Asparagus - Uc 157

Code: 19_plant
Fruit Description: Want good health ? Then grow and eat your own asparagus, its very easy to grow. Asparagus is a fern-like perennial plant growing to 1 metre tall, with a feathery branched foliage. The strong stems usually called ?Spears?, appear from spring to autumn from an underground rhizome called a "Crown". In winter, the plants become dormant, all leaves yellow and drop off. In early spring the plants send up many spears during all the warmer months. We propagate the Mary Washington variety of Asparagus, which is a very high yielding and sweet variety.
Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 1 metres high by 1 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows 1 metres high by 1 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.
Uses: Asparagus is usually served as a side dish or appetiser. The green or white spears are excellent eaten raw, lightly steamed, grilled, stir fried, or added to salads. Asparagus can be pickled, or preserved, and stored for several years.
Medicinal Uses: Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. Asparagus is rich in folates and potassium. Its stalks are high in antioxidants. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fibre, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, iron, phosphorus, copper, manganese and selenium. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from Asparagus which is rich in this compound.
Growing Conditions: Asparagus like regular watering and mulch. Asparagus are a very adaptable plant, they thrive in saline soils, can grow in slightly acidic soils with a pH of 6. They like light soils but can grow well in clays if the soil is well prepared. To prepare the soil, dig the soil over well and add fertiliser, manure or compost before planting and to ensure production. A plant can produce Asparagus spears for 20 years.
Pollination Requirements: Asparagus have separate Male and Female Plants, although they sometimes produce hermaphrodite flowers. The flowers of Asparagus are bell-shaped, greenish-white to yellowish, 4 ? 6 millimetres produced singly or in clusters of 2 or 3 on the branchlets. The Females set a small toxic red berry, which is not to be eaten by humans.
Harvest Time: The plant starts to produce edible Asparagus spears in the first year of planting. The Harvest season is spring to autumn. Pick Asparagus spears when they are young and soft. Unpicked spears become plant stems and leaves.
Special Features: Male plants produce more spears and commence earlier in the season. Female plants produce slightly larger spears. White Asparagus is cultivated by covering the shoots in soil or mulch to prevent the asparagus turning green, resulting in a sweeter flavour and a more tender texture.
Plant Origin: Western Europe Coastal regions.
Plant Family: Asparagaceae