained the features of each variety, they will tell you what kind of soil and care it needs.

The following varieties of asparagus are popular with gardeners:

• "Early yellow" - valued for productivity and disease resistance;
• "Arzhentelskaya" - has excellent taste;
• "Royal" - received recognition from gardeners for resistance to frost and drought;
• "Gainlim" - gives a lot of sprouts.

You can independently obtain material from an adult bush. The first way: divide the rhizome into parts, take several fragments for growing and plant them in the country. The second option: cut cuttings from one-year-old shoots, dip the lower parts in a growth stimulator and stick them in the sand. Seedlings need to be created suitable conditions to root and provide proper care at home. Cover them with their necks plastic bottles, on hot days, remove the covers and moisten the soil in a timely manner. When the plants take root well, transplant them to a permanent place.

Growing from seeds is a very laborious task; it is impossible to plant them immediately in the garden. Grains should be soaked in water and kept in a warm place at +30⁰ for 2 days. When the seeds swell, you need to grow strong seedlings and only then plant them in open ground. Most often, grains are planted in a greenhouse, for this you need to carefully prepare the place. Make furrows, put black soil at the bottom, to which superphosphate and ash are added. The top layer is garden soil with fallen leaves and manure. The planting depth should be about 2-4 cm, the distance between plants should be at least 3 cm.

Growing asparagus at home

Those who do not have a dacha sometimes wonder if it is possible to grow edible shoots from seeds on a balcony or on a windowsill. At home, you can grow only seedlings or indoor flower asparagus. To get the first harvest, the plant must be 3 years old. During this time, a very long root will develop. Of course, you can put a large tub in the room and plant 1 bush, but the harvest will be so insignificant that it makes no sense to do such work.

If you want to buy a delicacy in a store, remember that black Eyed Peas and soy asparagus have nothing to do with asparagus. The first of them is also a very tasty and healthy plant of the legume family. Under the second name is a semi-finished product made from soy.

If you want to grow seedlings from seeds, plant the seeds in separate deep cups. Fill them with a mixture of equal parts garden soil, peat, sand and rotted manure. Seedlings require careful care. The plant does not tolerate dryness, moisten the soil daily. 2 weeks after germination, feed with complex fertilizer.

When the seedlings grow to 15 cm, start hardening off the seedlings. Take her to Fresh air or ventilate the greenhouse first for 1-2 hours at the warmest time. Gradually increase your time outside. When seedlings can stand in the air permanently without any changes in the worst side, you can plant them in open ground in the country.

Site preparation

Asparagus is not in vain very expensive. It takes up a lot of space, it takes a lot of time from sowing seeds to harvest, and the number of shoots is small. For those who are trying to collect a large amount of vegetables from a small garden, it is better to abandon this crop. And yet find in the garden small plot, where you can plant at least 3-4 bushes, and grow several seedlings at home. When in 3 years you taste succulent shoots, your attitude to asparagus will change.

In the country, soil for asparagus should be prepared in the fall. Please note that each bush will need 0.25 m2 of empty space. The site should be sunny, protected from the wind. The plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture, with a high occurrence ground water good drainage is essential bulk beds. Most of all, asparagus likes fertile sandy loam. At autumn digging add per 1 m2:

• Compost - 20 kg;
• Superphosphate - 70 g;
• Potassium sulfate - 40 g.

If you dug up the bed well in the fall, you can only loosen it in the spring. When harrowing, 60 g of ash and 20 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m2 are applied. Holes should be spacious, 35 cm in diameter and depth. In June, you can plant bushes grown at home in a permanent place. In the hole, make a mound of fertile soil, shorten the root of the seedling to 4 cm and place the plant on the embankment. Bury the hole, compact and water the soil well. In the future, young bushes will need proper care, then they will grow thick and strong.

After planting, mulch the bed with sawdust or leaf compost. This procedure will keep the soil loose, prevent weeds from breaking through, and protect the roots from freezing during the winter months. In the early years, while the bushes are still small, use the space between them to grow from seed. spice crops and greenery.

Proper care - a good harvest

Asparagus is a fairly large bush that grows in one place for many years. It needs a lot of nutrients to develop properly, and the soil depletes over time. If you want to get good yields up to 25 years old, fertilize the plot with manure every autumn, and apply compost in the spring. In order for the shoots to grow faster and the harvest to become richer, do not spare organic matter, water the beds with slurry every 3 weeks.

The soil should not be allowed to dry out; on dry days, water the garden bed every day, especially during the growth of edible shoots. If the sprouts do not get enough moisture, they will become bitter and tough. Excessive humidity or stagnant air is also dangerous: plants can be affected by a fungal infection. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the top layer well. If you want to make it easier to care for plants, mulch the bed with peat or compost when planting. With a layer thickness of more than 5 cm, not a single weed will appear on the bed.

You can see that if you plant asparagus on open area with strong winds, it grows poorly, often gets sick. This happens not from the cold, but from the fact that the roots of the plant are sensitive to any movement of the aerial part. A strong air flow shakes the stems, while small underground root shoots come off, and the whole system begins to rot. To prevent this from happening in your garden, be sure to install a strong stake and tie shoots to it. So that the scattered seeds do not germinate and do not make it difficult to care for the garden, remove the fruits that appear on the branches.

If you want to collect asparagus seeds, do not cut the shoots, let the bush develop. Please note that both male and female specimens must grow in the area to obtain germinating seeds.

The rhizome of asparagus each year grows upwards and gradually emerges from the ground. Inspect the plantings several times a season and spud them. This will allow the underground part of the plant to develop normally. At the end of summer, cut off the yellowed shoots, and before the onset of cold weather, cut off all the stems and cover the ground with peat or sawdust with a layer thickness of at least 5 cm. The rhizomes of adult plants will not die even in severe frosts, and young shoots are dangerous spring frosts.

