如果你告诉10岁的我，有一天我会全身心地投入到种植芦笋上，我会说:“恶心!”
Love it, or hate it, this early spring crop has a unique place in both the kitchen and the garden. But even after I developed a taste for asparagus, I hesitated to try to grow it, because it takes so long to get established.
Here are some tips and tricks to picking great varieties, preparing to plant, and getting over your fear of commitment!
Asparagus Basics
One of the main appeals, and drawbacks, of asparagus is that it is a long-living perennial. It takes several years to start producing, but once it is established one bed will be productive for years to come. This is a plant that rewards patience.
芦笋足够耐寒，可以在各种条件下茁壮成长。My mother talks aboutpicking wild asparagusgrowing in the ditches in Colorado, and I have seen monster asparagus plants in raised beds in Seattle. Commercial asparagus is grown in Mexico and California.
Asparagus wantscold winters or dry summers, to give it a period of dormancy, and grows best between 55 and 85 degrees F. As always, research what varieties grow best in your climate, and use the information from the seed company about soil temperature.
说到种子，大多数人种植芦笋并不是从种子开始的。因为需要很长时间才能长出来，很多园丁，包括我自己，都买了1年生的芦笋花冠:一簇休眠的芽和一簇根相连。
You may have heard people refer to “male” and “female” asparagus plants. Asparagus produces only either “male” or “female” gametes—either ovum or pollen—on separate plants. Plants like this are called diecious—a single plant cannot reproduce on its own.
In asparagus, male and female plants haveslightly different characteristics. Male plants produce more spears, which makes them preferable to some gardeners, but female spears are thicker. You can buyhybrid asparagus typesavailable that produce all male plants, which marginally increase yield but do not produce viable seeds for the gardener to replant.
Planting
When you plan your garden bed for asparagus, choose carefully. This will be your asparagus bed for the next 15 to 20 years, if you’re lucky. It is possible to move established asparagus but transplanting asparagus damages the roots and sets you back at least a year in harvesting as the plants establish.
Before planting, get to know your soil. Check outour guide to creating and caring for healthy soil.
Soil quality is especially important for growing asparagus, since you won’t be able to turn the soil after you’ve planted your crowns. Giving your soil the best possible start will prevent headaches down the road. That includes incorporating lots of organic matter, amending to adjust pH, and focusing on getting a great soil texture.
Asparagus likes light, sandy soils that hold moisture. You can fertilize, to add nutrients, after the crowns are planted, but you won’t be able to incorporate any new material into the soil.
If you order seeds, start them outdoors in late spring. Asparagus roots grow too deep to start in a tray inside.
按照种子袋上关于土壤温度和种子间距的说明操作。在第一个夏天要给它们除草和浇水，在冬天要覆盖它们。
The following spring, as soon as the ground thaws, dig up each crown to replant in their permanent bed. If you order crowns from a seed company, keep them in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant.
Plant your crowns about 18 inches apart, below the soil surface. Cover the roots but not the buds. As they sprout the first year you can mound soil up around the base until the original crown is completely covered.
Care
除草是芦笋维护中最重要的部分。细长的茎杆不会遮蔽任何地面，所以它们在与杂草的竞争中做得很糟糕。
有没有想过为什么有机芦笋比传统种植的要贵得多?这是因为芦笋不是直线生长的!Every year, new stalks come up anywhere in the bed, making it impossible to weed mechanically, with a tractor.
So while conventional farmers can use pesticides to control weeds, organic farms employ people to weed their acres of asparagus by hand, increasing the price dramatically.
You, like the farmers, have a choice of how to control weeds, but whatever method you use the most important thing is to start early in the season, as soon as weeds germinate, and to keep at it regularly so that weeds never get firmly established. Especially with young asparagus, vigorous weeding around them can disturb their roots.
Harvest
Although it is tempting to start picking your asparagus the second year after planting, restrain yourself. When you harvest spears before they go to seed, the plant puts energy into producing more spears. By not harvesting spears in the second year, or harvesting sparingly, you allow the plant to put more energy into developing a deep root system.That way it will be better established and more productive in following years. Asparagus harvest starts the third year after planting, in spring. It is one of the first green things of the harvest season, which is partly why I find it such a treat!
在收获的季节里，随着植物的疲劳，长出的芽会越来越小。一旦矛比铅笔还细，就停止收割，让矛结子，变成羽毛状，这就是“蕨类”阶段。在播种之后，这些植物将进入休眠状态。
When the plants are done producing for the season,mulch themwith straw,grass clippings, or compost, just like mulching garlic or other overwintering plants. This helps hold moisture in the soil and suppress weeds, as well as enriching the soil with organic matter.
In the spring you can leave the mulch or remove it. In cool climates, mulch will slow the heating of the soil, so you will get your crop sooner by removing the mulch.
Asparagus is the reward of a patient gardener who will be in one place for a long time. The first year I planted asparagus I watched eagerly as the first slender shoots pushed up, too spindly to eat, and then went to seed, like feathery underwater creatures.
到了8月，我养的鸡跑进了花园，毁掉了我的小芦笋田(还有一连串的生菜和秋天的萝卜)。The crowns were so young that they had time to establish their root systems, and the chickens just unearthed them out of the ground by scratching for bugs around them.
All but two of my crowns had died. I cried when I found the destruction. The chickens had set me backanotheryear in my asparagus harvest. I am naturally impatient and interested in instant gratification. I hated chickens. I hated asparagus! Who needs it? If it hadn’t been for my partner I would never have grown it again, but I’m so glad I did.
If you have an asparagus setback, take a deep breath, give yourself some time to calm down. Consider that if you are planning on living or gardening in one place for more than 5 years, asparagus is the gift that keeps on giving! Once it is established it is hardy and productive, and only needs periodic fertilizing and weeding.
如果你不得不意外搬家或出于某种原因离开你的芦笋，考虑一下你要留给下一个有幸跟随你的园丁的礼物。
Spring Asparagus and Snap Pea Pasta
I ran across the idea for this dish years ago in a cookbook that I no longer remember the name of, but there are many variations online, many calling for cheese on top. It is one of my favorite spring recipes because the astringent flavor of the asparagus pairs so perfectly with the sweetness of the peas. It is a great dish to showcase these early season favorites!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped asparagus
- 1 cup chopped snap peas
- 2 cups dry pasta
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or enough to coat pasta
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh thyme, sage, mint and oregano, chopped fine
Directions
- Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box, drain and set aside.
- In a frying pan, sautee peas and asparagus with minced garlic, until bright green, just beginning to become tender.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the vegetables in the pan, drizzle with olive oil until lightly coated, season with just a dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop the fresh garden herbs and sprinkle them over the top. Serve hot or cold.
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