# How to Grow a Small Asparagus Field
Once established, a field of perennial asparagus plants will produce without yearly replanting for up to 15 years, requiring only upkeep. You can expect to realize 1/2 pound of spears annually from each crown, but if you start your plants from seed, you may need to wait two to three years to gather a full harvest. When planting from crowns, avoid harvesting the first year. Instead, allow the plants to reach the fern stage so the foliage can feed the crowns to drive next year’s production.
Things You'll Need
- Cultivating equipment
- 10-20-10 fertilizer
- Asparagus seed, crowns or transplants
- 10–52–17 or 9–45–15 transplant solution
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Find a site that offers full sun, good drainage and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Asparagus prefers fertile, sandy loam or loam soil, but grows in a wide range of soils. The soil must be deep to accommodate the roots of the plants, which penetrate to a depth of 6 feet or more. Avoid low-lying sites where frost may be an issue early in the growing season.
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2
Apply 20 pounds of a 10-20-10 fertilizer per each 1,000 square feet, and till the fertilizer into the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Create a 6-inch-deep trench. Add 2 pounds of 0-20-0 superphosphate fertilizer per 50 feet of row along the bottom of the trench. Place the crowns with the bud side facing up, 12 to 18 inches apart, and leave four to five feet between the rows. Crowns planted deeper will develop fewer but larger spears. Cover the trench with soil, but don’t compact the soil.
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3
Water the crowns following planting. The need for supplemental water over the season depends on your soil type. Plants grown in sandy soils require more frequent watering. Inadequate watering can compromise yields in both the current and following year.
Plants
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4
Select a variety adapted to the weather conditions in your region. Choose an all-male hybrid to avoid having to combat seed drop from female plants. Female plants produce larger spears; male plants produce a greater number of spears.
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5
Start from seed. One pound of seed will provide you enough crowns to plant 1 acre. Consider using a sandy transplant bed for initially planting your seed, as this will allow you to more easily retrieve the crowns, and it requires a smaller space. Plant your seeds 1 inch deep, two inches apart, in rows 24 inches apart. After one year, dig the crowns in the spring, before their buds form, for transplant.
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6
Plant year-old crowns in your permanent site once the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not plant in wet soils. Inspect the crowns for any sign of disease or poor condition before planting, and select large crowns with plentiful roots and buds for best results.
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7
Plant seedlings after a three-day hardening-off period in the spring or fall. Use the same spacing as used for planting crowns. Apply a transplant solution of 10–52–17 or 9–45–15.
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