Asparagus growing from seeds. Caring for a fruit-bearing plantation

Growing asparagus in the garden is not common. If they grow this useful, but still very exotic vegetable, then in large farms and agricultural companies for sale. The thing is that growing this perennial crop is quite troublesome. First of all, you need to find suitable planting material, wait a couple of years for a stable harvest and be sure to follow simple but specific rules of agricultural technology.

However, it’s worth trying to grow asparagus in your garden, because this delicacy is valued by gourmets around the world for its beneficial medicinal properties.

Asparagus, or Asparagus, is a perennial crop that can reach an age of 20 years. We are all familiar with decorative asparagus shoots - lush, delicate green panicles, which are widely used in bouquets, successfully complementing any floral arrangement.

Along with decorative ones, there are also vegetable varieties; they practically do not differ in appearance, decorative varieties can also be eaten, but vegetable asparagus is juicier and more delicate in taste.

Asparagus is edible by young shoots that grow from the rhizome in the spring, and the green vegetative mass is not consumed as food and is needed only for photosynthesis. It is believed that it is not practical to grow asparagus from seeds - the seedlings will yield a harvest only in the third year. Therefore, it is better to plant with rhizomes (among agronomists they are called rosettes), which should be completely underground.

Growing Asparagus
If you want to grow asparagus as a vegetable plant for food, one bush will not be enough. For all its unpretentiousness, asparagus has certain preferences. The soil should warm up well. Optimal temperature for growing asparagus, 15-24 degrees Celsius.

Starting to grow asparagus is quite difficult. It is young plants that are extremely sensitive to frost. However, if you choose frost-resistant male forms of asparagus (and within each variety there are variants of female and male forms), they are much more frost-resistant, some varieties can withstand up to -30 ° C without strong shelter. Such cold-resistant forms, once rooted in a sufficiently deep trench bed, can grow for several years and produce crops from certain shoots each year.

It is very easy to distinguish male plants from female ones. Male plants do not form berries, they are better developed, have a large number of shoots, but their stems are quite thin. Female plants have thick stems, but there are significantly fewer of them.

Asparagus grows well after grains and those crops that require deep digging of the soil, such as potatoes.

In the fall, after pruning, it is useful to rake the mound to allow the roots to breathe.

Sowing asparagus seeds for seedlings
Before sowing, it is recommended to soak asparagus seeds in water at a temperature of 30-35 °C. Changing the water daily, leave the seeds for 3-5 days before biting. Then first dry the seeds and then sow them.

In March, you can sow asparagus seeds in peat-humus pots measuring 6 by 6 cm. After sowing, the pots are placed in a bright and warm place. Seedlings grown in this way are planted in open ground in early June. Do not forget to water the planted seedlings regularly.

When asparagus rosettes from several shoots begin to form on the seedlings, they can be planted at a distance of 40 cm between plants and 20 cm between ridges.

Annual seedlings are most suitable for planting. When planting older seedlings, the yield is usually lower. The seedlings should be overgrown with thick roots and 5-6 buds.

Sowing in open ground
When preparing to sow seeds, they are soaked for a couple of days; the sprouted seeds will germinate faster.

When planting in a planting trench, it must be filled with rotted manure, sprinkled with soil, and vegetable asparagus seeds can be sown on top of this soil.

Sow seeds on beds at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. The distance between 2 ridges is about 30 cm. Then the seedlings will need to be thinned out, leaving the most strong plants, so that you get a 20 by 40 scheme, and remove the weak ones.

Preparing the area for asparagus
For asparagus, you should choose an area that is open, well-lit, heated and sheltered from the wind - this way the shoots will begin to form faster. Asparagus is contraindicated in close proximity groundwater. The depth of their level should be at least 1.4 m.

In addition, asparagus requires large quantity organics. From autumn it is recommended to apply approx. 6 kg of humus per 1 sq. m, and on sandy soils even more: 1-2 buckets.

Soil for asparagus
Asparagus can't stand it acidic soils. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out enrichment and liming of the soil in the fall under spring seedlings asparagus Also, the area for asparagus must first be cleared of perennial weeds and old rhizomes. A light soil texture is considered ideal for asparagus. It will not be superfluous to make sure that there are no fusarium pathogens on your site.

Asparagus can be grown flush with the soil surface by filling special trenches with dense, nutritious humus compost. But if the groundwater is too close, then it is better to raise the ridges 10-15 cm above the soil level.

