Cultural Suggestions 

 on Asparagus 



Our friend, Dr. Jesse B. Norton, a great horticultiirist 

 and plant breeder. The man largely responsible for Mary 

 Washington Asparagus and Virginia Savoy Spinach. 



yiSPARAGUS is of comparatively easy culture 

 AA once a bed is established. It should, with 

 ^ moderate care, produce for upward of 

 twenty years. In the matter of soil, a sandy loam 

 is preferable, although not a necessity, for Aspara- 

 gus is very adaptable to variable soil conditions. 

 The bed must be well drained, however, for it will 

 : ^ ^ thrive under extreme moisture. Preparation 



mm \ of the soil by thorough subsoiling and deep plowing 



is a necessary step. Go down at least 15 inches. 

 S Assuming that green Asparagus is preferable over 



^^^Ik ^^^^ white or blanched variety, we recommend that 



^^^^^K iy*^ trenches be dug 4}^ feet apart. These trenches 



^^^^^K ^ should be a foot deep, with the earth thoroughly 



^^^^HK j/ loosened and liberally dressed with well-decom- 



^^^^^H i . -M^"^ posed stable manure, and a layer of at least 2 



^^^^fp" ' hJ />r ir^ ^^^o^ inches of fresh earth put over this. This allows a 



^^^H|'' / » depth of about 8 inches for the planting of the 



^^MPF \ ^ / Asparagus root. Very often the trench is left 



^^f V ^ open, with only about 2 inches of soil over the 



roots or crowns, fresh soil being applied as the 

 root develops, until, by the close of the first season, 

 the surface is practically level. We recommend 

 that roots be set 20 inches apart in the row. Thus, approximately 3,000 roots are required per acre. 

 This is about the number of roots that can be produced from one pound of seed. 



Contrary to former practice, the best Asparagus growers now transplant only one-year-old roots. 

 It appears that the shock of transplanting two or three- 

 year-old roots greatly retards the future growth and 

 delays cutting. There is still a practice among some \ 

 firms of listing their first-grade Asparagus roots as / 

 two-year-old roots, and their second-grade as ' ' 



one-year-old. Do not be misled on this point. 

 Our large, one-year-old roots will allow a three- 

 weeks' cutting season the spring after they are 

 set. The second season thereafter, a full season 

 cut may be obtained. April or May are the best 

 months for setting out an Asparagus bed. 

 W e do not recommend fall planting. 



Arguments pro and con for green and 

 for white Asparagus are now largely drift- 

 ing over to the green side, so that now 

 ver^^ few markets pay a higher price for 

 the big, coarse white sorts. The consumer 

 has discovered that the green product has 

 the more delicate flavor. The two types 



are produced from the same variety — the difference of color 

 being entirely due to cultural treatment. Incidentally, green 

 Asparagus can be grown in much stifFer soil than the white. To 

 produce green Asparagus, practice level cultivation and cut al- 

 most entirely above the ground; for white Asparagus, it is 

 necessary to hill the rows, cutting some 8 inches below the 

 ground. Of all vegetables which are improved by quick hand- 

 hng and freshness. Asparagus is, perhaps, the best example. It 

 begins to lose its rare flavor within twenty miinutes after cut- 

 ting. There is a lesson in this for the wide-awake roadside 

 marketer. 



In the matter of fertilization of an Asparagus bed, we would 

 recommend an annual application of stable manure or commer- 

 cial fertilizer. We do not recommend the practice of cover 



cropping nor intercropping at any period during the developing. Our Mary Washington Asparagus roots arc 

 of an Asoaraeus bed large and healthy. Planted in 1926 you can cut 



OI an Asparagus Oea. Asparagus in 1927 for at least three weeks. 



