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UC IPM Home > Homes, Gardens, Landscapes, and Turf > Vegetables > Cultural Tips
How to Manage Pests
Pests in Gardens and Landscapes
Harvesting and preparing asparagus
To harvest
spears, use a sharp knife and cut the stem at an angle just
below the soil line. Prior to cooking, snap the spear where
it will break cleanly, then discard the lower portion and
use only the tender tips. Asparagus is best eaten fresh.
However, it does freeze well for longer storage.
Some gardeners like the gourmet white asparagus. White asparagus is not a variety but is the green asparagus
grown without the presence of light. The process is called "blanching." Blanching is done by
covering the asparagus bed with heaps of shredded leaves or loose mulch or covering the bed with black
plastic. These materials prevent light from reaching the plant as they emerge from the soil and thus the
spears remain white. If exposed to light, the spears will become green. |
Harvesting tips
1st year: Do not harvest any spears
2nd year: During the second season, harvest the spears
for a period of 3 to 4 weeks only; if the fern growth
was weak the first year, then harvest even less. After
the cutting period is over, allow the ferns to grow.
Later years: During the third year and the years thereafter,
cut spears daily or every other day for a period of 8
to 10 weeks; then allow the ferns to develop for the
remainder of the growing season. If the spears become
small and spindly, harvest for a shorter reason; this
indicates that the plants are weakening from overcropping. |
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