Long-lived perennial vegetable producing edible spring spears. A patch may remain productive for 20 years or more once established.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 3–8 | −40 °C to −6.7 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H7 | down to −20 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 3–8 | −34 °C to −1 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 1–4 | −15 °C to 5 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
About Asparagus
Asparagus is a long-term investment: a bed is normally left to establish for two or three years before serious cutting begins, and a well-managed one then crops for decades. The spears are young shoots, and once cutting stops they are allowed to grow into tall ferny foliage that rebuilds the crown for the following year — removing that foliage early weakens the plant. Plants are male or female, and male plants are generally preferred because they put nothing into seed. White asparagus is not a variety but the same plant blanched by excluding light.
Growing notes
- Do not harvest at all in the first year and only sparingly in the second — patience pays back over decades
- Modern all-male hybrids (Jersey series) crop heavier than older mixed-sex strains
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Asparagus against your zones