Asparagus — Garden Doctor

Asparagus officinalis

Quick facts

  • Scientific name: Asparagus officinalis
  • Lifecycle: perennial
  • Growth habit: Herbaceous perennial; edible spears emerge daily from underground crowns during harvest, followed by tall fern-like foliage; lives 12–15 years or more
  • Edible parts: spears

Growing conditions

  • Soil pH: 6–6.7
  • Optimal temperature: 15–30°C
  • Sunlight: 6+ hours
  • Drainage / site: RHS: well drained; a planting site in full sun is preferable, but asparagus will also tolerate dappled shade. Clemson: full sun.
  • Watering: RHS: water new plants regularly through their first summer; once established, asparagus is drought tolerant and only needs watering in long dry spells.
  • Soil: RHS: most soil types are suitable, as long as they're well drained; on heavy soil make a raised bed to provide better drainage.

Harvesting & storage

  • Days to harvest: 400–600
  • When to harvest: RHS: cut spears at no more than 18cm (7in) tall or about finger thickness; do not harvest for two years after planting crowns (three if grown from seed), then cut for six weeks from mid-April in year three and eight weeks in later years. Clemson: spears 6–8 inches are the best size, cut or snapped at the soil surface before the tips separate.
  • Storage: Neither source states a storage method. Bed lifespan differs by source: RHS says a bed crops for about 20 years; Clemson says it stays highly productive for seven to eight years before declining.

Common diseases

  • Fusarium crown and root rot
  • Violet root rot

Common pests

  • Slugs (Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)) — RHS asparagus guide lists slugs and snails among asparagus pests.
  • Snails (Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)) — RHS asparagus guide lists slugs and snails among asparagus pests.
  • Asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) — RHS: asparagus beetle affects vegetable asparagus. The RHS asparagus guide also names asparagus beetle among its pests.

Gallery

Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus beetle
Asparagus beetle

Image credits

Images sourced via Openverse under Creative Commons / public-domain licences. Credit to each creator below.

  • Asparagus: “Asparagus officinalis subsp. oficinalis flower by Rasbak, BY-SA 3.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Asparagus: “Asparagus officinalis dewdrop by Szater, BY-SA 3.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Asparagus: “Asparagus officinalis by Evil Erin, BY 2.0” — CC BY, source
  • Asparagus beetle: “Crioceris asparagi by Keith Edkins, BY-SA 3.0” — CC BY-SA, source

Facts compiled by the SoilCommander Garden Doctor knowledge base from RHS and university-extension sources.