Asparagus beds
In early spring, as soon as the snow melts, the ground is dug up and beds are made. The width of the bed should be approx. 1 m, the distance between them is left at least 40 cm. If the area is high and dry, ridges need not be made. Since the root system of asparagus penetrates deeply, it requires deep digging when preparing the soil. The processing depth can reach 1 m.

Planting asparagus in trenches
It is advisable to plant asparagus from north to south. Planting is carried out with rhizomes to a depth of 12-24 cm.

To plant asparagus, you need to prepare a planting hole or trench with a flat bottom 30 cm deep and 50 cm wide. The excavated soil remains along the edges of the furrow in the form of a shaft. Then the bottom of the furrow is dug up again, covering it with manure or compost (if you didn’t add organic matter in the fall). Then, at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, mounds approximately 10 cm high are raked at the bottom of the furrow and the rhizome is “sat” on them, directing the roots down and evenly distributing them on all sides of the mound. The asparagus head, located 10 cm below the soil surface, is covered with the roots with a 5 cm layer of soil and lightly pressed. Seedlings must be planted in moist soil. If planting is done in pots, then they need to be carefully placed on mounds.

The planting density is from 3 to 5 plants per 1 linear meter. Optimal width row spacing approx. 2 m.

Whether you need to form a ridge depends on whether you want white or green asparagus. Their color will depend on where the shoots form: underground they turn out white, and on the surface they turn out green. White ones are more valuable, but they are more difficult to grow, collect and store.

If you want to get white asparagus, you need to form a ridge 6-8 cm high immediately after planting, and in early spring next year raise it to 60 cm. Green asparagus is grown on a flat surface.

Caring for asparagus consists of constantly raking the soil, regular weeding and watering.

Watering and loosening asparagus
Despite the fact that asparagus does not like close occurrence groundwater, it is sensitive to watering, because during drought the shoots become bitter in taste, rough and fibrous. Do not allow the soil under the asparagus to dry out; constantly carry out deep irrigation, especially during the dry period and on young plantings, until the plants have formed a deep root system.

After heavy rainfall, it will be useful to carry out surface loosening to prevent the formation of a soil crust, which impedes the plant’s breathing. In addition, a dense crust on the surface can interfere with the germination of young asparagus seedlings.

However, be careful: deep loosening can damage the roots and fragile shoots of asparagus. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to dig up asparagus plantings with a pitchfork; it is better to use a wooden roller specially adapted for loosening asparagus with nails driven in no more than 2 cm long. With such a roller you can roll the surface of the mound where the asparagus grows several times - this will be enough for the plant to breathe normally. grew again.

Fertilizing asparagus
Asparagus loves fertile soils and needs good nutrition. To get thick, juicy sprouts, you need to feed it quite often. organic fertilizers over the summer with manure and herbal infusions.

A bucket of compost humus per plant will improve the taste and appearance of asparagus. The sprouts become whiter, bleached, and taste more tender. It is best to carry out such fertilizing in the fall, but it can also be done in May, when the first shoots already appear. You need to pour a mound of humus onto the ridge, using approximately 1 bucket per 1 plant.

Asparagus grows well under a layer of humus soil - the shoots will be bleached (they are also called etiolated).

The nitrogen requirement of asparagus is quite low, so it is not necessary to carry out intensive fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers. It is good if the soil is equally enriched with both macro and microelements. Deficiency of elements such as copper, borax, and potassium negatively affects the ability of asparagus to form juicy shoots

Every spring and autumn it is necessary to feed asparagus with organic matter and mineral fertilizers: add potassium, phosphorus and calcium. If necessary, shoots are mulched with humus or manure with soil. After fertilizing, the soil must be watered.

In autumn, under one- and two-year-old plants and fruit-bearing plantings, it is advisable to add superphosphate and 40% potassium salt at the rate of 300-500 g and 250-350 g, respectively, per 10 square meters. m. After applying fertilizer, the soil between the rows should be carefully loosened so as not to touch the roots and seedlings of asparagus.

Diseases and pests of asparagus
It is not recommended to grow asparagus in one place for more than 4 years; the plants begin to be affected by a specific asparagus disease - purple root rot. By growing asparagus in crop rotation with regular replanting of rosettes, this disease can be avoided. You should also carefully monitor the cleanliness planting material. Therefore, asparagus plantings should be regularly rejuvenated by digging up and discarding old plants and planting new plants obtained from seeds in a new place.

