The Best Time of Day to Harvest Asparagus

Harvesting Time

• The best time of the day to harvest asparagus is during the cooler part of the day, as recommended by "The Homesteading Handbook." This rule not only applies to asparagus but to all vegetables. Vegetables at cooler times are at their most moist level and stay fresh and store longer. When picked during the warmer hours, vegetables have usually lost a lot of moisture and start to wilt. Vegetables picked at this point stay fresh for shorter periods of time in storage.

Harvesting Stage

• Asparagus that is grown from seed is ready for harvest during the third year and during the second year if grown from roots. The spears are ready for harvesting when they reach the diameter of a pencil and are about 6 to 8 inches tall. Harvest until the spears start to grow thinner than a pencil, which is about six weeks after the appearance of shoots and up to two months.

Harvesting Method

• Harvest the asparagus by snapping the spears sharply close to the soil line. Though sometimes advised, it is not recommended to cut the spears below the soil line since this injures any new buds on the crown that will develop into new spears. The stubs left behind from the snapping will dry up and new spears will grow from other buds on the crown. Pick the whole patch clean and do not allow spears to fern. Ferns are the favored spot of asparagus beetles for laying their eggs.

Soil

• Asparagus adapts well to a variety of well-drained soil types with a preferred pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Do not plant in poorly drained or wet sites as this increases chances of root rot disorders. The vegetable also does not thrive in a soil pH of less than 6.0. Amend soil to a depth of 6 inches with about 20 lbs. of a 10-20-10 fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet prior to planting.