ASPARAGUS [Asparagus officinalis]

In my city garden, I only had a 20 foot row of asparagus. It was just enough to snack on while working in the garden, (yes, I love crunching away at it raw!) and to MAYBE get one or two meals out of it. On this farm I have 400 feet of it for the market garden. Pretty sure it will be enough.

I have both green, variety Millenial, and purple, variety Purple Passion, at JCFS. I will be offering crowns each spring for the nursery and fresh cut seasonally for the farm market and CSA. 

CulinarY

Asparagus is a member of the lily family. It is high in folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and plant fiber. It may help lower blood pressure, can act as a prebiotic and may help relieve inflammatory conditions. High in purines, which increase the production of uric acid, asparagus can increase issues with kidney stones and gout. 

If you are allergic to garlic and chives, you may be allergic to asparagus, too. 

An 80g (about 5 spears) portion of asparagus (boiled) provides:

2.7g protein
0.6g fat
1.1g carbohydrates
1.5g fibre
176mg potassium
311mcg carotene
138mcg folate
8mg vitamin C

Some people comment that asparagus has a strong smell. Its asparaguisic acid, when broken down through cooking, creates sulphur containing compounds, causing the smell.

Asparagus freezes well. 

GrowinG

Asparagus is one of those amazing early-season vegetables that herald the gardening season is upon us. It is a perennial vegetable and crowns can produce for 10 or more years. The spears are the immature ferns.

Asparagus is dioecious, meaning it has both male and female plants. Male types produce more spears than female plants do. The female plant will produce the red berries with seeds. 

Since asparagus is long-lived, doing your bed up right in the beginning is important. They like a well-drained and light, sandy soil. They hate competition, so keeping your bed weed free is important. They should not be rotated into a bed that previously had onion, chive or another member of the same family to reduce the chance of disease spread. 

Purple Passion produces big spears, so keeping spacing to only 8 inches between crowns will keep the size restrained to produce smaller spears. Purple Passion is sweeter than the green varieties. Green varieties should be spaced 12-18 inches apart. For both, rows should be at least 5 feet apart to allow the ferns the space they need and to ensure proper spear size.

Check your soil before planting and add lime as needed to achieve a ph level of 6.5-7.0. Dig a 6 inch deep furrow and add an inch of compost to the bottom. Add an inch of soil. Crowns should be spread out over a cone of soil with 2 inches of soil over the top of the crown. As they grow and spears emerge the first year, soil should be continued to be piled on them so they just peak through until it is about 6 inches deep over the crown.

New asparagus plantings need good irrigation for the first two or three seasons. Drought stress can reduce yields. Organic mulches such as leaves, grass clippings, or straw can be applied 4-6 inches deep to help suppress weeds. My favorite is comfrey cuttings.

Asparagus beetles are their nemesis, but cutworms, grasshoppers and aphids are also a danger. Crown rot can be caused by overharvesting, growing in acidic or waterlogged soils and excessive pet pressure. Needle blight creates rust colored ovals on the ferns and causes the ferns to die. 

Do not harvest the first year. The 2nd year after planting, asparagus can be harvested for 2 weeks. Harvest spears that are as thick as a #2 pencil or larger every 2-3 days. Leave the spindly ones and do not over harvest. The ferns store the energy for the next year's growth. Three years after planting you can harvest for 5-8 weeks. Yields will increase each year if the plant is managed properly.

Harvest in the morning by snapping the spear off when around 7 inches high and the spear tip is still tight. Using a knife can spread disease between plants. Harvest spears before a predicted freeze. Harvested spears need to be placed in cold water to flash chill, drained and immediately refrigerated to maintain quality. The season is usually mid-April until the first of June.

Do not cut back ferns until they are thoroughly dead. Cut and burn to reduce disease and pest issues. Mulching over winter can help protect the crowns.