When to Harvest Asparagus
It is better not to touch the plant for the first two years so that it develops a good root system - when the roots are strong, they will lay down thick, juicy shoots. Asparagus is harvested when the sprouts are 12-20 cm long.

In warm weather, asparagus spears grow very quickly, and if you want bleached spears, you will have to cut them every morning and afternoon. The more seedlings you cut, the better - new ones grow more actively.

To harvest, you should use sharp knife or with pruning shears, scrape away the soil to reach the bleached parts of the shoots and cut out this dense shoot, leaving a small stump. Then the soil is raked again, adding humus compost to it.

Find out if asparagus grows well in your area. Asparagus grows best in areas that have either cold winters during which the ground freezes or very dry summers. Asparagus is a hardy and adaptable plant, but it has a much harder time growing in areas with mild winter and humid summers.

Decide whether to plant seeds or rhizomes. Asparagus seeds need to grow for 3 years before they can be harvested. During the first season, the seeds germinate and grow, and after that they spend 2 years sinking long, spongy roots deep into the soil. Once you plant the rhizome, you will skip the first season and go straight to establishing roots, so you only have to wait 2 years.

Asparagus is one of the most delicious and healthy vegetable crops, but the cost of the product is not always available. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to grow it yourself.

The plant has many attractive properties; the presence of a large number of amino acids and vitamins makes it indispensable in the diet. In addition, the first harvest can be harvested as early as April, so the crop is an early product.

Doctors recommend consuming this vegetable for diseases of the kidneys and vascular system. Because it contains substances that have a diuretic and blood purifying effect. Young, green shoots are suitable for food. As soon as the leaf buds open, the plant becomes unsuitable for food due to its density. Then asparagus is used in decorative purposes – flower arrangements often decorated with Christmas trees with orange berries.

Features of culture

If we consider the main varieties of asparagus, then two types are offered for cultivation - royal and Argentel. The first type is characterized by high productivity. Asparagus shoots grow in mid to late May. The second type of product is characterized by delicate pulp and pleasant taste.

The plant is also divided into male and female specimens. The peculiarity of the former is the yield, the latter – the softness of the trunk, they are much tastier. Asparagus is a perennial crop; a full harvest is obtained only in the fourth year after planting. At proper care and regular tillage of the soil per season, you can get up to 15 harvests, while the duration of fruiting is about 20 years.

In the photo you can see green asparagus, or so-called soup asparagus. The culture is widespread due to its ease of care and unique properties. It is rich in nutrients and contains much more B vitamins than bleached asparagus. That's why this type used for preparing first courses and side dishes.

The green variety is planted in shallow furrows so that the buds of the top do not reach 8 cm to the surface of the earth. The soil should not be cold, of normal acidity. Shoots that have reached a length of 20-25 cm are cut with a depth of 2 cm. The finished product is stored in the refrigerator.

Argentine asparagus is difficult to grow from seed on your own and requires a lot of space to ensure proper development. During the season, one specimen produces 9-12 shoots, which is only enough to prepare two servings of a side dish. High price The vegetable is explained by the need for large areas during cultivation, manual harvesting and the short shelf life of the product.

Plant requirements

In order to ensure the growth of asparagus from seeds, it is necessary to prepare the soil. The plant grows well in dry climates. It is important to fertilize the soil with manure in the fall and use compost in the spring. If the soil is characterized increased acidity, then liming is carried out. Directly during the planting process, superphosphate and potassium salt are used.

Growing asparagus by seeds can be done in two ways:

• in open ground;
• previously in greenhouse conditions.

The first option is carried out in late April - early May. Then the soil is carefully prepared, for which humus, ash and superphosphate are placed in the dug grooves. The next layer should be manure, leaves and turf. After burying the fertilizer, the soil is loosened. Asparagus is sown in such soil, for which the prepared grains are deepened by 3 cm, and the distance between the specimens should be at least 5 cm.

The second situation allows you to create the most suitable conditions for the nascent sprout, then growing asparagus from seeds is most effective. By using greenhouse conditions you can correct the lack of light or the presence of drafts. Therefore, indoor cultivation is often carried out by residents of the northern regions. But, as a rule, the greenhouse serves only as a place for obtaining seedlings, and mature plants are transplanted into already prepared grooves.

