Asparagus. Asparagus. Planting, Growing, Care. Garden Plants. Vegetables. A Photo

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Asparagus. Asparagus. Planting, Growing, Care. Garden Plants. Vegetables. A Photo
Asparagus. Asparagus. Planting, Growing, Care. Garden Plants. Vegetables. A Photo

Video: Asparagus. Asparagus. Planting, Growing, Care. Garden Plants. Vegetables. A Photo

Video: Asparagus. Asparagus. Planting, Growing, Care. Garden Plants. Vegetables. A Photo
Video: How to Grow Asparagus 2024, March
Anonim

This vegetable plant has been known to gardeners for a long time, although it has not become widespread in our country. But in vain. After all, asparagus shoots, and they are eaten, are tasty, nutritious and healing. They are richly represented by anti-scurvy vitamin C.

Asparagus grows wildly in many places in Europe and Siberia. Its bush is equipped with tall green branching stems, the youngest of them have the form of needles collected in whorls (resemble needles of conifers). Asparagus does not have green leaves; their remains are preserved in the form of triangular colorless films pressed against the stem; in the sinuses of these films, buds are formed, from which green branches develop.

Asparagus lives in one place for 18-20 years or more, forming up to 50 shoots. This plant is dioecious: flowers on male plants form pollen, and on female plants - ovaries and red inedible fruits, similar to rowan berries. In berries - 1 - 2 seeds, which remain viable for 5-6 years.

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© Tauʻolunga

In our country, a precocious variety of asparagus is widespread - Arzhanteilskaya. The tops of the stems emerging from the ground are white, slightly pink in color. Young juicy stems are large, thick, do not boil soft.

How is asparagus propagated ? It is usually propagated by seedlings. For this, the seeds are sown in an open nursery. Compost is added to the site since autumn - 1-2 buckets per 1 m2 and the site is dug up by 15-20 cm. In the spring, complete mineral fertilizer is applied: urea, superphosphate and potassium salt (30-40 g per 1 m2). Then they do a deeper digging. Considering that up to 500 g of edible stems are harvested from 1 m2 in the first years, and in subsequent years up to a kilogram, a plot is allocated for asparagus at the rate of 2-3 m2 per consumer. 4 - 5 plants are planted per 1 m2.

The seeds are pre-soaked for 1-2 days and germinated for a week at a temperature of about 20 °. They are sown in spring, when the soil warms up to 12 --_ 15 °. Having made a groove 4 - 5 cm deep, sprouted seeds are sown at a distance of 6-8 cm, covered with soil by 3 cm. The soil is then covered with a centimeter layer of humus, which increases the germination of seeds. When sowing in 2 lines, the interval between them is 30 cm.

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© H. Zell

Seedling care during the summer consists in loosening the soil 4-6 times and weeding by hand. 2 months after sowing, the seedlings are fed with slurry diluted 4 times, or with an aqueous solution of urea at the rate of 10-15 g per 1 m2. In September, to stop the growth of asparagus, add superphosphate and potassium salt (20-30 g per 1 m2). With the onset of stable autumn frosts, the seedlings are covered with peat or compost, filling the lower part of the stems by 5 cm. The covered asparagus does not freeze, in the spring it starts growing later and is not damaged by frost.

In the southern regions, it takes one season to prepare asparagus seedlings, and in the middle lane, two years. In the spring, the dug out seedlings are sorted. The best seedlings have 3-5 developed buds at the base and have a powerful root system.

When planting asparagus in a permanent area, remember that it does not tolerate waterlogging: groundwater should not come closer than 160 cm from the soil surface. With good care and abundant fertilization, asparagus grows in one place for 18-20 years or more. During this time, it removes a large amount of nutrients from the soil.

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© GearedBull, Jim Hood, Rebecca Foster

The soil for asparagus needs well-cultivated, deeply dug, calcareous and well-fertilized. In the conditions of the Non-Black Earth Region, compost is made in the fall of 7-10 buckets per 1 m2. On chernozems, the compost dose is reduced to 1 - 2 buckets. Fertilizer is sealed at the same time to a depth of 80-40 cm. To do this, they resort to a two-layer digging (in two bayonets), transferring the top layer of soil with fertilizer downward, and turning the lower one to the surface.

The asparagus should be planted in early spring, before bud growth begins. They are planted in furrows up to 30 cm deep. Distances between furrows alternate between 60 and 90 cm. And the gaps between plants in a row are 26-35 cm, placing 4 plants per 1 m2. When planting, the seedlings should be covered with soil 6-8 cm and watered abundantly. The apical buds of the seedlings should be left in the furrows 20 cm below the soil surface.

Caring for this vegetable plant is reduced to timely inter-row processing and watering in dry weather. In autumn, the planting furrows are half-leveled with soil.