FinaL

Some people do not like asparagus. I KNOW. Weirdos. It's one of my spring time culinary joys. I eagerly anticipate the spears poking up their little heads. The adult gardner's version of anticipating Santa's arrival. It's a very similar feeling when you see that first "present." 

Asparagus is one of those plants that needs babied it's first couple of years, and then is off and running. They take up a lot of bed space, produce for a short time (although very well), and are really only able to be frozen for storage, not canned. Again, taking up valuable space. But are they worth it? Absolutely!!

sPECS

Asparagus officinalis

Type: Perennial

Uses: Culinary vegetable

Hardiness Zone:

Days to Maturity: 3 years from planting

Plant out: In spring as soon as soil can be worked or fall

Crown Prep: Keep in fridge until ready to plant

Crown Depth: 2 inches to start, 6 inches after growth

Growing Temp: 50 degrees

Height: 4 feet

Spacing: 12-18 inches green, 8 inches purple

Spread: 24 inches

Sunlight: Full sun

Water Requirements: Well irrigated first 3 years, drought tolerant after 3 years

Soil Quality: Well drained, loose, sandy

Soil Chemistry: Slightly acidic 6.5-7.0 pH

Crop Rotation: Do not plant where other allium and onions have been planted for the last year, preferably last 3 years

Fertilize: Top dress lightly with compost in spring, add nitrogen in spring

Growth Rate: Quick to grow, slow to mature

Bloomtime: Summer

Flowers: Berries just seem to appear. There must be flowers, but I've never noticed them.

Leaf color: Leaf green

Critter Attractant: None

Attracts: Rabbits, squirrels and other animals will eat new shoots 
Critter Resistant: Listed as deer resistant, but they will eat it if nothing better is around, especially new shoots

Harvest: Spears over pencil size for 2 weeks at 2 years after planting, 5-7 weeks 3 years of planting and beyond

Pruning: Remove spent ferns by early spring; remove and burn to reduce disease

Mulch: Mulch 6-8 inches with straw, leaves, grass clippings to reduce weeds and offer protection in winter

Pests: Asparagus beetle, aphids, grasshopper, cutworms

Diseases: Crown rot, needle blight

Reseeds: Yes, if you have female plants

Propagation: Crowns from new growth, seed

Storage: For long-term storage, store crowns in a dark room as close to 32F as possible

Preservation: Freeze for long-term storage

Garden Style: Vegetable

Companions: Not garlic, it can stunt asparagus

Allergy Potential: Yes, people with allium allergies are allergic to onions, shallots, garlic

Cullinary Use: Side vegetable

Medicinal: Vitamins, reduce inflammation

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-asparagus

https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6405

GARLIC

Garlic has been found in Egyptian tombs and evidence found of its use in most major empires over the last 5000 years. It is one of the most commonly used flavorings in the world. Many of our dishes would taste very differently if we didn't have garlic. 

It is an easy vegetable to grow that packs a powerful punch. Garlic comes in two subspecies - softneck and hardneck. Within these are 10 types and over 100 varieties. This year I'm growing several varieties of each. Elephant garlic is actually not a garlic, but a type of leek. 

GROWING

Garlic may be one of the easiest things to grow. As long as it has loose soil and enough sun, it will pretty much do its thing. Getting the best bulbs, takes a bit more work, but not much. The key is to plant it at the right time, which can be tricky. For instance, I planted mine really late this year, only a week before our first freeze, yet we've been in the 50's for several days since, and now, at the end of November, I've got scapes showing through my straw. Not really what we want.

The goal is to plant garlic about a month before the first freeze, as soon as soil temperature gets below 60 degrees. This allows the roots to grow enough to lock in and keep the bulb from heaving with freeze. However, it should keep the bulb from producing scapes [leaves] as that takes usually 6-8 weeks of warm weather. With the scapes already up, I may not get as large of bulbs to harvest next summer, especially on the softneck varieties. I'll be adding mulch as necessary to keep the leaves covered until spring.

