Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ten Reasons Why You Should Grow Asparagus


Asparagus growing in my garden.  Each crown sends up multiple spears.  

1. Deer, rabbits, woodchucks, chipmunks and squirrels leave asparagus alone!

2. It’s a perennial!  Plant it this year and you’ll enjoy it for decades to come!   Each spring it will come up whether you’ve gotten around to gardening yet or not.

3. It’s fun to see asparagus spears popping out of the soil – they really look like someone just stuck them in the ground.

4. You can start harvesting and eating homegrown asparagus early in the season, before most people plant their tomatoes outside.

5. An established asparagus patch can be harvested again and again over a two month period, letting you enjoy lots of asparagus for 8 – 10 weeks.

6. After the harvest period is over, the plants grow tall (up to five feet) and leaf out, transforming from a food item into an attractive fern-like plant.

7. You won’t have to worry about shopping for fresh veggies or finding a place to store them in your fridge – instead, just go out and pick some asparagus.

8. Asparagus is very nutritious.  It’s an excellent source of vitamin K, folate, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and vitamin E according to The World's Healthiest Foods Website.

9. Growing your own asparagus is so much cheaper than buying it at the store.

10. It’s yummy!

Last Tuesday's harvest of asparagus.
Six days later,  I harvested double this amount.  

One of the things I LOVE about growing asparagus is that none of the animals around here eat it, so it can be incorporated into your landscaping without requiring deer fencing.    My asparagus patch has coexisted with deer, rabbits, woodchucks, chipmunks and squirrels for a decade without any nibbling whatsoever.

For more information on growing asparagus, check out: The Old Farmer's Almanac.

(This post was shared on Green Thumb Thursdays, The HomeAcre HopHealthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop and Real Food Fridays.)







12 comments:

  1. You left out the best part - stinky pee! ;) Hahaha! I love asparagus and gorge myself every spring. I will be building a permanent raised bed for them soon - can't wait!

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  2. But if I had included the stinky part, I would have needed a different title for the post! :) According to an article in the Smithsonian, a single gene mutation is responsible for whether or not a person can smell the scent! Raised beds are great for growing asparagus – good luck with yours!

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  3. I love fresh asparagus! I don't have any here - I really need to plant some. Thank you for sharing this at the HomeAcre Hop; I hope you'll share with us again this Thursday.
    Kathi at Oak Hill Homestead

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    1. So glad you stopped by- Good luck with your future asparagus patch!

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  4. I love asparagus that is fresh from the garden and so very tender and I know that it is very healthy for us. Thanks for sharing on thoughts and you should stop by Real Food Fridays Blog Hop that runs every Thursday night to Monday at noon and share your posts. Have a health happy day. Visiting from Healthy Happy Green & Natural Blog Hop!

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    1. Thanks so much for reading my blog. I will definitely share with the Real Food Fridays blog hop.

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  5. I adore asparagus. If it didn't cost and arm and a leg here in Maine during the off-season, I'd eat it year-round. I'm starting my own patch this spring. Thank you for sharing on Green Thumb Thursday and I hope to see you again today! http://104homestead.com

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  6. With your own patch, you’ll definitely get your fill of asparagus. We’ve been having steamed asparagus, asparagus soup, asparagus in frittatas, and asparagus in stir fries. I have yet to tire of asparagus. There’s something very satisfying about following the rhythm of the season.
    I’m glad that you’re starting your own patch of asparagus. I’d love to see a photo or a link once you get it going!

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  7. Hi Lisa,
    I love asparagus so planting them is very appealing. I especially love the fact that asparagus is a perennial! How convenient it is to plant it this one year and have asparagus for years to come so thank you for sharing these compelling reasons for growing asparagus with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop! I am so glad you partied with us!

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    1. I'm glad you stopped by, and thanks for following me on bloglovin' and twitter!

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  8. I have a small hill in my yard, will that work as a raised bed for them? And one more animal that I need to worry about here, do you know if bear will eat my asparagus if I transplant the seedlings to the hill?

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  9. Alas! I have a freak woodchuck that has decimated my asparagus beds. For years and years, the 'chucks left them alone and then one year, one nibble and now my 3 dozen or more 'Purple Passion' are no more. The groundhog(s) ate them down so much that the plants weren't able to grow enough to store energy to survive and the roots gave it up. I had hoped to try to salvage some crowns this year but so far, nothing has come up. So, unfortunately, *some* whistlepigs do eat asparagus.

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