These asparagus harvesting tips will assure you pick the honorable spears .
You might be eager to start harvesting Asparagus officinales as soon as it pops up from the soil in fountain . newly - picked edible asparagus usually taste right smart better than the stuff you could get at the market story , plus thisperennial vegetableis among the first edible plants to make an visual aspect in gardens after wintertime . But before you set off pick , here ’s what you should know about how and when to harvest asparagus . With the right techniques and timing , your plants will stay healthy and generative from year to year .
When to Start Harvesting After Planting Asparagus
The good part ofgrowing your own asparagusis that it ’s the natural endowment that keeps give — once it ’s planted , it will turn and make spears for about 15 days . However , it takes a couple of years after planting for asparagus to really get going and start producing lots of spears . So how long after embed do you have to wait until you get your first harvest ?
impart your asparagus plants alone the first year after imbed so they can get install . The second saltation after constitute , you may glean a few fishgig over the course of a month . Each spring after this , you’re able to geld spears for up to six weeks without weakening the flora .
Getty Images / dulezidar
Credit:Getty Images / dulezidar
Ways to Harvest Asparagus
1. Harvesting by Hand
The fastest and most efficient way to harvest edible asparagus is by hand . All you need to do is get the picture the stalking near the ground and snap it at the point where it is raw . This method reduces the shelf life of your asparagus , but it ’s less probable to cause price to nearby shaft than using a knife .
2. Harvesting with a Knife
To keep back the timbre of saucily beak asparagus longer , use a sharp knife to harvest fizgig . Put a knife near a spear and tilt the blade on a 45 - degree angle direct about 2 inches below the soil Earth’s surface . This countenance you to cut at the cornerstone of each lance where it is white and woody and less prostrate to water system loss . Be careful not to accidentally cut nearby spears that are still developing because if they ’re injured , they will not continue to grow .
When to Harvest Asparagus
1. Wait for asparagus spears to reach the right height.
After you see the tender spear bear on through the grease surface in early bound , the best time to harvest Asparagus officinales is when it grow to about 6 inches tall .
2. Only pick asparagus within its harvesting window.
During harvest home seasonfrom belated May to other June , you may glean edible asparagus every two days . The warmer temperature become , the more gig you ’ll see come forth from the grease . Cold temperatures will slow the egress of spears .
3. Watch your plants to determine how long to harvest.
If you point out that the width of spears is less than the width of a pencil , or the asparagus point are expanding on spear that are less than 6 column inch improbable , it ’s sentence to quit harvesting your Asparagus officinales . If too many gig are remove , the simoleons reserves in the crowns will decrease and cause the plant ’s wellness to decline .
Frequently Asked Questions
Asparagus grows chop-chop , becoming too tough and stringy to corrode once it come much magniloquent than 6 inch . Unharvested asparagus spears will develop into feathery foliage or ferns that can develop up to 6 feet tall .
Asparagus ferns develop energy so that the flora can farm healthy fizgig the next spring . Wait to dispatch the ferns until they ’re brown and the works has gone dormant in the late twilight or other winter .
No matter if it ’s green , purple , orwhite asparagus , you ’ll be amazed at how tender and flavorful this popular veggie can be when it’senjoyed in your favorite asparagus recipesthe same day that it ’s harvested from your garden . If you ca n’t use it powerful away , it can last between 5 days and 2 week in the fridge .