Seed preparation and planting

At the end of February, asparagus seeds are soaked in warm water– this will speed up the germination period of the crop. The water temperature must be controlled, the optimal value is +30 C. Soak the specimens for five days, and change the water daily. Next, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth, constantly moistening it. Within a week, sprouts should appear.

After planting, the second period of plant development begins - within a month, asparagus should stretch 10-15 cm. It is important to regularly water and loosen the soil. In addition, you will have to thin out the plants when they reach a length of 15 cm. As a result, only strong and healthy shoots are left, the distance between specimens is 15 cm.

When growing asparagus with seeds on a windowsill, you need to plant a couple of seeds in peat pots. It is important to turn the seedlings to the light in different directions, then the specimens will develop normally. Around mid-May, the sprouts reach a length of 15 cm; they are transplanted to permanent place. After this, to get the first harvest, you will have to care for the plant for two years.

Planting asparagus seeds can be done under a film - this will speed up the development process of the plant. To do this, in early April, frames are placed on top of the asparagus, onto which polyethylene is stretched. Thanks to this, the soil quickly warms up and thaws. Then the plant begins to grow. With proper care, the harvest is obtained earlier, by about 10 days. When the environment warms up, the average daily temperature reaches +10̊ C, the film is removed.

Shoots form within a month; they begin to be cut off in May. Once the ends of the head reach the edge of the ridge, the asparagus must be harvested. To do this, dig up each shoot and cut it off special knife at the base. It is important not to damage nearby specimens. Then the ridge is filled again with the removed soil and compacted.

The shoots are cut off every 2 days; in the first fertile year, the collection lasts 20 days, in subsequent years - 1.5 months. At the same time, to preserve the fertility of asparagus, a maximum of 5 shoots are removed from one plant for 3 years, in the future it is allowed to increase their number to 16 pieces.

The harvested crop is sorted and the ends are cut off. To preserve the original taste and appearance The crop must be stored in the refrigerator at t 0-2̊ C.

It is easy to care for seedlings; just water and loosen the soil. Young plants are fed immediately after the first weeding with either mullein (diluted with water in a ratio of 1:6) or ammonium nitrate (20 g per 1 m2). During the summer, the same compositions are used for fertilizing, only 40 g of superphosphate are added per bucket of fertilizer.

To preserve plants during the cold period, the soil surface is covered with rotted manure or straw compost. With proper care, seedlings should be healthy, have a developed root system and 5-7 shoots.

After transplanting asparagus summer time The soil is loosened only 2-3 times, regularly weeded and watered. If necessary, treat the area for pests. The same fertilizing as in the case of seedlings will help speed up the growth of plants. In late autumn, the stem is cut off at the root and burned with pathogens. The remaining furrows are filled with humus or compost in a layer of 5-8 cm.

In the second year, after the shoots rise above ground level, sprinkle saltpeter and level the area, removing soil from the rows into the furrows. The remaining space can be planted with a compacting crop. This could be vegetable beans or celery. Thanks to the characteristics of these crops, the soil is additionally enriched with beneficial bacteria. In autumn, the stem is again completely cut off and burned, and the soil is covered with humus.

In the third year in the spring, ridges up to 30 cm high are arranged in the direction of the rows. To accurately determine the location of the asparagus, it is necessary to drive in pegs at the beginning and end of the furrow in advance. The furrows are hilled up, collecting soil from the inter-row spaces. It is important to compact the soil a little, then in places where cracks have appeared on the surface there will be shoots ready for harvesting.

Once every 3 years, lime or chalk is added to the soil, then the manure should be replaced with composted peat.

Pest protection

Before growing asparagus from seeds, it is worth knowing the main sources of damage to asparagus. The enemies of this culture are:

• fungal spores, subsequently causing the plant to turn yellow and wither. Then you should immediately remove the infected shoots and burn them;
• an asparagus fly that lays eggs on the scales of sprouts in the spring. After maturation, the larvae gnaw off the shoots, making them unfit for consumption. In the case of young plantations, it is necessary to treat the area with chlorophos or sevin. And it is important to remove and burn damaged plants in a timely manner;
• beetles that can be collected by hand. To do this, water is poured into a small container and the living creatures are thrown off the shoot. After cutting the shoots, the plant is pollinated with pyrethrum.

