How to Plant Asparagus

Plant asparagus crowns in spring in a trench 6–12 inches deep, 12 inches apart, covering them gradually as the ferns grow. No harvest the first year and a short one the second.

When to plant
Spring; in the upper Midwest, early May to early June
Depth
Trench 6–12 inches deep, depending on your soil; cover crowns with 2–3 inches at first, then fill the trench as the ferns grow
Spacing
12 inches between crowns; rows at least 3 feet apart
Sun
Full sun
Water
Water deeply in dry spells, especially while the crowns establish in the first two seasons
Soil
Fertile, well-drained but moisture-holding, pH 6.5–7.0

Step by step

  1. Choose a sunny, well-drained spot at the north end of the garden, where the tall ferns won't shade other crops. The bed can produce for 15 years or more.
  2. Test the soil and adjust it toward pH 6.5–7.0.
  3. Dig a trench 6–12 inches deep, depending on your soil type.
  4. Set the crowns in the bottom with their buds about 12 inches apart.
  5. Cover the crowns with 2–3 inches of the soil you dug out and water well.
  6. A few weeks later, once the ferns have come up and grown, fill in the rest of the trench.
  7. Don't harvest the first year. Let every spear grow into a fern.

After bloom

Year two: pick spears for just two weeks. After that, harvest each spring up to July 1, then stop and let the remaining spears grow into ferns to feed the plant. Leave the ferns standing until they die back; clear them before new spears emerge in spring. Keep the bed weeded. Straw or leaf mulch helps, but it keeps the soil cooler and wetter and can delay spring spears.
Shop all asparagus →