Diseases and pests of green bushes

Asparagus is very rarely sick, but sometimes it can be affected by fungal infections. Basically, such problems arise if the care of the plant is done incorrectly. The cause of diseases is excessive moisture in the soil or air. Bushes do not like strong wind but they need fresh air. Do not arrange a bed in a completely enclosed space, allow a light breeze to penetrate there. For prevention, you can spray plantings with fungicides in spring and autumn.

Among insects, asparagus has 2 enemies.

• Asparagus fly. Brown midge with yellow legs and head. Its appearance can be determined by twisted and withering shoots.
• Asparagus leaf beetle. A beetle with blue wings and a red stripe. Eats all parts of the plant. Especially active in the second half of summer.

How to properly harvest and preserve the crop

The gardener can't wait to try the young sprouts. Take your time: until the plant is 3 years old, you can not cut the shoots. Wait until the bush has accumulated enough strength, then in the next years it will give you good harvests. The first time, cut no more than 5 stems, leave the rest for the development of a strong bush. From good adult specimens, a gardener can collect up to 30 sprouts per season. Never remove all shoots: if not a single branch remains, the bush may die.

Sprouts that have reached 20 cm in height, on which leaf buds have not yet bloomed, are suitable for food. As soon as the first needles begin to form, the stems will become stiff and unsuitable for food. Open the soil and break off with your hands or cut off the shoots at the very rhizome with a knife, just be careful not to disturb or injure the root system. You can harvest all summer, but the richest spring months.

1. White asparagus is the most valuable species. These shoots were dug out of the ground, not exposed to sunlight and retained the maximum concentration of nutrients.
2. Purple asparagus was not exposed to light for long and did not have time to develop chlorophyll. Slightly bitter in taste.
3. Green asparagus grew in the sun, accumulated a lot of chlorophyll and carbohydrates, but lost some of the vitamins. The taste is bitter.

Everyone has different preferences, some gourmets consider white asparagus to be the most delicious and tender, others argue that green shoots have a richer and richer taste. If you want to taste white sprouts, protect them from light. In autumn, after cutting the stems, make an earthen mound about 20 cm high above the roots. In the spring, watch the soil surface. When you notice elevations or small cracks, carefully dig the soil down to the root. Cut off the shoots that have reached the desired height, and again restore the mound. After a few days, the next sprouts will start to make their way to the surface, dig the ground again and harvest.

If you didn’t make mounds in the fall, in the spring you can cover the ground with boxes or make a shelter from a material that does not let light through: black film, roofing material.

Fresh shoots should be immediately eaten or used for cooking, preparations for the winter. If you need to use the asparagus later, place it in a jar of water like a bouquet and refrigerate. Remember that if there are products with a pungent odor on the shelves, the shoots will absorb foreign odors. Sprouts can be frozen, but at the same time they will lose some of their taste and useful qualities.

Conclusion

Do not believe the rumors that asparagus is very capricious plant that growing and caring for asparagus from seeds outdoors is too time-consuming. All the most difficult happens in the first year, when growing seedlings at home or in a greenhouse, and when the bushes take root and begin to develop well, they will not require much attention from you. It is necessary to cultivate the soil once and properly plant asparagus in the country, and then it will grow in one place for many years.

To make the shoots white and tender in taste, they need to be protected from light. The most convenient way is to pour a mound of earth over the plant in the fall after cutting the stems, and dig up the soil when harvesting. When cutting, do not be greedy, do not completely remove all the stems, leave something for the development of the bush. The faster you put the product into processing, the tastier and healthier the dish will turn out. Use asparagus for salads, soups, vegetable side dishes, and feel like a millionaire who has access to expensive delicacies.

Asparagus (asparagus) is one of the most delicious, healthy and expensive vegetable crops. The first sprouts of asparagus, which are white, green, pinkish green, or purple, are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The color of the sprouts depends on the method of cultivation and the time of collection. Green asparagus grows like a regular vegetable in the garden; sprouts of white asparagus spud so that they do not get light; and purple sprouts become after " sunbathing"- it is not spudded immediately, allowing the tender shoots to soak up the sun.
Young, tender shoots can be eaten raw or quickly steamed, in water, in the oven, or grilled. Asparagus is one of the earliest vegetables of the new season: harvest of young shoots begins in April-May.

Seed preparation

Planting asparagus requires a lot of space, it cannot be done at home, except that seedlings can be grown at home. Seeds are characterized by poor and slow germination, so many summer residents prefer to sow them in a greenhouse or at home, and then plant ready-made seedlings in open ground. In the south of Russia, you can sow them in the spring right on the garden, but you need to remember that for germination they will need an air temperature that has reached +25 degrees, and soil that has warmed up to + 15.
Seeds must first be prepared at home: soak for 2 days warm water, it is desirable to maintain the temperature at + 30 degrees, then they need to be dried. Some vegetable growers insist on the use of a growth stimulator. Only after such care are they ready for sowing.

Planting seedlings of asparagus

Before planting, the site is marked and plowed with furrows 30 cm wide and deep. They should be straight: if asparagus is planted in uneven rows, then with mechanized ridges, the rhizomes will not be located strictly along the midline. (It is not recommended to plow furrows in advance, as the soil quickly dries and crumbles, the furrow becomes uneven, and seedlings will not appear at the same time).
The rotted manure is introduced into the finished furrows (3.0-3.5 kg per linear meter). Then they cover it with a layer of soil of 4-8 cm, after which plants are planted on top, which are again covered with a layer of 5-8 cm. a jet of water.
container seedlings can be planted during the growing season from early July. After applying the main fertilizer and plowing, taking into account the row spacing, furrows are prepared with a depth of 30-32 cm. Manure is scattered to the bottom of the furrow, covered with a layer of soil of 2-3 cm, after which plants are planted on top in peat pots (or together with soil from ceramic pots ). Then the furrow is filled up to the level of the roots.
Plantation care until the first harvest
Consider the types of work on the plantation of asparagus before the first harvest (it is received only in the third year after planting).