Today, most of us think seriously about what goes into our stomach as food. Modern man, burdened with endless stress, negative impact environment also suffers from a lack nutrients, vitamins and minerals in traditional foods. More and more often, outlandish vegetables and fruits appear on our table. And today we offer you material, the topic of which is growing asparagus, from seeds and using rhizome layering.

Composition of asparagus

Many will be surprised to learn that asparagus has long been present with us, but only in the form of decorating holiday bouquets - these are sprigs of asparagus or the so-called “Christmas tree”. And the young, non-woody shoots and berries of this plant are eaten.

No vegetable can compare with asparagus in terms of the amount of vitamins and minerals it contains. In 100 gr. asparagus contains:

• Beta-carotene (vitamin A) - 0.6 mg
• Thiamine (vitamin B1) - 0.1 mg
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2) - 0.1 mg
• Niacin (vitamin PP) - 1 mg
• Choline (vitamin B4) - 25 mg
• Folic acid (vitamin B9) - 140 mcg
• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) - 20 mg
• Potassium - 200 mg
• Calcium - 20 mg
• Magnesium - 20 mg
• Sodium - 40 mg
• Phosphorus - 60 mg
• Iron - 0.9 mg
• Manganese - 0.1 mg
• Copper - 0.1 mg
• Selena - 6 mcg

Thanks to this composition, asparagus is often recommended as medicine for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular and genitourinary diseases. The low calorie content of the vegetable (only 21 kcal) and high fiber content made it indispensable in the diet of diabetics and people suffering from excess weight. It has been noticed that young shoots of asparagus speed up the metabolism in the human body and help the process of eliminating toxins and waste. Asparagus is rightfully the favorite vegetable of all people who promote proper nutrition and those who care about their health, especially since it contains the most powerful antioxidant - glutathione, which prevents early aging.

Today, frozen and canned asparagus is sold in supermarkets all year round, and fresh asparagus does not appear on the shelves for long - for 6 - 8 weeks, from the beginning of April to the end of May. You can grow vegetables on your own personal plot However, this will require patience - the first harvest can only be harvested after 3 years. But all efforts will be more than rewarded with a stable and rich harvest of asparagus for 20 - 25 years.

Asparagus, the shoots of which are called asparagus, is cold-resistant, unpretentious plant, its fern-like leaves grow up to 1.5 m in height, and sometimes more. The plant prefers to grow on sandy loam, fertile soils. Asparagus forms many trunks, many of which are used for food, and the rest form a crown with a diameter of more than 1 meter. It is believed that a plant grown in northern regions, where the dormant period is several weeks longer, produces the most delicious shoots. Asparagus easily tolerates long-term frosts down to -30 C; short-term spring frosts down to -5 C or sudden temperature changes are dangerous for it, as they can damage young shoots. The spring awakening of asparagus begins when the earth warms up to +10 C; in July, inconspicuous inflorescences appear on the spreading crown, and already in August, asparagus is decorated with bright, first emerald, and then scarlet berries. If you decide to get asparagus for own plot, you have two alternatives: growing asparagus from seed and using cuttings from the rhizome of an adult plant.

Reproduction by rhizome layering

Naturally, when buying asparagus rhizomes, you can hope for almost 100% survival rate (as opposed to seed propagation). But asparagus rhizomes in the fall (with the branches cut off) are no different from the roots of other plants, so it will be very difficult for an inexperienced gardener to buy the “original”. You can ask the seller to find a rhizome with a longer stump, on which asparagus needles will be visible, or you can postpone planting the rhizome until spring, when asparagus shoots are clearly visible on the plant. Of course, it is preferable to plant the plant “before winter”, but in in this case It’s better to work hard in the spring and get the desired plant.

Before planting in a permanent place, it is necessary to prepare the soil. It’s good if a place for asparagus has been allocated since the fall - for example, you have prepared a dug up area with added fertilizers (60 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate and 15 g of ammonium sulfate per 1 m2). If there is none, then in the spring, you need to dig a trench 35 cm deep, 45 cm wide, and long according to the number of rhizomes - the distance between them should be at least 100 cm. Immediately before planting, humus can be added to the trench at the rate of 10 kg per 1 m3. Do not apply any other fertilizers into the trench, as they can burn the tender asparagus roots. Then the rhizomes are placed at the bottom of the trench, watered with melt water and covered with loose soil. If the plant is planted in the spring, then the rhizomes should be filled 5 cm below the edge of the trench in order to conveniently water the young plants. If plants are planted in the fall, then it is necessary to fill up the rhizomes, forming a hill above the trench to protect the rhizomes from frost.

