Growing Asparagus

Aspargus officianalis : Asparagaceae / the asparagus family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
        P P P          

(Best months for growing Asparagus in Australia - tropical regions)

  • P = Plant crowns
  • Easy to grow. Plant as crowns. Best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 40 cm apart
  • Harvest in 2-3 years. Plant 'crowns' to harvest earlier .
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Parsley, Basil, Nasturtiums, Lettuce
  • Avoid growing close to: Garlic, Onions, and root vegetables

Your comments and tips

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11 Jun 11, Margaret (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Dear Peter, we live in Piccadilly in the cool Adelaide Hills (a bit like Tassie weather in winter) and have enjoyed the produce from the same asparagus bed for 31 years feeding our family of 6 (now only 2 members still here). Over the years we have removed parts of some of the 6 original crowns in a bed about 1 metre by half a metre, and the asparagus spears keep coming up. However, raspberry canes are beginning to infest the bed, so I am about to start another asparagus bed elsewhere in the garden. Good luck with yours!
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16 Oct 11, Jen (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Dear Margaret, I just found your comment to Peter about Asparagus...... >This past week Ihave for the first time planted 2 seedlings of Asparagus with about 3 delicate fronds, but as I may be moving in the next year I planted them into a deep 420 cm HDPE pot with good potting mix, sheep and alpaca Dolomite and B&B... I did not know then that it takes 3 years till harvest!!! Do you know or have an opinion if I can transplat the seedlings into the ground at a later date, or should I just plant them out now and forget about taking them with me??? You seem to have had a lot of experience so I hope you don't mind my beginner question Kind regards Jen
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20 Sep 10, Natalie (USA - Zone 8b climate)
Love to roast them in the oven, lightly tossed with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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29 Sep 10, Glenn Tanti (Australia - temperate climate)
hello il like to more how to grow Asparagus pls thanks
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09 Oct 10, pete - north brisbane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
i planted my asparagus about 4 years ago. it has not really performed well at all. it is well fed with rotted horse manure every year, and i cut the fronds back in late winter. this year about half the crowns died. would they have died because i cut them back or is it as i suspect just too warm here for asparagus? any advice welcomed
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19 Oct 10, Tim (Australia - temperate climate)
My asparagus is coming into it's second spring after planting (crowns) and producing nice thick spears. I was planning on leaving the first few spears un harvested but just discovered that on one plant a spear that was about 80cm or so tall was broken in half (by fast running cats...) I've happily eaten the part that broke off but wondering if it's worth leaving the second half in the ground - will it still form fronds fronds etc or am I better off just cutting it out. It's the only spear that plant has at the moment and I already harvested one from it and I'm worried about removing too much. Anyone have any idea if it will still form fronds from the bottom half?
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15 Dec 10, Trevor (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes Tim it will grow fronds from the lower half of the stem, as the same thing happened to me, good luck with the cats,
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22 Nov 10, azdog (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Cow manure is better in the sense of having the seeds broken down, but as everything has been processed several times, the 'goodness' in the manure is depleted somewhat. I use Sheep manure, as it is in handy pellet form, and also I compost chicken and Rabbit manure which breaks down nicely
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20 Dec 10, jay (Australia - temperate climate)
thinking of starting some yummy asparagus in my garden for a family of 7. we are in south tasmainia and not shore if to cold,am i temperate or cold mountain.do all types of asparagus need the same conditions.would like to go for all three.thanks much
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22 Mar 11, alverna (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi all, I am in Perth, WA. I have been given some Asparagus plants in pots, I think they are 1 to 2 year old crowns. My question is, do I plant directly into the ground, or do I shake all the soil off and just bare plant them?. Thanks, Alverna.
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Showing 41 - 50 of 563 comments
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The transplanted ones will depend on how they were treated last year - whether they were left to build up energy reserves for this year. If you had plenty of spears grow into ferns then they should produce this year. Probably also depends how old the old crowns are. Last year while I was growing mine from 12 mth crowns to 24 mths I use to put about half a cup of fert in 9 L of water and feed them each month - only had 3 crowns. I also put manure/compost on in august. I have crowns that are coming up to 3 years old - that is from when seeds were planted - they have been shooting spears for a few weeks now - I have cut them back and manured and watered them. My seedlings which will be 12 mths old in Sept - I have not cut them back yet or put manure on them yet - will probably do that in about two weeks time. I have not watered them for the last month - they are not growing at the moment. As for manure - chicken is the richest in N followed by cow and then horse manure. I read the other day horse is about 1.75% N. Whatever manure you can get and add some fert if you like. We have had only one week of cool weather so far this winter - that is night temps down to 6-8 degrees.

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