We’ve talked about starting seeds for our annual vegetable plants, but what about perennial vegetables, and by perennial vegetables, I mean asparagus. Growing asparagus can seem intimidating to some gardeners, but once you get a hold of a few concepts, it’s really pretty problem free. Plus, once you get your plants established, they can produce for up to 15 years.

While you can grow asparagus from seed, most of us are going to begin by planting what is known as an asparagus crown. Asparagus crowns are the root portion of the plant, and these can be purchased while the plant is in a dormant stage. Most garden centers should have asparagus crowns available now. If not, there’s always online ordering.

Asparagus isn’t too picky about when it can be planted. You can plant these crowns in the late fall, winter, or early spring. So now is a good time to get organized if you are wanting to try some asparagus.

As far as varieties go, OSU recommends Jersey Knight, Mary Washington, and U.C. 157 since testing has revealed these varieties work well in our growing conditions.

When you are trying to decide where to plant your asparagus crowns, you need to be pretty sure about the location. Asparagus plants can have very long roots, possibly ten feet long. That’s quite a bit of digging to be able to transplant successfully.

When planting these asparagus crowns, you should dig a hole about 6 inches deep, placing the crown at the bottom of the hole, but only cover the crown with about 3 inches of soil. The following year, you can level up the ground.

The process of preparing your asparagus for optimal harvesting takes about 3 years. During the first year, don’t plan on harvesting any asparagus. Just let it grow and continue to get established. We want the plant to concentrate on growing roots rather than producing a harvest.

The asparagus stalks we do not eat are called ferns and these ferns can grow to about 3 to 4 feet in height. Nice, healthy ferns are a sign of a good crop the following year since this is the time they are storing up energy for next year. People will probably be curious about this fern like plant, thinking maybe it’s dill. You’ll have the opportunity to do some educating of your neighbors and friends.

During the second year, you can harvest asparagus spears for about 2 to 3 weeks but stop there since that will be about all the existing root system can support. During the third year, you can harvest for about 4 to 6 week and after that you can harvest for about 8 to 12 weeks. But, after these periods of harvest, let the spears grow to become ferns so they can store up energy for next year.

After harvesting your fresh asparagus spears, keep them in the refrigerator. Without this they can become tough and lose nutrients.

One fun thing about growing asparagus is that you can almost watch them grow, sometimes inches in a single day. So, if you have some garden space and would like to try growing asparagus, if you establish them well, you’ll be enjoying them for years to come. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Ohio State Seed Lab