How to Grow Asparagus From Cut Tops

Asparagus takes three to four years to produce a crop for harvest, whether planted from seed or cut tops, which are widely called crowns. Planting 1-year-old asparagus crowns, however, speeds the process by about a year. When purchasing asparagus crowns for planting, reduce seedling weed problems in your garden by selecting an all-male hybrid cultivar. Female cultivars produce seeds, which fall to the ground and litter your garden with immature plants, an issue that doesn't exist with males. Wait to plant asparagus until spring temperatures allow the soil in the planting site to reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hoe
0-20-0 fertilizer
Pre-emergent herbicide
10-10-10 fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Work 1 lb. of 0-20-0 fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the soil at the planting site, using a hoe. Cultivate the soil to a 6-inch depth, loosening the ground as you create a 5- to 6-inch furrow. If planting more than one row, space the rows 5 feet apart.
- 2
  Plant the asparagus tops in the furrow, spacing them 12 to 18 inches apart. Position the bud side of the crown so it faces upward.
- 3
  Backfill the displaced soil gently over the crowns until the trench is level with the surrounding ground. Do not tamp or pack the soil.
- 4
  Water the newly planted asparagus until the soil surrounding the crowns is thoroughly dampened. After planting, only water the asparagus bed during drought conditions, when the soil around the plants is extremely dry. Asparagus is drought-tolerant.
- 5
  Remove weeds from the asparagus bed by hand or with a hoe during its first year. During subsequent years, apply a pre-emergent herbicide before crowns break through the soil in spring, in addition to hand-pulling or hoeing as needed.
- 6
  Fertilize the asparagus each spring with 10-10-10 fertilizer. Apply 25 lbs. per 1,000 square feet of asparagus bed.
- 7
  Harvest asparagus for the first time in the third year after planting. Snap asparagus spears at their base when they reach 5 to 8 inches tall. Do not harvest for more than one month in that year. The following years, you can harvest for eight to 10 weeks.

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