Asparagus has recently appeared more and more often on our tables. True, in summer cottages and household plots a vegetable can be found rarely, despite its useful properties and excellent taste qualities. It can be said that growing asparagus in our region is almost exotic. By the way, it is already possible to harvest in April, when our organisms suffer from a lack of vitamins. And the price of asparagus is not low. Therefore, these factors speak only in favor of planting this vegetable culture on their land. Well, we'll tell you how to grow asparagus from seeds.
Selection of a site for planting
For the cultivation of asparagus, the considered choice of land is of primary importance. Vegetable requires fertile and nutritious soil. It's better if it's a loose sandy loamy earth. But the acid soil, which is closely located groundwater, the worst option for asparagus. At the same time, the land where the planting of the vegetable will be planted should have good drainage properties, so that the roots of the plants do not rot.
In addition, the place for sowing asparagus should be sunny and calm, preferably in the back of the site, where there are no cold winds. In the fall, it is recommended that the manure, phosphoric fertilizers be added to the ground, and thoroughly dig deep into the site. Asparagus can grow in one area up to 15-20 years. That's why you need to choose a place carefully.
How to plant asparagus seeds?
This valuable vegetable culture can be grown with seeds in two ways - first obtaining seedlings with subsequent transplantation or immediately sowing into the open ground. At the last variant in the autumn for seeds the stratification is made . To do this, the seeds are first poured with warm water and left in a warm place, and then they are put in a damp handkerchief, wrapped in a bag and put in a refrigerator compartment, where the temperature does not exceed + 2 + 5 degrees. You can store seeds in a bowl with wet sand. From time to time the package should be taken out and checked for rotted seeds, they are cleaned. So they are kept until the spring.
When growing asparagus from seed in seedlings, it is necessary to pre-soak in water for several days. Thanks to this, the seed will be pierced sooner, which means it will ascend faster.
Seeding time for asparagus seeds
When planting seeds in open ground, the most successful time is the end of April - mid-May. On the site, you first need to make furrows about 3-4 cm deep. The distance between rows of beds should be 20 cm. Asparagus seeds should sow in the interval of 4-6 cm. When the seeds ascend, the plants need to be weeded, leaving a distance of 10 cm between them. further do not forget about systematic watering, weeding and feeding of seedlings.
If you decide to grow seedlings from seed, then you should do it in February, you will need small peat pots, each of which must be planted with two seeds. We recommend to prepare asparagus-friendly soil, mixing sand, peat, manure and
In autumn shoots of asparagus should be sheltered for the winter. To do this, use a different kind of mulch : peat, fallen leaves or straw. Cover layer should be at least 4-5 cm, then winter frosts will not be terrible to the vegetable. Unfortunately, the first suitable crop can be obtained from a three-year-old plant. Cut with a sharp knife young, still fragile, shoots in April.