Mary Washington asparagus officinalis
Asparagus officinalis
HOW TO GROW ASPARAGUS OFFICINALIS
Berries contain three to four seeds, separate seeds and soak for 12 hours. Start seeds indoors 12-14 weeks before last frost. Or, direct sow in small furrow, thin to 5”, next year move to permanent bed. Some soak seeds until they sprout, then sow in 4” pots. Pot up as individual plants and grow in cool sunny position in the greenhouse for 1-2 years. Plant root crowns outdoors 8” to 10” deep in mid-April. Wait three years before the first harvest. Let the first one or two sprouts go to fern to put energy towards the root crown. Generally asparagus is propagated by planting mostly male root crowns. Female root crowns go to seed and are less productive then males. Commercial growers pull the females. Soil pH 6.6-7.8. Hardiness zones 3-9. Perennial.
Days from maturity calculated from the date of seeding. Average 1,400 seeds per ounce. Federal germination standard: 70%. Usual seed life: 5 years. Isolation distance for seed saving: 2 miles.
Planting Depth 1/4-1/2”
Soil Temp. Germ. 65-80˚F
Days to Germ. 21-56
Plant Spacing 10-15”
Row Spacing 24”
Days To Maturity 3 years
Full Sun, Moist Well Drained
Days from maturity calculated from the date of seeding. Average 1,400 seeds per ounce. Federal germination standard: 70%. Usual seed life: 5 years. Isolation distance for seed saving: 2 miles.
Planting Depth 1/4-1/2”
Soil Temp. Germ. 65-80˚F
Days to Germ. 21-56
Plant Spacing 10-15”
Row Spacing 24”
Days To Maturity 3 years
Full Sun, Moist Well Drained
Mary Washington Seed Count
1 Ounce ≈ 1,575 seeds
.25 Pound ≈ 6,300 seeds
- 50 Seeds$3.50
Popular U.S. variety used in the truck garden and commercial market. Early, long, straight, medium, dark green spears with tight purpling tips. Cutting season can last up to 60 days. Resistant to some rusts and blight. Tags: Harvest: Early, Color: Green, Heritage: Heirloom.
Plants native to the western co...
Popular U.S. variety used in the truck garden and commercial market. Early, long, straight, medium, dark green spears with tight purpling tips. Cutting season can last up to 60 days. Resistant to some rusts and blight. Tags: Harvest: Early, Color: Green, Heritage: Heirloom.
Plants native to the western coasts of Europe (from northern Spain north to Ireland, Great Britain, and northwest Germany) are treated as Asparagus officinalis subsp. Asparagus has been used as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavor, diuretic properties. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. Still in ancient times, it was known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter; Romans would even freeze it high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus. Asparagus became available to the New World around 1850, in the United States. The blanching of white asparagus is obtained by the labor intensive hilling cultivation method. Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counterparts, having high sugar and low fiber levels. Delicious asparagus recipes.
Companions:tomatoes, parsley, basil
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