Chloe Zhang
Asparagus is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that is relatively easy to grow. It is a perennial crop, which means that with the right conditions, you can count on it to come back every year. One of the challenges of growing asparagus is managing weeds during the first two years. To address this, many farmers use plastic mulch to increase productivity, accelerate growth, and improve fertigation techniques. Plastic mulch helps to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and protect the asparagus crowns from heaving and cracking. It also eliminates the growth of weeds, which can attack the crop and reduce the yield. When using plastic mulch, it is important to consider factors such as color, thickness, type of soil, handling, duration, cost, and climatic reality to choose the best option for your specific needs and growing conditions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Why use plastic mulch? | To boost crop quality, increase productivity, accelerate growth, and improve fertigation techniques. |
| Plastic mulch vs. other mulch | Plastic mulch is used when farmers want to lower costs, expand production, and improve quality. Other types of mulch include straw, pine needles, pine shavings, bark mulch, and well-rotted manure or garden compost. |
| Plastic mulch vs. no mulch | Asparagus grows better without competition from other plants. Weeds can be managed by hand-pulling, hoeing, flame-weeding, cover crops, and herbicides. |
| Plastic mulch application | Plastic mulch should be placed with the dark side up to increase ground heat during the growing season and turned over when temperatures rise. |
| Plastic mulch timing | Plastic mulch is used when farmers need their product to grow fast and be harvested ahead of time. |
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the soil
Firstly, it is important to select an appropriate site for planting asparagus. Choose a sheltered location with free-draining soil, where asparagus can grow undisturbed in its own dedicated bed. The soil should be fertile and well-drained, as asparagus prefers a consistent supply of nutrients and moisture.
Before planting, it is recommended to test the soil's pH level to ensure it is optimal for asparagus growth. Asparagus typically thrives in slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Adjust the pH accordingly by adding lime to raise it or sulphur to lower it.
Enrich the soil by mixing in organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure. This will improve the soil structure and provide essential nutrients for the asparagus. Create a ridge of soil along the centre of the trench, approximately 10 cm (4 inches) high. This ridge will serve as the base for placing the asparagus crowns.
Space the crowns on top of the ridge, ensuring the growing points or new shoots are facing upward. Allow for a distance of 30-45 cm (12-18 inches) between each crown. Carefully spread out the roots, being gentle as they can break easily. The top of the crown should be positioned about 6 inches below the soil line.
After placing the crowns, gently return the enriched soil back into the trench, covering the roots while leaving the bud tips slightly visible. Maintain a distance of 45 cm (18 inches) between rows and stagger the plants between adjacent rows for optimal spacing. Water the plants thoroughly to settle the soil around their roots.
Finally, apply mulch to the bed. A layer of mulch will help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and protect the crowns during temperature fluctuations. Recommended mulching materials include well-rotted manure, garden compost, straw, pine needles, pine shavings, or bark mulch. Avoid using dyed or synthetic mulches, as they may be harmful to the asparagus.
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Choosing the right mulch
When growing asparagus, mulching is important for weed control and retaining soil moisture. The choice of mulch depends on the colour, thickness, type of soil, handling, duration, cost, climatic reality, and the speed at which you expect the asparagus to grow.
There are many options for mulching asparagus, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Plastic mulching is a common practice for large farmers, as it increases productivity, accelerates growth, and improves fertigation techniques. It is also useful when trying to lower costs, expand total production, and improve the quality of the asparagus. Plastic mulching is ideal for those who need their asparagus to grow quickly so that it can be harvested earlier. However, it is important to note that plastic mulches can increase the temperature of the soil, which may not always be desirable.
Organic mulches, such as straw, leaves, wood chips, pine needles, pine shavings, or bark mulch, are also effective. These mulches help smother weeds and keep the soil cool and moist. However, they may delay or reduce asparagus spear emergence in the spring, so it is recommended to push the mulch away from the rows in early spring to allow the soil to warm up and encourage spear growth.
Other options for mulching include well-rotted manure or garden compost, which can help hold in moisture and suppress weeds. When choosing a mulch, it is important to ensure that it is loose enough for water percolation. It is also recommended to avoid using dyed or synthetic mulches, as these can be harmful to the environment and may not provide the same benefits as organic or plastic mulches.
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Planting the asparagus crowns
Asparagus is usually grown from crowns, or dormant roots. This is the easiest and fastest option, as they should settle in successfully and harvesting can begin after two years. The most common way to plant asparagus crowns is in a trench. In the spring, dig a trench about 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Fork garden compost or well-rotted manure into the base, then cover with a 5cm (2in) layer of the excavated soil.