A young plant needs abundant watering and loosening of the soil. During the summer, several feedings should be done. The first fertilization is carried out 3 weeks after planting with a solution of mullein and water in a ratio of 1:5. the second feeding is done after another 3 weeks with a solution of bird droppings and water in a ratio of 1:10. The third fertilizing is carried out at the end of August with a complex fertilizer intended for vegetable crops. Immediately before frost, all shoots are cut off to 2.5 cm from the ground, and the roots are covered with a layer of foliage or straw to protect them from frost. This ends 1 year of life of asparagus in your garden plot.

In the second year, in early spring, asparagus will tempt its owner with tender shoots, but it is not worth cutting them off yet - the plant is very weak and harvesting can lead to its death, and the shoots are still very thin. You should not cut off blossoming asparagus branches to decorate bouquets - you need to give the plant the opportunity to get stronger and prepare to give up half of its shoots in the spring. During the second year, the plant also needs watering, loosening and fertilizing.

Asparagus from seeds has a very low germination percentage, but if you follow all the nuances you can hope to get healthy plant. You should start growing seedlings in mid-April. To begin with, asparagus seeds are soaked for 2-3 hours in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then they are laid out for germination. It is a mistaken belief that asparagus seeds can be germinated in layers of fabric - they will, of course, germinate, but the fragile root will break when the seed is removed from the fabric. It is considered safest to germinate seeds in peat tablets or in damp fine sawdust not coniferous trees at a temperature of +25 C for 3 - 7 days. The hatched seed is sown in peat cup with a capacity of 100 - 200 ml in an earth mixture consisting of garden soil, rotted manure, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1. The depth of planting the seed should not exceed 2-3 cm. After 10 days, a miniature green Christmas tree will appear on the surface of the soil - this is the future asparagus. By mid-June, asparagus should reach 10 - 15 cm in height, which is when it should be planted in the ground. In the first year, asparagus can be planted at any comfortable spot. The root system is still very small, which means the planting depth will be small. And in order to harvest full-fledged asparagus, a more significant planting depth of the rhizome is required (at least 30 cm).

Caring for young asparagus grown from seed is no different from caring for planted root cuttings. In the same way, it needs to be watered, fed, pruned and covered for the winter. In April of next year, the asparagus should be transplanted to a permanent place, following all the techniques for planting root cuttings.

Harvesting

Starting from the third year, you can harvest asparagus - asparagus. On supermarket shelves there are white (ethiolated) and green asparagus, sometimes green with a purple tint. White asparagus has a more delicate taste, but is poor in composition, while green asparagus has a pleasant bitterness. You should know that both types of asparagus are shoots of the same plant, they are just grown differently. At the beginning of April, tender, juicy shoots sprout from the ground, which can be buried in soil or covered with light-proof material, and then you will harvest white asparagus. If this is not done, then asparagus will acquire green color. When the shoots reach 15 - 20 cm, they must be cut with a sharp knife at a distance of 2 - 3 cm underground or broken off with your hands closer to the soil surface. You cannot collect absolutely all the shoots - the plant will die. Acceptable norm Asparagus harvesting is considered to be 70% of the total number of shoots, and in the first year of harvesting - 50%. After cutting the crop, it is necessary to carefully loosen the soil so that the roots do not remain uncovered.

Asparagus diseases

Asparagus is a very disease-resistant plant. The only pest is the fungus Helicobasidium purpureum; it can infect all existing plants in literally a matter of days. A sign of the appearance of this disease is the death of the root collar of the plant, as a result of which seemingly healthy branches break and fall to the ground. To get rid of the fungus, it is necessary to treat the soil under diseased plants with Fundazol. In the event of a massive spread of the disease, all plants should be destroyed and only after 10 years can asparagus be grown in this place again. Plant health can also be threatened by asparagus leaf beetles - small black bugs whose larvae destroy foliage. To combat this pest, insecticides are used (Fitoverm, Aktelik, Fufanon).

Let's start with the fact that it is unlikely that it will be possible to grow full-fledged asparagus suitable for food on a windowsill. Its long root requires too much space. Therefore, asparagus is often found in apartments as ornamental plant, vegetable crops are usually planted in beds.

