Plant your bed of asparagus crowns in either early spring or fall
Sourcing asparagus crowns is easiest in early spring
For fall planting divide established asparagus crowns and plant them before freezing temperatures set in
You can lightly harvest asparagus after two years
It takes three years of nurturing your asparagus plants to produce strong, thriving plants that can withstand normal harvesting
To keep your asparagus bed going, add new crowns in with the old ones every three to five years to refresh your bed
You will want about 10 to 12 plants per person for fresh eating
Asparagus beds will occupy the same spot for 20 years or more, so think carefully about where it will go
Asparagus can tolerate some shade, but full sun produces the most vigorous plants and helps minimize disease
Asparagus does best in fertile, lighter soils that warm up quickly in spring and drain well
Any organic garden soil will work, or good aged compost if your soil structure is already light with good water and nutrient retention
Growing your own asparagus will take time when first starting
It requires patience of at least 2 years before you will be able to harvest any crop
But, once established, asparagus is an easy vegetable that will reproduce for years