Patience Pays Off
Unlike other vegetables, asparagus takes considerable patience because it takes three years before you can harvest the spears. This takes some discipline on your part because the spears will appear in the first and second year, but if you harvest them then, you will very likely kill the plants—or at least seriously stunt their production for future years. But if you have planted the crown correctly, fertilized appropriately, and cared for your asparagus for two years, in the spring of your third year, your plants will produce a crop that will provide you fresh asparagus each year from early spring until July 1 for about 15 years or so.
How to Harvest
Harvest asparagus by cutting the spears at ground level when they emerge in spring before any flower buds at the tips begin to open. Spears are ready to be harvested when they’ve reached 6 to 10 inches tall and about the diameter of your index finger. Use a clean, sharp knife or gardening shears. Continue harvesting asparagus spears for six to eight weeks, but no later than July 1. If you notice decreased production and vigor in your asparagus plants, stop harvesting and let the plant store energy for next season. Any spears that reach a height of more than ten inches should be allowed to continue growing to strengthen roots and store energy for next year.
Planting Tips
Asparagus plants are heavy feeders, so be prepared to amend your soil and fertilize regularly. Because the edible part of the plant is the stem (spears) rather than the leaves, phosphorus, not nitrogen, is the primary nutrient required by the plants.