First year of growing asparagus

Young plants almost do not form shade, so weeds grow rapidly on the plantation, especially in the first years after planting. Autumn planting asparagus is weeded after germination, in early spring, while the weeds are not yet strong (3-5 weedings must be carried out during the entire growing season).
Simultaneously with weeding, they begin to gradually fall asleep furrows so that the thickness of the soil layer poured over the plants immediately after planting seedlings at a depth of 14-18 cm does not exceed 8-10 cm. During the summer, the furrows are periodically sprinkled with soil; by autumn, the surface of the plantation should be flat. This work is done by cultivators.
To accelerate the growth of young plants, fertilizing is carried out at the end of June and July. In small areas, an effective way is to apply fertilizer solutions: 1% is prepared from nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizer, and complex fertilizers- 0.5-0.6% solution (at the rate of 5 liters per linear meter). On a large area, when there is no way to make liquid top dressing, nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers are scattered twice on the soil surface (at the rate of 100 kg / ha) and, using a cultivator, they are embedded in the soil.
Watering is carried out in such a way that the soil is moistened to a depth of 40-50 cm. In the dry season or on sandy soils, it is recommended to water the asparagus plantation twice.
Before the asparagus enters the fruiting season, it is necessary to constantly plant new plants instead of the fallen ones (it is better to do this in the fall, when you can accurately determine the places of attacks). It is recommended to use plants grown in a container way: they take root well, they can be planted during the entire growing season.
The final type of work on the asparagus plantation is the removal of stems. The stems are cut off at the very surface of the soil, leaving no stumps. The cut stems are harvested and burned to keep pests (particularly the asparagus beetle) from breeding.
By the autumn of the first year, the height of the stems of young asparagus can reach 80-120 cm, well-developed plants form 6-8 stems.

Second year of growing asparagus

Care is basically the same as in the first year (weeding, watering, planting new plants, removing stems), but now there is no need to fill in the furrows. Continue feeding. If the plants develop satisfactorily, a nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizer is applied twice to the soil at the rate of 10 kg/1000 m³ (2×100 kg of calcium and ammonium nitrate/ha). With unsatisfactory development, the dose is increased to 20 kg/ha.
To increase the content of nutrients in the soil, make organic fertilizer- manure. It is scattered on the bottom of a furrow 25-30 cm deep, dug between rows (at the rate of 40-50 tons of manure or 100 m³ of high-quality compost per 1 ha). After that, mineral fertilizers are applied (0.6 tons of superphosphate and 0.8 tons of 40% potassium nitrate per 1 ha). In the second year, well-developed plants already form 10-12 stems 140-160 cm high.

Third year of growing asparagus

They also carry out weeding, watering, and removing the stems. Necessary measure remains replenishment lunges. It is necessary to strive to ensure that there are no unplanted areas on the plantation by the time the harvest begins.
It happens that due to insufficient nutrient content in the soil, plants develop unevenly. To correct the situation, fertilizing is carried out - manure is introduced, the amount of which is determined on the basis of a chemical analysis of the soil. If analysis is not possible, then it is advisable to apply the same amount of manure as in the second year.

Caring for a fruitful asparagus plantation

Spring tillage includes disking (this effective method weed control) and ridge formation. Before this, the dry remains of the stems are removed, otherwise the young shoots growing through them will acquire a brown color, which reduces the commercial value of the product by 30-50%.
The height of the ridges is set in accordance with standard sizes collected shoots - 22 cm (top width - 25-30 cm, height - 25-30 cm from the rhizome). Over the years, the width of the ridges is increased to 40-50 cm, as the asparagus rhizomes grow over time.
You should not pour too high ridges, otherwise the shoots will reach a length of 30-40 cm or more. commodity value has only their upper part 22 cm long, the rest has to be discarded (30-40% of the total harvest can fall on the share of such a marriage).
The ridges are formed in two steps, since it is not recommended to take the soil near the rows (asparagus roots are located almost horizontally, and when plowing a deep furrow, they can be damaged). For this, an ordinary plow is used, which rolls the soil to a row of plants on both sides. The surface of the ridges should be smooth so that you can see when the grown asparagus shoots begin to lift the soil.
After the formation of ridges until the end of the collection of shoots, plants are not cared for. Upon completion of the collection, after leveling the ridges, during the growing season, 2-3 row-spacings are weeded. (Asparagus grows in one place for 12-15 years, so weed control remains an important task all the time).
Feed regularly. In the spring, before disking the soil, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied (400 kg per 1 ha). At the end of the collection of asparagus shoots (mid-June), the ridges are not leveled until the rows turn green. 10-14 days after the completion of harvesting, the row-spacing is deepened and manure is applied (30-40 tons per 1 ha), after which it is covered with a layer of soil of 4-8 cm. It is advisable to fertilize a fruit-bearing asparagus plantation with manure 1 time in 3 years.
During the growing season, asparagus' water requirement is constantly increasing, so Special attention need to be watered. To obtain a larger yield after a winter poor in precipitation, 2-3 irrigations are carried out before the onset of the harvest period or during harvesting (20-25 mm of water per 1 irrigation). In arid summer period asparagus is watered abundantly in July and August (50-60 mm per 1 watering).
On large plantations, sprinkling is carried out, on heavier soils - watering with an overlap along the furrows.

