Growing asparagus in Arizona can be thrilling. Arizona, The Grand Canyon State, is endowed with desert-covered lands with bushes and cacti, tracts of deserts, man-made lakes, and shorelines not found anywhere in the United States. This geography is making it promising for gardeners and farmers to get started growing asparagus in Arizona.
Growing the crop in this state is relatively easy. There are resources you must collect, and step-by-step guide, and tips that you must follow. Asparagus is referred to as a perennial herb of the flowering species characterized by young shoots that are turned into spring vegetables. They require well-drained soil and moderate pH levels.
Growing asparagus in Arizona requires that you take note of the climate and the geography of the place. As the area where you can find landmarks like the Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley, and Antelope Canyon, many parts of the state are developing into urbanized regions, which make it challenging for homeowners to find arable lands ideal for asparagus. This is where greenhouses come into the scene.
But before anything else, it is important to know the facts on how you can effectively grow asparagus in Arizona. Read further.
How To Plant Asparagus In Arizona
Before growing asparagus in Arizona, there are considerations and these include the life cycle of the plant, the location, timing, and more.
Comprehending the life cycle of asparagus and how you can implement this in the garden means you have to take note of certain pointers.
- These include realizing how their roots may produce singular stalks above the ground, having to allow these stalks to turn into ferns after the harvesting period, how ferns may grow inactive during the winter, and how the stalks may expand larger in the spring season.
- Moreover, you must also be able to choose a location that receives at least six hours of sun daily.
- You may begin the planting of the asparagus from one to two-year-old asparagus crowns, seed, and transplants.
- And for the timing, your asparagus must have stalks in the first year as soon as the roots are in the soil but avoid cutting the stalks. In the upcoming spring, the new spears will appear and during the summer, allow these smaller stalks to grow, giving energy into the roots.
To plant this crop, you may start by selecting a fairly sizable area that is open to the sunlight. Then, dig a trench of around a foot wide, with eight to 10 inches depth. Provide about two beets between trenches if you are looking at planting multiple rows.
Then, amend the plant’s soil that you have once removed from the trench with a fourth to a half rich soil compost and other types of organic matter.
Can I Grow Asparagus From Scraps?
One of the raised questions when it comes to growing asparagus in Arizona is whether you can grow this from scraps. What does this mean?
Asparagus is one of those crops that you can grow from scraps. You can have these planted at any point within spring or summer, and expecting less care. The asparagus that you plant during the spring season specifically may yield pleasant spears for the next 50 years.
Then, this is the time you can implement the choice on whether you will plant them from the seeds or roots, otherwise known as the crowns.
Other foods that you can grow from scraps are green onions, garlic sprouts, romaine leaves, leeks, basils, cilantro, celeries, bok choys, carrot greens, lemongrass stalks, and more.
How Long Can You Keep Cutting Asparagus?
Timing is of great importance when you decide to cut asparagus, as part of the cultivation, planting, and harvesting. The last thing you want to happen is to harvest asparagus at the wrong time, or mistakenly cutting too many asparagus spears as you weaken the asparagus bed in the upcoming years.
In the middle of your first year to the second year, there should be no cutting as you transition to transplanting the crowns, and once planted, the gardener must be able to leave the plants to develop in the greenhouse.
Cutting usually begins in the second year but practice great care because they must still grow. The first full year of cutting stars in the third year. By four years onwards, you should have been able to cut for its entire eight-week season.
The greenhouse owner must be able to cut the asparagus spears before their tips begin to open up to form the asparagus ferns. As the tips open up, Lignin is produced, a substance that provides tough stalks especially in the plant’s lower portions.
This pertains to the way to prepare the stalks so they carry the ferns’ weights. Greenhouse owners may want to cut these spears before reaching these phases. Always check and cut the spears, ideally daily, with the maximum height at nine inches.
When Should I Replace My Asparagus Plants?
When it comes to growing asparagus in Arizona, timing on when you must replace the asparagus plants is important to know.
Surprisingly enough, replacing the asparagus plants, unless there are major issues, does not happen immediately or anytime soon. Planting specialists reveal that asparagus beds may last up to two decades, and may not need replacement sooner or later.
Many instances in the garden, the initial planting may be close to accommodate the sizes of these plants so weaker plants are allowed to crowd out. Do not replace the plants sooner, but allow the other plants to occupy the spaces they need.
What Is The Best Way To Plant Asparagus?
The research will make growing the asparagus in your lots a successful venture. When done right, asparagus can be a beneficial ingredient for the kitchen, allowing you to produce recipes that include Pan-Fried Asparagus, Oven-Roaster Asparagus, Cheesy Garlic Roasted Asparagus, Lemon Roasted Asparagus, and more.
To plant asparagus well, follow these simple steps:
- Step 1: Procure the asparagus crowns
- Step 2: Prepare the plant’s soil
- Step 3: Start planting
- Step 4: Keep on filling and watering.
Harvest The Asparagus With Krostrade
Greenhouses for your asparagus is the best area to have when dealing with providing these plants with the perfect environment. These greenhouses have roof and wall structures that regulate the climate for your crops. One of the most reliable providers of these greenhouses is Krostrade.com.
Growing asparagus in Arizona? With the company, you can find yourself together with a market that is centered around Europe and North America. The demands and the details that these customers want are encouraging the company to always provide the highest quality products for the clients. For more information, visit www.krostrade.com.