Create mounds about 18 inches apart. Set the crown on top of the mound, spreading the roots down the sides. The top of the crown should be about 6 inches below the soil line. Place the crowns on top of the ridge, with the growing points or new shoots uppermost, spacing them 30–45cm (12–18in) apart. Spread the roots out evenly, but handle carefully as they break easily.
Mix organic matter into the excavated trench soil, then gently return this enriched soil back into the trench, leaving the bud tips just visible. Space rows 45cm (18in) apart and stagger the plants between adjacent rows. Water the plants well, to settle the soil around their roots, then mulch with a 5cm (2in) layer of well-rotted manure or garden compost, to hold in moisture and suppress weeds.
When it comes to mulching, straw and leaves can be used to help smother weeds. However, these mulches also keep the soil cooler and wetter, potentially delaying or reducing asparagus spear emergence in the spring. Therefore, push the mulch away from the rows in early spring to allow the soil to warm and encourage spear growth. In larger patches with multiple rows, the aisles between the rows can be mulched using wood chips, straw, or landscape fabric.
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Watering and fertilising
Soil moisture is important for good root and fern growth in asparagus. Even though asparagus ferns rarely exhibit obvious signs of drought stress, they need consistent soil moisture to stay healthy. Watering during the harvest season may also increase yields in very dry years.
To water your asparagus, you can consider adding drip irrigation or a soaker hose to the asparagus bed. You should also mulch around the plant with compost or grass clippings to help retain soil moisture and reduce weed growth. The mulch should be loose enough for water percolation. Straw, pine needles, pine shavings, or bark mulch are good choices.
In terms of fertilising, asparagus is a heavy feeder. You should fertilise the bed with a 1-inch layer of rich, weed-free compost or manure topped with 3 inches of straw, rotted sawdust, or another weed-free mulch. You should also fertilise in mid-spring when the asparagus is actively growing, following product label instructions. Before planting, you should mix your fertiliser into the soil. Fertiliser can burn tender roots if they touch it directly.
If you do not have a soil test report, the typical garden fertiliser rate for asparagus is 1 to 1.5 pounds of 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium fertiliser (10-10-10) per 100 square feet before planting. You can also add rock phosphate, a natural mineral powder that promotes root growth. To keep the soil rich and help feed the asparagus plants, top dress the soil annually with compost.
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Harvesting the asparagus
Harvesting asparagus is a highly anticipated activity, as the vegetable is quite expensive to buy. However, it requires a lot of labour at harvest time.
Asparagus is harvested for about eight weeks in spring and early summer, and it is an annual treat. An established plant should produce about 10 spears per season. The spears are the straight young shoots of the plant, with scale-like tips. It is recommended that you wear gloves when handling young shoots.
The first year of planting is when the asparagus plants need to become established and build up their root systems, so you shouldn't harvest them during this time. In the second year, some gardeners will harvest spears if they are the thickness of a pencil or more. However, this is still considered a light harvest, and it would be better to wait until the third year to harvest more heavily. In the second spring after planting crowns, if the plants were strong and healthy during the previous growing season, you can begin to harvest when the spears are six to eight inches long. In the first year of harvest, only pick asparagus for two weeks. After that, allow the spears to develop into ferns. In the following years, harvest asparagus up to July 1. Some gardeners will not harvest during the second year at all, preferring to allow the plants to build more strength before finally beginning to harvest in the third year.
After the harvesting period, shoots should be left to grow into tall, feathery plants over the summer. Then, cut them down to the ground in autumn, and they will re-sprout in spring, ready for harvesting again.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic mulch helps to increase productivity, accelerate growth, and improve fertigation techniques. It also helps to lower the costs of collecting, expand total production, and improve the quality of the asparagus.
Fork garden compost or well-rotted manure into the base of the trench, then cover with a 5cm layer of excavated soil. Make a 10cm-high ridge of soil along the centre of the trench and place the crowns on top, spacing them 30-45cm apart. Spread the roots evenly and mix organic matter into the soil before returning it to the trench, leaving the bud tips visible. Space rows 45cm apart and water the plants well.
The choice of plastic mulch will depend on the colour, thickness, type of soil, handling, duration, cost, and climatic reality. Choose a mulch that best suits your needs and growing conditions. Avoid using dyed mulches (black or red) or synthetic mulches like black plastic.