Mine are planted in compost, so they are well fertilized. A top dressing of compost is recommended in the spring and a good dose of nitrogen fertilizer given when the leaves show in the spring, or in my case, when mulch is removed.

Garlic has few pests or diseases and those are rarely a problem.

For the biggest bulbs, scapes need to be removed before getting woody. These can be eaten, and are sold at a premium as they only occur once a year and are delicious and highly sought after. Softneck varieties usually don't create scapes, but may in stressful growing conditions.

A standard inch of water a week is fine for them. It is important that watering be stopped the last 3 weeks before harvest so that the bulbs don't rot when harvested. Once dug up, they require a curing period of 3-4 weeks in a shady spot or inside in a low moisture and well ventilated area before storing. Garlic, especially hardneck, store best and longest at as close to freezing temperature as possible.

If replanting the bulbs in late fall after early summer harvest, they need to be stored at room temperature in the dark.

 USES

As a companion plant, garlic has disease preventative properties with some plants and insect and pest repellant properties due to its high sulphur compounds. However, these same compounds can be harmful to other plants. 

It is also used as a non-toxic insecticide for issues such as red mites on chickens and as a decoction spray on plants. 

Garlic can also be fermented into black garlic, which has a very distinct flavor of its own.

sPECS

Allium Sativum

Type: Perennial

Uses: Culinary, companion planting, pest control

Hardiness Zone: 4-9

Days to Maturity: About 9 months if planted in fall, look at browning of lower leaves

Plant out: In fall a month before last frost or spring as soon as ground can be worked

Bulb Prep: Chilled if planting in spring

Bulb Depth: 3 inches

Growing Temp: 50 degrees

Height: 1-1 1/2 feet

Spacing: 6-8 inches

Spread: 6-12 inches

Sunlight: Full sun

Water Requirements: Moist, well-drained, no water last 2-3 weeks before harvest

Soil Quality: Well drained, loose, but not picky, grows better in richer soil

Soil Chemistry: Slightly acidic 6.0-7.0 pH

Crop Rotation: Do not plant where other allium and onions have been planted for the last year, preferrably last 3 years

Fertilize: Top dress lightly with compost in spring, add nitrogen in spring

Growth Rate: Should show sprouts within 6-8 weeks

Bloomtime: Spring

Flowers: White, pink or purple spherical, complex

Leaf color: Leaf green

Critter Attractant: None

Attracts: N/A unless allowed to flower, which you shouldn't
Critter Resistant: Rabbits, moles, mice, deer, most animals

Harvest: Bulbs when lower leaves turn brown, do not pull up by leaves, dig underneath bulbs and pry up gently as bulbs bruise easily. Lay out to dry and cure for 3-4 weeks in a shady covered outside spot or inside

Pruning: Remove scapes to eat before they turn woody

Mulch: Mulch 6-8 inches with straw after planting

Pests: Leek moth, bulb mites, leafminer, onion maggot, thrips, nematodes

Diseases: Botrytis porri, white rot fungus, pink root

Reseeds: Yes, but you'll get bigger bulbs if you remove scapes/flower stalks

Propagation: Bulb division provides best results, store bulbs in dark at room temperature with a humidity of around 70% for best results

Storage: For long-term storage, store in a dark room as close to 32F as possible, stores best with leaves and bulbs left intact, softnecks can be braided and hung

Garden Style: Vegetable

Companions: Acts as a pest and disease repellant for roses, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and spinach. However, it can stunt the growth of peas, asparagus, parsley, sage, and beans

Allergy Potential: Yes, people with allium allergies are allergic to onions, shallots, garlic

Cullinary Use: One of the most used curlinary flavorings world wide

Other: Repels vampires, and if eaten often enough or raw, everyone else as well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

https://www.thespruce.com/grow-great-garlic-3016629

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265853#uses

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic

vhttps://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-garlic-benefits#1.-Contains-more-antioxidants