Asparagus harvest

It is started in the third or fourth year after planting the crop. In the third year, only 3-8 shoots can be collected from each rhizome, while ridges must be poured over the entire plantation, and the collection time should not exceed 3-4 weeks. The implementation of these works requires a significant amount of labor for a short period of time, so the economic feasibility of harvesting in the third year for large farms should be carefully weighed.
Asparagus is harvested from the beginning of May to the middle of June, the largest collections are in the middle of May - the beginning of June. From mid-June, collections are reduced, as new shoots develop only from dormant buds, which leads to a weakening of the rhizomes, and if the cutting of the shoots is not stopped, the rhizome may die.
average value daily collection for the whole season is 6-8 kg/1000 m². (With a sufficient degree of probability, the yield value can also be determined in advance, as early as early October, by the state of the rhizomes).
Collection of etiolated asparagus. Asparagus is harvested early in the morning or in the evening. Shoots are recommended to break out manually. Knives, scrapers and shovels should not be used, as the cut shoot will dry out or rot, and rot can spread to the entire rhizome. It is better to dig up the soil with a wooden spoon: with its help, you can easily find a tender shoot without damaging it. Excavated and clearly visible shoots break out in the following way: index finger reach the very rhizome, the shoot is deflected to the side and pulled towards itself.
Under favorable conditions, the shoots develop quickly, so at the beginning of the harvesting season they are collected 1 time, and subsequently - at least 2 times a day. Shoots that have reached the surface of the ridges should be collected within the next 1-2 hours - this is the only way to maintain their quality. Two or three inspections of the plantation per day are justified: shoots that in the morning could be called "first-rate" by evening or morning next day are already acquiring color and can only be sold as broken lines, the price of which is only 20-25% of the prices for grade I asparagus.
The collected shoots are placed in a basket lined with a damp cloth and covered from light (this helps to protect them from wilting, weight loss and staining). Packaging and packaging of shoots is carried out in a darkened room, and then transferred to a refrigerator for several hours.
Collection of green asparagus. Green asparagus is harvested when the shoots reach a length of 15-20 cm or are somewhat shorter, but sufficiently developed, as evidenced by the opened scaly leaves.
At a depth of 1-2 cm below the soil level, the shoots are either broken out or cut off (very carefully so as not to damage the young shoots). It is necessary to collect all the shoots, including those unsuitable for sale (sick, damaged, too thin). If this is not done, then pests of asparagus breed on the plantation.
At optimal conditions Green asparagus grows very fast and is harvested daily. You should not be late with the collection of marketable products, since the shoot heads open quickly and their value drops.

Preparation for sale and storage of asparagus

Freshly picked asparagus shoots contain a lot of water (93-94%). It does not form on etiolated shoots. protective layer, which protects them from evaporation, so the harvested asparagus loses moisture and coarsens very quickly.
Collected shoots can be stored in a shaded place on the edge of the field for no more than 2 hours. Before processing, they should be stored in a cool cellar or in cold store. At low temperatures (0, 2…3°С) and high relative air humidity (90-95%), asparagus can remain fresh for 20-28 days.
Preparation of asparagus for sale consists of washing, sorting, sorting and removing unnecessary parts of the shoots. All these works must be performed by the manufacturer.
Packaging and preparation for transportation is the final production operation, which should ensure the safety of shoots during transportation and intermediate storage.

Asparagus can be grown in one place for more than 10 years. It is used as food for diseases of the kidneys, gout, cardiovascular system, to increase tone. Shoots are very rich in vitamins and minerals, which contribute to the normalization of metabolism.

Asparagus is a cold-resistant plant that can withstand spring frosts down to -5°C. Starts active growth at +10°С. Flowering occurs in July, and fruit ripening in August. The most popular varieties of asparagus are Snezhnaya head, Dutch green, Slava Braunschweig.

Place and soil

For planting asparagus, you need to select a sunny area, protected from the wind. Prepare the soil in advance: in the fall, for deep digging, add rotted manure or compost and 50-60 g of superphosphate per 1 sq.m. In the spring, after the snow melts, harrow and fertilize wood ash(60 g per 1 sq.m). Acidic soil is a must.

Landing

Asparagus is grown seedling way, since sowing in open ground will not give rapid growth. Sowing seeds in April.

Fold the seeds in a cloth and soak for 1 hour in a warm solution of potassium permanganate (40 ° C), then rinse well with warm water and dry (it is not recommended to cover with a cotton cloth, as the roots of the seeds may get tangled). Sow in separate cups, using any nutrient soil mixture, or mix garden soil with sand and peat, to a depth of 2 cm at a temperature of 25-28 ° C. Sowing seedlings in boxes should be carried out according to the scheme 6x6 cm. The distance between rows is 40 cm.

Asparagus can be transplanted outdoors in any month of the summer. Protect from frost in autumn.

The next summer, the asparagus is transplanted to a permanent place, keeping the distance between rows 70-90 cm, and the distance between plants 30-40 cm. The holes are dug 25-30 cm deep, at the bottom they form a mound of humus up to the edge of the hole. Straighten the asparagus roots, cut off very long ones up to 4-5 cm. Pour the earth, water and lightly compact. In autumn, cover young plants with humus or peat.

Plant seedlings between rows of asparagus so that the place is not empty.

Care

Remove weeds regularly. Water as needed, from a lack of moisture, the shoots begin to dry out, and from waterlogging root system rots. Loosening is carried out every time after moistening the soil.

It is necessary to make top dressing for the first time 3 weeks after planting seedlings, using mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5. After another 3 weeks, carry out the next feeding with diluted bird droppings (1:10). The last top dressing should take place before the onset of frost with a complex mineral fertilizer.

