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Vegetable

Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

A long-lived perennial that gives tender spears every spring for 15 to 20 years once established. Plant crowns in a deep, weed-free bed enriched with compost in winter. The key is patience: don't harvest in the first year, pick lightly in the second, then fully from year three.

When to plant where you live

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Planting times for other areas

Varieties (3)

  • Mary WashingtonReliable heirloom, widely sold as crowns and seed; good flavour and long-lived
  • Purple (e.g. Pacific Purple)Sweeter, tender purple spears; good raw; slightly lower yield
  • UC157Hybrid with mostly male plants, so more spears and fewer self-sown seedlings; widely sold as crowns

Neighbours

Grows well with

From seed to plate

  1. Plant

    40 cm apart, seed 150 mm deep. Full sun.

  2. Water

    Regular in spring.

  3. Feed

    Manure in winter.

  4. Pick

    Cut spears from the third spring.

Good to know

  • Let the ferns grow all summer and cut them to the ground once they yellow in autumn
  • Cut spears at soil level when 15 to 20 cm tall, before the tips open
  • Top-dress the bed with compost and aged manure each winter

Common problems

  • Weeds crowding the bedhand weed and mulch thickly every winter; perennial weeds are hard to remove once the bed is established
  • Thin, spindly spearsstop picking earlier in the season, feed with compost and leave ferns to build up the crown
  • Asparagus beetle and slugs on spearshand pick, harvest daily, set beer traps for slugs
  • Crown rot in heavy soilplant in raised beds or mounds so crowns never sit in water

If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.

Ask the garden helper about asparagusAny question, answered from the plant libraryHow others are growing asparagusQuestions, tips and harvests from the community

Safety: Mildly toxic to pets and children (berries).

Where this information comes from
  • Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia plant finder: Asparagus (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
  • ABC Gardening Australia: Perennial veg (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
  • Hort Innovation VX01024: strategies to control purple spot of asparagus (problems, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
  • Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, low confidence)
  • Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, low confidence)

Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.