In the second year, in the spring and summer, a continuous 4-6-fold loosening of the plantings with a hoe is carried out. In the autumn, before frost, the old stems are cut; the lower part of the plants is spud, completely leveling the furrows. The next year, in the spring, a complete mineral fertilizer is applied as a top dressing: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (30-40 g per 1 m2). Fertilizers are covered with a hoe. In spring and summer, weeds are pulled out; in dry weather, they do not forget to water the asparagus and loosen the soil near it. In the fall, the old stems are cut again; the lower part of the plants is spud to a height of 10-16 cm. When the soil freezes, planting asparagus is sprinkled with humus or peat and the height of the ridges is brought to 20-22 cm.

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© 4028mdk09

In the fourth year after planting, asparagus first gives food shoots. When covered with a dark film, the soil quickly warms up in early spring, and asparagus harvests begin 10-16 days earlier than usual. The asparagus shoots are broken off after they pass through the loose soil and begin to lift the rind. To do this, shovel off the bleached stems by hand and gently break them off at the base. The hole is then covered with earth, which is leveled at the top of the ridge: this way it will be better to notice the appearance of subsequent shoots. In sunny weather, asparagus is harvested only in the morning and in the evening, because in the sun the juicy stems quickly wither, losing their taste. At temperatures up to 16 °, asparagus is harvested once every 3-4 days, and in hot weather - after 1 - 2 days. In order not to weaken young plants, in the first year of harvest, the harvest is harvested no more than 20 days: from mid-May to early June. As the asparagus ages, the harvest is gradually extended to 46 days. The collected shoots are sorted in a cool room.

Small sprouts (up to 14 cm long) are laid aside for soups, large ones are used in separate dishes. In a dry, warm and bright room, the shoots quickly darken and wither. Therefore, they are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of about 0 °. To prevent the stems from wilting, the bunches with the cut ends are dipped into water for 8-10 hours (no more).

At the end of the harvest, the asparagus is fed. Its productivity is directly dependent on feeding. In the first 5 years of harvesting, it is necessary to apply 20-30 g of urea, superphosphate and potassium salt for each square meter. In the next 10 years, during the period of the highest harvests, mineral fertilizers are applied at 30-40 g. Then, when the asparagus yields begin to fall, it is enough to apply fertilizers at 20-30 g per 1 ma. After each top dressing, the beds are leveled and the soil is loosened. Autumn hilling and covering the ridges with compost or peat, 1-2 buckets per 1 m2, give a good effect.

What is the productivity of asparagus ? In the first 4-6 years, the collection of shoots increases from 200-400 to 700-1000 g per 1 m2, for the next 8-12 years the yield remains at the achieved level, after which the stems become smaller and the collection decreases.

It is possible to grow bleached asparagus only if you have free hands and abundance in organic fertilizers. These requirements prompted vegetable growers in France, the USA, Germany and other countries to switch to green asparagus. Green asparagus varieties are tasty and rich in vitamins. In the third year after planting, they begin to give green tops of young shoots. The stalks are sheared daily, since with rare harvests, asparagus coarsens, becomes fibrous and loses food quality.

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© Prosopee

Asparagus Dishes

Boiled asparagus. Select the cut stems of the same length and thickness as possible, peel them with a sharp knife, trying to preserve the upper end - this is the most delicious part of the shoot. Then rinse the asparagus and, tying in bundles of 8-10 pcs., Cut evenly, then cook in salted water, placing the shoots with their heads up (they are not filled with water). Boil the stems for 15-20 minutes, as soon as the upper end of the shoots becomes soft, the cooking is stopped; overcooked sprouts lose their aroma and become watery, Water is allowed to drain on a sieve, bundles are untied and put on a dish. Asparagus is eaten with mayonnaise, egg-butter sauce or pre-watered with vegetable oil and sprinkled with toasted, ground breadcrumbs.

For 1 kg of asparagus take: 80 g of oil, 10 g of salt and 50 g of crackers

Stewed asparagus. Cut the peeled and washed asparagus into pieces, then stew with a little salted water. Prepare the sauce separately. To do this, fill the water with a sautéer made from butter and flour, add milk and egg yolk at the end. Put the stewed asparagus into the resulting sauce and sprinkle with finely chopped green parsley. Potatoes and rice will go well with asparagus.

For 1 kg of asparagus, take: 60 g of butter, 40 g of flour, 0.38 l of water, 1 yolk, 0.25 l of milk, salt (to taste)

Green asparagus. Cut the young asparagus stalks into 2 cm pieces, boil in salted water, then discard, let the water drain, season with browned onions, parsley, tarragon, then pour over beaten eggs and bake.

For 1 kg of asparagus take: onion or green 100 g, 6 eggs, olive oil 50 g, parsley and tarragon 85 g

Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)
Asparagus, or Asparagus (Asparagus)

© Javier Lastras

Authors: V. Markov, Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences

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