In autumn, cut off the entire ground part of the asparagus, leaving the stems 2-5 cm high, mulch with wood chips, and compost before the start of frost.

Shoots will grow faster, and the taste will become more tender if they are periodically sprinkled with earth.

Diseases and pests. Holes in the shoots of asparagus indicate an attack by an asparagus fly. Such shoots slow down growth and become unusable. After removing the damaged parts of the plants, burn them, and treat the remaining parts with chlorophos.

Beetles on asparagus are harvested by hand, knocked into a bucket with a small amount of water, and then pollinated with Feverfew. And also against pests of asparagus (medvedki, Khrushch,) effective drugs are Aktelik and Fitoferm.

Shedding of branches occurs from infection of the root collar with a fungus. The drug "Fundazol" will help to cope with this disease.

In the place where the asparagus plants died, new ones should not be planted for at least 5-6 years.

Collection and storage of asparagus

They begin to harvest after 3 years (May), cutting or breaking off the shoots at the very base of the bush. Asparagus is harvested every 1-2 days for 20-40 days. In order not to reduce the yield in subsequent years, during the first three years, up to 5 asparagus shoots should be cut from one bush, then up to 16. After harvesting the asparagus, weed, level and apply complex mineral fertilizer.

Store in refrigerator at 0-2°C.

From seeds, the article will help you understand the intricacies of this matter and the features of caring for vegetables. Let's start with the fact that asparagus is incredibly popular in Europe, America and Southeast Asia. Those who have been there are familiar with the piquant taste of dishes prepared by chefs from long tender stems. Now in our country there are many lovers of an appetizing dietary vegetable, and therefore those who would like to grow it on their own in their garden. By the way, asparagus quickly adapted to our climate, and breeders can boast of excellent domestic varieties.

Benefit

Young, slightly underdeveloped stems-pods are used for food, which are tasty not only in boiled and baked form, but even freshly cut when they are juicy and crispy. It seems strange that once in our country, asparagus was used only as an element of the design of flower bouquets. Only sometimes in pre-revolutionary Russia, exotic dishes from it were served on the master's table.

The vegetable is famous not only for its taste and dietary qualities. It contains a whole list of vitamins, including group B, as well as many useful trace elements and the amino acid asparagine. The use of asparagus expands the peripheral, normalizes the pressure and work of the heart muscle; favorably affects the liver tissue. In addition, long juicy stems in any form are indicated for diabetes, gout and kidney disease. That is why many are wondering: how to grow asparagus from seeds at home?

And the demand for a green vegetable is largely determined by the fact that it sprouts in early spring, when the body is deficient in vitamins, and fresh herbs haven't gone yet.

Growing stages

Certain difficulties self-cultivation suggest whether and how to grow asparagus from seed. The advice of gardeners is, first of all, that it is necessary to collect a vegetable daily, avoiding rearranging young shoots. Further, for the whole season it will be required a large number of special top dressing and organic fertilizers.

The third tip: you should stock up on first-class seeds in advance. The fact is that asparagus is not divided from the roots, and mature specimens do not take root after transplantation. The only option left is to grow a crop from seeds. Interestingly, this perennial considered seedlings for a very long time - two to three years. To learn how to grow asparagus from seeds in a country house or garden according to all the rules and with good result, it is necessary to separate the bed cleared of weeds and fertilized with organic matter for planting the crop.

Planting of prepared seeds is carried out in June, and throughout the summer the garden is loosened and watered. When shoots appear, top dressing is carried out ammonium nitrate based on 10 grams of solution per square meter earth. Re-feeding is carried out after 3 weeks. The next year after wintering, the plant blooms.

Perennial and resistant plant

Before answering the question of how to grow asparagus from seeds, you need to at least know a little about the culture itself. Asparagus is a fairly large perennial plant that can reach a height of about two meters. Although it has no leaves, the long shoots are very branched, and the fibrous roots are huge.

The vegetable blooms with inconspicuous flowers and has beautiful red fruits. Since asparagus is a dioecious plant, male and female flowers are present on different bushes. If you properly care for it, then the harvest from one copy can be obtained for 15-20 or even more years, so asparagus can rightfully be considered a green long-liver.

And also, if you wondered how to grow asparagus from seeds in the garden, it would be useful to know that this is a very resistant and hardy plant. Even with our frosts, you can not cover it for the winter and do not trim it if you do not have time on time. Subject to other rules, the harvest will be ensured.

growing conditions for asparagus

If you decide to grow asparagus in decorative purposes, then it is enough just to plant it, and it grows by itself. But growing tender shoots for food is different, so you need to create special conditions for the plant. Namely:

• Requires loose, fertilized soil. Well, if in your area it is sandy. With a lack of nutrients, asparagus stalks will grow thin and coarse-grained.
• In no case should the soil be acidic, otherwise the plant will not take root.
• The key to a good and tasty harvest is abundant watering; lack of moisture, the asparagus will be tough and bitter in taste. But she does not like the proximity of groundwater.
• Planting beds should be located in a sunny position, although a little shade will not harm the plants too much.
• Annual mulching will ensure the active growth of succulent shoots.

To learn how to grow asparagus from seeds, it must be borne in mind that the roots of this vegetable grow strongly and lie almost at the surface of the soil. Every year they grow from above, and the lower parts die off, so gradually the bush, together with the root system, rises higher to the surface. That is why there is a need for annual mulching, that is, covering the soil at the roots, which prevents drying, overheating and hypothermia of plants.

