Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Plant once and harvest for twenty years.
Hardiness: zones 3 to 8
Light: full sun
Size: about 5 ft tall, 3 ft wide
Harvest: April to June
From: Europe
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food.
Native to: Temperate Europe, Mediterranean. Hardy in zones 3 to 8.
The story
Asparagus grew wild on Mediterranean and Black Sea shores and was a delicacy of Egyptian and Roman tables; Cato the Elder gave growing instructions in 160 BC. A bed, patiently kept, yields for 20 years.
Planting
Full sun and deep, rich, drained soil with no perennial weeds. Plant crowns in early spring in a trench 8 inches deep, 18 inches apart, and fill in as they grow.
Growing
Weed by hand, mulch, feed in spring, and let the ferns grow all summer to feed the crown; cut them down only after they brown in late autumn.
Harvest and use
Nothing the first year, a little the second, then six to eight weeks each spring: snap spears at the ground when 6 to 8 inches tall.
What to watch for
Asparagus beetle, and weeds, which win if ignored.
See if Asparagus fits your yard
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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home