I saw one!!! I saw one!!!

[majorcatfish]

not to brag but we have 2 popping up now, so you all know what that means.. more on the way........

 

[bj taylor]

do I need to let some spears go uncut for the plants to store energy? I've been cutting them as they come along

 

[897tgigvib]

I've heard several schools of thought on whether some should be left or not...

 

[majorcatfish]

we will harvest spears for about 6-7 weeks and then stop and let them go to fern the rest of the season.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've tried checking different extension websites on this. Most don't mention it directly. I did find this on Virginias's site. It's the only place I could find any explanation "why".

Do not allow any small spindly spears that are not marketable grow into ferns while your harvesting. If this is allowed to happen, this provides and excellent site for asparagus beetles to lay their eggs, change into larvae, and into adult beetles. The field should look absolutely clean during harvest, except for new spears coming up or ones ready to be harvested.

I did read a few places that harvesting it once it is established causes more bud development for the following year, but that did not mention harvesting clean. I'm not going to jump to a conclusion on that.

I harvest mine clean, even those skinny spears. They cook pretty fast but taste as good as the others. That doesn't mean my way is the right way or best way, just the way I do it.

 

[digitS']

What about about blanching asparagus?

I guess it is quite popular in Europe - the spears are nearly white. They build a hoop set-up and cover it during harvest with black plastic.

Apparently, asparagus fields receive tons of herbicide to control weeds. I got to thinking about that and how much one can rely on our garden plants to suppress weeds. When they can't get started because we are taking the growing shoots, that kind of leaves them exposed but that is the nature of the asparagus harvest.

So, people mulch . . . what about black plastic "hoopies" and blanched asparagus for the spring?

Steve

 

[majorcatfish]

during harvesting season, will cut the spears when they are around 6-9" and the tips are tight. here in my asparagus bed if they get much bigger you can see the tips start to open up and start to fern.
also keeping the spears 6-9" they are more tender and less woody as the bigger ones are, but that is my preference.

never had a problem with asparagus beetles..yet

 

[NwMtGardener]

I've also heard that instead of plastic, you can mound dirt up around the spears as they grow to keep them white. I wonder if there's a nutritional difference??

 

[digitS']

Probably a nutritional difference . . .

You know, it is like broccoli is a storehouse of vitamins/antioxidants and . .

. cauliflower has next to nothing.

Steve