About Asparagus Seeds and Proper Planting

Asparagus seeds are large, black, in a protective shell. Before use (usually for planting in the garden this is the beginning of June), they are soaked for three days in a solution of manganese, changing it several times, or in plain water, also periodically replacing it with fresh water. This procedure will speed up the emergence of seedlings. After that, the seeds are laid out on a wet cloth until germination. This takes about one week.

So how do you grow asparagus from seeds? The photo shows a variant of the early home, when each seed is planted in a separate pot. This is best done in April-May. If you sow immediately on the beds, then to get a good harvest, the germinated seeds are laid to a depth of 3 cm in the ground, placing them 5 cm apart in a row.

A distance of at least 20 centimeters is maintained between rows, otherwise it will be inconvenient to thin out elongated seedlings. And this must be done immediately after the appearance of the first sprouts, since asparagus roots grow rapidly, and it is impossible to pull them out of the soil without damaging their neighbors.

Asparagus shoot care

Care for young shoots of asparagus is traditional for most vegetable crops - this is top dressing, weeding, watering and loosening the earth. At the time of germination, they are fed with ammonium nitrate, and 3 weeks after that, they are fertilized with liquid manure.

Already in September, in the first year of life, the seedlings have 2-3 stems. Peat and compost make excellent plant mulch winter period. And gardeners have enough time to prepare permanent beds for transplanting asparagus.

Preparing a permanent bed

Preparation of a permanent bed for asparagus is carried out in several stages. Autumn digging should be deep enough - 35 centimeters, and spring is accompanied by the introduction of manure (10 kg of fertilizer per 1 sq.m.). Mineral compositions can be applied in the fall, or immediately before planting seeds. In this case, for 1 sq.m of soil you will need: 3 g 2 g 5 g of superphosphate. You can use ready-made complex fertilizers.

Planting seedlings on a permanent bed

You already know how to grow asparagus from seeds. And how are seedlings planted on permanent beds? To do this, furrows are made in the soil about 40 centimeters wide and deep, keeping a distance of a meter and a half between them. A layer of rotted manure and a humus roller 5-7 centimeters thick are laid on the bottom, on which seedlings are placed. It is important to straighten the branched roots so that they do not lift up.

The distance between individual seedlings should be at least 40 centimeters. In the process of growing asparagus, the furrow will be leveled by pouring earth from the edges. In addition to summer top dressing in September, when potassium and phosphorus are needed. Every 5 years, the soil is fertilized with organic matter, for example, rotted manure. Mulching is carried out for the winter, after cutting the stems.

Harvesting

Knowing how to grow asparagus from seed at home personal plot, now you need to figure out when you can harvest it. Begin cutting shoots in the 2nd year; moreover, white shoots that have reached the surface of the covering layer are considered ready, and green shoots that have grown by 15-18 centimeters.

The very first harvest lasts 2-3 weeks, and then the vegetable is harvested for a month and a half every day. You can store fresh asparagus for several weeks in the refrigerator in plastic bags.

In general, knowing simple rules, you can grow your own various varieties juicy asparagus. Incidentally, it is noted that female plants give thick and tender shoots, and male - a bountiful harvest.

Asparagus is a sought-after vegetable crop, often referred to as royal. And she got such a name for a reason. The most famous representative of the Asparagus family has a unique composition. It contains ascorbic acid, carotene, magnesium, iron, calcium, selenium and many vital substances for humans. Have you been dreaming of planting asparagus in your garden for a long time? This article will help you!

Asparagus - perennial vegetable plant, which is valued for unpretentiousness and frost resistance. It reaches a height of 1.5 m. It can grow in one place up to 25 years, forming more than 60 shoots during this time.

The stems of asparagus are highly branched, the roots are well developed, powerful. The flowers are small, collected in racemose inflorescences. The fruit is a berry with seeds hidden in a thick skin.

Young shoots that have just emerged from the ground are suitable for food. If buds appear on them, then the branches become hard and unsuitable for consumption. The crop yield is modest (up to 12 shoots for the whole season). It is this circumstance that explains high price for asparagus. But the cost fully justifies the content.

A few sprigs of asparagus (the second name of asparagus) is a source of valuable substances that have a beneficial effect on the work of all internal organs.

When can you plant?

Asparagus is planted in spring or autumn. In the spring - until the buds germinate. Before planting, the soil is fertilized with humus (10 kg per 1 m2). Dig a trench 30 cm, carefully straighten the roots, cover with soil and water abundantly. Optimal distance between holes - 60 cm.

If you plant in the fall, then carefully dig the soil and add superphosphate (60 gr.), Potassium sulfate (30 gr.), Ammonium sulphate (20 gr.) Per square meter. The distance between trenches is the same as for spring planting.

Pay attention to one important point. When planting in spring, plant so that the plant is in a recess, which will help maintain the desired humidity. In autumn, on the contrary, form a small mound - this will protect the roots from frost.

How to plant?

There are several methods of planting asparagus. Let's take a closer look at them and decide which one is the best.

asparagus from seed

Many gardeners consider this method the most time consuming due to poor germination. Actually it is not. When technology is followed, problems rarely arise.

Work begins at the end of April. First, the seeds are soaked in water for 2 days, then for 2 hours in a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Prepare soil mixture, consisting of garden soil, sand, manure, peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1 and spread the seeds on the surface. Lightly sprinkle with the substrate, spray with a spray bottle and wait for germination, remembering to constantly moisten the soil. You can cover the landing with glass, creating a greenhouse effect.

The temperature should be kept at +26 degrees. Seeds germinate for a long time - 6 weeks. So be patient. Asparagus can be transferred to a permanent place of residence in the middle of summer.

Root Asparagus

Root growing asparagus is the fastest and therefore the most common option. In this case, the probability of rooting is 99%. Experts advise planting asparagus before winter. The soil should be prepared: remove weeds, dig, fertilize. If you decide to grow asparagus in the spring, then the soil is flavored with compost (10 kg per 1 m2).

