How to Dig an Asparagus Bed

Asparagus is one of the few perennial garden vegetables. The plants require their own permanent bed so they aren't disturbed when you replant your annual vegetables. The edible asparagus stalks emerge in spring, and the plants continue to produce through early summer. After the production period, the stalks send out large, fernlike leaves that add an ornamental quality to your garden. Proper preparation of the asparagus bed before planting ensures the soil can support the plants through their long lives.

Soil test kit
Agricultural limestone
Compost or manure
10-10-10 fertilizer
Power tiller or shovel

Instructions

- 1
  Test the soil pH with a soil test kit at least two weeks prior to planting, following the testing directions included with the kit.
- 2
  Sprinkle agricultural limestone over the bed at the rate recommended in the test instructions to bring the pH into a 6.5 to 7.5 range, if necessary.
- 3
  Spread a 2-inch layer of compost or composted manure over the garden bed.
- 4
  Apply 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer over every 100 square feet of bed.
- 5
  Till the compost and fertilizer into the top 8- to 10-inches of soil using a power tiller. Alternatively, turn the amendments into the soil using a shovel.
- 6
  Dig the asparagus planting trench 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Space trenches 5 feet apart if you are growing more than one row of asparagus.
- 7
  Set the asparagus crowns inside the trench, spacing them 12 inches apart down the length of the trench.
- 8
  Refill the trench with the removed soil after planting.

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