Green asparagus requires much less care than white asparagus. However, you still have to do a lot to ensure that the harvest is productive.
The basic requirements for a good asparagus harvest are a warm, sunny and wind-protected location as well as well-drained and nutrient-rich soil. If you can offer the asparagus these conditions, then nothing stands in the way of a high-yield harvest. Just follow the care instructions below.
Prepare the asparagus bed correctly
To be able to count on a bountiful yield, the soil needs good preparation. Since asparagus has very deep roots, you must dig up the soil thoroughly and at least two spades deep. It is recommended to sow special green manure plants the year before. For example lupins, bush beans or soybeans. These plants ensure a humus-rich, loose and well-aerated soil.
First and second year care
Dig a ditch for the asparagus plants. About every 40 to 50 centimeters you then have to make small mounds of earth and compost. Then place the young plants in the mounds (reading tip: planting green asparagus - tips on location, soil & ditches). Asparagus plants are productive for up to ten years. It is best to choose one of the well-known green asparagus varieties such as "Snow White" or "Primaverde". The "Primaverde" variety is a very early asparagus variety, but you should stop harvesting two weeks before St. John's Day. "Snow White" green asparagus ripens a little later, but longer. You can also combine both varieties with each other.
Now you have to keep the soil nice and moist in the summer and occasionally loosen it carefully around the plants. You should also remove weeds regularly.
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A mulch layer of chopped garden waste and grass clippings keeps the soil moist and prevents too many weeds from growing. You can also put lettuce or kohlrabi in the gaps during the first two years of cultivation. Asparagus also goes well with strawberries, which you can plant as a border, for example.
The "piling up" as it is with white asparagusis necessary, green asparagus does not need it. In October, simply cut off the asparagus leaves a hand's breadth above the ground. After the second summer, berries (seeds) form on the above-ground parts. Be sure to remove these berries. They are conditionally suitable for sowing, but it is more important that the asparagus plants retain enough vigor to continue growing next year.
Harvest and care after harvest
From the third year, the green asparagus sprouts grow, which you can cut from mid-April to June 24 at the latest. The good thing: You don't have to laboriously prick green asparagus. You simply cut off the edible parts just above the ground. After the harvest, only the main shoot remains. This is the so-called St. John's instinct, which should continue to develop undisturbed. This guarantees that you can harvest again the following year.
The soil is now happy about horn meal and another layer of compost. It is then important that you remove the leaves in autumn. To prevent any diseases from spreading, throw the leaves in the compost bin or burn them.
5 tips for caring for green asparagus
- good soil preparation
- Place young plants on small heaps of compost and soil
- Keep the soil always moist and protect with a layer of mulch
- remove leaves in autumn
- Remove berries in autumn from the second year onwards