The rhizome is bought a day before planting. Choose strong-looking, brown-grey roots.

Soak them in warm water for 30 minutes. Dig trenches 30x30 cm. When planting in several rows, the interval between them is 0.5 m.

Pour a nutrient substrate into the center of the pit, lay the roots there at a distance of 30 cm from each other, sprinkle with earth and water. As the asparagus grows, the soil will settle - be sure to add new soil. When the trench is filled to the top, sprinkle dry foliage, sawdust, or tree bark on top.

Asparagus by dividing the bush

Asparagus can be grown by dividing the bush. This method is acceptable for any time of the year. It is better to divide the bush during transplantation. So, young asparagus is transplanted annually, adult - 1 time in 10 years. One shoot is planted in the prepared holes with an interval of 50 cm.

The roots should be 10 cm below the ground. If you decide to plant plants in one line, then all perennials located nearby will have to be eliminated.

The nuances of forcing asparagus

How to get asparagus in winter or early spring? For this, the rhizomes of plants at the age of 5-6 years are dug up in the fall and cleaned in the basement until winter. The temperature should be kept at +2 degrees.

In early December, they are planted in a greenhouse. Planting density is high. At least 20 pieces per square meter. Seedlings fall asleep with humus and cover with polyethylene. For the first week, keep the temperature at around +10 degrees. After the rhizomes begin to grow, the temperature is raised to +18 degrees. The temperature regime is maintained throughout the entire harvest time.

How to care?

You need to water often, but in minimal portions. Asparagus can't stand standing water - watch out for that. It is better to loosen the soil immediately after irrigation. 30 days after planting, an aqueous infusion of mullein is introduced into the soil. At the end of June, the earth is fertilized with superphosphate, urea and potassium salt (30 g of each item per 1 m2).
During flowering sprayed with insecticides. In July (when the shoots begin to grow again), plants can be pampered with minerals or organic matter. The fourth time they are fed until frost (in October), using complex fertilizers.

In autumn, the old stems are cut off, the lower ones are spudded and sprinkled with peat or compost. Bottom part must be well covered, at least 5 cm high. This will help the plants survive the winter. On the 2nd and 3rd year of life, in the spring, asparagus is fertilized with complex mineral supplements (30 g per 1 m2).

A little about harvesting

Shoots that are eaten appear in the 4th year of life. Harvested in May, if the winter was warm, then in April. You can break out the asparagus when it begins to lift the crust of the soil. Did you see cracks in the ground? Carefully dig the soil and, when you see a seedling, cut it off. Do not hurt young shoots and roots. Fill the holes that appear after cutting with soil.

In the first year, try to harvest a month in advance - a long harvest will weaken the young plants. From old bushes can be collected until the end of June. The higher the thermometer, the faster the asparagus develops. However, after the shoots hatch from the ground, they change color and begin to crumble.

In order not to lose the harvest, harvest asparagus twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. After harvesting, the trenches are leveled, the soil is fertilized with ammonium nitrate or slurry.

That's all you need to know in order to be able to grow healthy asparagus. Put the acquired knowledge into practice, and the queen of the beds will always be favorable to you - you will be provided with valuable vitamins and microelements!

Video review of the asparagus harvest

Vegetable culture today is considered exotic in Russia. Many housewives grow it in flower beds, not realizing the valuable and useful substances of the culture that is loved by supporters of a healthy diet. The question of how asparagus grows can be answered: the plant prefers sunny, calm areas. Feels good under fruit trees, as it reaches technical maturity before the foliage appears. Growing asparagus from seeds vegetatively. The collection of shoots begins from the third season.

Experienced gardeners winter landing asparagus bushes in a pre-prepared place. The bed is dug up and fertilized with a mixture of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate. In the spring, they prefer to plant pre-soaked seeds with the use of growth stimulants. This process occurs in early April, and seedlings appear after two months. Seedlings are moved to a permanent place of growth in the second half of June.

Reproduction by cuttings

For this type of reproduction, cuttings are cut from last year's shoots and placed in wet sand. It is advisable to equip the landings with a cap constructed from a plastic bottle.

Before rooting, the cuttings should be aired and sprayed, and after one or two months, transplanted into separate containers.

Reproduction of asparagus is possible by dividing the bush. In this case, all divisions must be with shoots.

How to plant asparagus

Asparagus is planted in open ground in early June under the protection of fences or building walls. The culture does not tolerate soil with high occurrence groundwater, but yields crops in one place without transplanting up to a quarter of a century. Therefore, a permanent place should be chosen. Perfect option- fertile sandy soil, which is prepared in advance. In autumn, weeds are removed from the ridges, compost, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added and dug up. After the snow melts, the site should be harrowed and fertilized with wood ash and ammonium nitrate.

When planting asparagus seedlings in open ground, prepare holes 30 x 40 cm deep 30 cm, with an interval of one meter. The holes are covered with loose earth and the plant is planted, shortening the roots to 3 cm. Compact the soil, water and mulch.

Where to plant asparagus

Since the culture grows in one place up to 25 years, the most high performance yields are achieved in the first years, then stabilize and decline after 10 years. They pick up a well-lit corner in the garden, where cereals and potatoes grew before.

Medicinal herbs and spices can be grown nearby.

If the seedlings are placed near the fence, they are protected from the negative impact of weeds from the street by digging in sheets of tin or slate.

The soil in the garden should be loose to ensure free access of air to the roots. Heavy, clay soils are corrected by adding coarse sand. It is enough to plant five or six asparagus bushes in the country to provide a whole family with a product. In the case of a close occurrence of groundwater, a high ridge is equipped. The acidity of the soil is reduced with the help of bone or dolomite flour, notice.