• Asparagus seeds take a very long time to germinate, so before sowing they are soaked in warm water for up to four days, changing the water twice a day. Moreover, the container with the sprouts should be kept warm so that the water temperature does not drop.
• After soaking, the swollen seeds are placed on damp burlap or other material and left there for about a week until the sprouts hatch (the seed must be moistened periodically).
• Young shoots are planted plastic cups or in a box filled with store-bought loose soil mixture. It is advisable to maintain a distance of 6 cm on each side between plants. It is enough to bury the seeds into the ground about two centimeters, no more.
• Containers with seedlings should be placed in a well-lit place; an additional light source will not hurt so that the plants gain strength faster.
• The emerging sprouts are lightly sprinkled with peat.
• After 10-15 days, complex mineral fertilizer is applied to the ground.
• For a month, the asparagus is watered, the soil is carefully loosened and the seedlings are turned with different sides to the light for uniform growth.
• When the stems reach 15 cm in height, the plantings should be thinned out, leaving the healthiest specimens at a distance of 10 cm from each other.

For a month, water the asparagus, carefully loosen the soil and turn the seedlings on different sides to the light for uniform growth

IN last numbers In May, seedlings must be hardened: every day, subject to good weather, place containers with plants outside. Hardening begins at one hour and gradually increases to 12 hours. By the beginning of June, the seedlings will be completely ready for transplanting to their permanent place in the garden.

For young plants, a bed 100 cm wide and 30 cm high will be sufficient. A distance of 40 cm should be left between seedlings, and up to 60 cm between rows.

Propagation of asparagus using sections of rhizomes with live buds is more popular. The survival rate of plants in this case is almost 100%. Planting with rhizomes is carried out both in spring and before winter. Let's take a closer look at the technology of planting asparagus in May.

Having chosen the strongest, fleshy rhizomes on the market, divide them into several parts. Carefully place each part in a pre-dug hole 50 cm deep, at the bottom of which a mound of earth mixed with humus is poured. Thus, the seedling should be buried 25 cm. Optimal distance between bushes is 15 cm, intervals between rows are 50 cm.

Having chosen the strongest, fleshy rhizomes on the market, divide them into several parts

When planting, try to straighten the root system well, cover the rhizomes on top with a mixture of soil and humus and press down firmly. Then water the bed with a small amount of water.

Regardless of whether asparagus is planted with rhizomes or seeds, subsequent care for it will be the same. Immediately after planting the plant on the site, you will need to water it abundantly for the first one and a half to two weeks, after which you will need to sprinkle the holes with peat and reduce watering.

During the summer, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds, loosen the soil between the rows and water from time to time so that the soil does not dry out, but it should not be over-moistened either. To speed up the growth of shoots, after the first weeding, you can add fertilizer to the garden bed using slurry diluted with water (6 parts water to 1 part slurry). After three weeks it is recommended to feed the plants bird droppings, diluted 10 times with water. And already before the first frost, the last fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer is carried out.

During the summer, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds, loosen the soil between the rows and water from time to time.

For the winter, the top part of the asparagus is cut off, leaving only 2.5 cm “stumps”, which are covered with earth and covered with humus and dry leaves. The row spaces are filled with manure.

Caring for asparagus in the second year looks exactly the same as in the first. And no matter how much you would like to try the juicy shoots, wait until next year so that they become stronger and accumulate more vitamins. Premature cutting of the stems will simply undo all your work.

In Europe, it is customary to cut asparagus shoots only when the height is at least 22 cm and the diameter is at least 1.6 cm.

In the third year, with the arrival of spring, the plantings will need to be earthed up so that the asparagus grows long, straight, and its heads do not open prematurely. Around the end of April, the time to harvest the first harvest begins. Try not to miss the moment when the heads have not yet appeared above the surface, otherwise the shoots will lose their presentation, change color and become coarser.

Video about growing asparagus on your own plot

Readiness can be determined by the cracking of the soil above each plant. As soon as you notice that the soil has risen and cracks have appeared, it’s time to dig up the stems, cutting them off to the very root. In warm weather, you can harvest asparagus every day or every other day. Just do not remove all the shoots at once, otherwise the plant may die.

After cutting the crop, level the bed, sprinkle humus on top and lightly compact it. IN further care after asparagus it is repeated as in the first two years.

Return