How to grow asparagus from seeds

Growing a crop in open ground occurs in several ways. Sowing with seeds is a long process due to delayed germination, so planting seedlings on a bed is preferred. To do this, the seeds are soaked in warm water for 3-4 days, changing the water to fresh twice a day. The swollen seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth until the sprouts peck. Then containers are prepared with a soil mixture of two parts of sand and one part of peat, garden soil and rotted manure.

Sowing is carried out in grooves to a depth of 2 mm, seeds are laid out at a distance of 5 cm from each other. The container is installed in a well-lit place with an ambient temperature of +25 degrees. With daily watering shoots appear after a week. Features of care for sprouts - peat powder. Two-week-old seedlings are fed with a complex mineral fertilizer of moderate concentration.

Sprouting seeds in the sand

Seeds are planted in a plastic container with a lid in early spring. The container is filled river sand 5 mm and slightly moisturize. The seeds are laid out on the surface with an interval of one millimeter and slightly deepened with a spoon. If the container is without a lid, it is placed in a polyethylene bag and left at a positive temperature.

The location of the crops does not matter, as they do not need lighting.

Dried sand needs to be moistened. After a week, sprouts sprout, then you should open the container and put it on the windowsill.

picking

Asparagus seedlings are dived when they become crowded. When transplanting, it is necessary to provide each plant with a growing area of ​​​​5 x 5 cm. You can purchase ready-made soil or mix peat and garden soil in equal proportions. Seedlings are planted together with a clod of soil and deepened a little. Seedlings tend to stretch out and bend down to the ground, this is a temporary phenomenon.

Growing seedlings of asparagus

At the end of May, the seedlings begin to harden off, exposing them to the open air, first for one hour, gradually increasing to 12 hours. In early June, the asparagus will be ready for planting in beds 30-40 cm high and one meter wide. Between the rows leave a distance of 60 cm, separating the seedlings from each other by 40 cm.

When growing asparagus, it is necessary to take into account the ability of some varieties to withstand short-lived severe frosts in adulthood, over four years. Young plants are harmed by a temperature of -25 degrees.

How does asparagus grow from roots?

The root propagation method is the fastest, most efficient and popular. Landing takes place before winter or spring. Rhizomes are bought or used growing on the site. After digging out of the ground, divide them into parts and soak for half an hour in warm water.

A half-meter distance is maintained between rows. A nutrient substrate is poured in the center of the hole, into which the roots are placed at intervals of 30 cm. The plantings are covered with earth, watered and mulched with sawdust, tree bark or dry leaves.

Preparing the soil for transplanting seedlings

When seedling method cultivation requires autumn preparation of the site. The need for soil fertilization is the introduction of manure and fertilizing containing potassium and phosphorus. Acidic soils are deoxidized with chalk or liming, after which the ridges are dug up.

seedling care

Asparagus needs abundant moisture immediately after disembarkation. Then the plants need to be watered from time to time, you need to remove weeds.

To stimulate growth, the shoots must be fed with a solution of slurry prepared from one part of manure and six parts of water.

Three weeks later, bird droppings are added, diluted tenfold with water. Top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer is carried out in the fall. For the winter, asparagus is cut to a height of 2.5 cm, spud and covered with dry leaves and humus.

The soil around the plants needs regular loosening in order to provide the root system with oxygen. The procedure is carried out monthly, with caution, due to the superficial location of the roots.

Neighborhood with parsley, green onions, dill has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of asparagus.

Diseases and pests of asparagus

Garden plants are subject to:

• Fusarium, which is a type of root rot. Appears from waterlogging of the soil.
• Vegetable rust. A disease caused by fungi inhibits development and kills plants left untreated.
• Rhizoctonia. A rare disease transmitted from carrots requires preventive treatment due to the proximity of this crop.
• Asparagus leaf beetle that eats leaves.
• An asparagus fly that burrows through young plants. Insect pest lays larvae that destroy plantings.
• Garden slugs that eat all parts of asparagus, not disdaining old and coarsened shoots.

To avoid such phenomena, timely treatment with appropriate drugs is necessary. Help from pests preventive measures in the form of spraying with Karbofos, which has low toxicity and is suitable for protecting various horticultural crops.

Harvesting asparagus

Asparagus is suitable for consumption in the 3-4th year. It is necessary to cut the asparagus after the rhizomes rise above the soil surface. If the winter was not too frosty, and the spring came early, the harvest begins in April. Twenty-centimeter shoots are cut. No more than three stems are harvested from the plant. Cleaning lasts 14 days. In subsequent seasons, it is permissible to cut up to 10 shoots from each plant in a month and a half.

Stems are supposed to spud, remove weeds from the site and make mineral supplement. Rhizomes give out new shoots that develop and form buds before the onset of cold weather.

Cut asparagus is moved to get rid of unsuitable stems and placed in heat. Leaves smooth, creaky stems with a noticeable sheen. Then wrapped in a damp cloth and stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in another dark cool place for up to 3-4 months. Strong-smelling products give off their odors to shoots, so their neighborhood should be excluded. Vertical placement is recommended to avoid deformation.

Many gardeners store their crops in the cellar by spreading them out wooden boxes, pouring layers of sand.

Cut off the ends of asparagus intended for long-term storage. Products are placed in a hermetically sealed container and placed in a refrigerator with temperature regime 0…-20 degrees. Such conditions help preserve color and nutrients. Freezing of pre-boiled asparagus is allowed.

Asparagus is popular not only as a food product, but also as a garden decoration. An ornamental plant harmoniously complements flower arrangements.