3 Mary Washington Asparagus Bare Roots – Heirloom Perennial Vegetable Plant

Overview

Cultivate your own gourmet spears with this offering of 3 Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots. Known scientifically as Asparagus officinalis, this classic heirloom variety is a favorite among gardeners for its exceptional flavor and reliable performance. The Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots provide a robust start to establishing a long-lasting asparagus patch in your garden. This perennial vegetable is celebrated for producing large, dark green spears with attractive purple-tinged tips, adding both beauty and bounty to your culinary endeavors. It’s a rust-resistant cultivar, ensuring healthier plants and more abundant harvests year after year, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners.

Choosing to plant asparagus officinalis from bare roots is an effective way to establish a productive bed that will yield delicious spears for decades. The Mary Washington variety is particularly prized for its consistent high yields and its ability to thrive in a range of growing conditions. These bare roots are dormant plants, ready to awaken and flourish once planted in your garden, offering a satisfying and rewarding gardening experience. Prepare to enjoy fresh, homegrown asparagus, a true harbinger of spring, directly from your backyard with these easy-to-grow bare roots.

Key Benefits

Opting for Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots brings a multitude of advantages to your garden and kitchen. This resilient perennial offers long-term value and culinary delight.

• High Yielding: Enjoy abundant harvests of large, tender asparagus spears, perfect for various culinary uses. The robust nature of asparagus officinalis ensures a generous supply.
• Heirloom Variety: Grow a piece of gardening history. This trusted heirloom is known for its consistent quality and flavor, passed down through generations of gardeners.
• Rust-Resistant: The Mary Washington variety is naturally resistant to asparagus rust, a common fungal disease, leading to healthier plants and more successful yields. This makes it an excellent choice if you want to grow asparagus without constant worry.
• Perennial Growth: Once established, these plants will produce for 15-20 years or more, providing a sustainable and ongoing source of fresh vegetables. It’s truly a long-term investment in your garden.
• Easy to Grow: Relatively low-maintenance once established, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. Learning to grow asparagus successfully is achievable with this variety.
• Nutrient-Rich: Asparagus is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contributing to a healthy diet.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The fresh, crisp spears are delicious steamed, roasted, grilled, or added to stir-fries and salads.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots involves a few key steps to ensure a bountiful harvest. Asparagus thrives in a permanent location, as it will produce for many years. Choose a site with full sun exposure, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. The soil is crucial for successful growth; it should be well-drained, sandy loam with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter like compost or aged manure to improve drainage and fertility. Before planting, dig a trench about 8-12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Create a mound of soil at the bottom of the trench, then spread the roots of the bare root plants over the mound.

Space the bare roots about 12-18 inches apart in the trench. Gradually fill the trench with soil as the plant grows, ensuring the crown remains just below the surface. Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil. During the first year, focus on establishing a strong root system; do not harvest any spears. Allow the ferns to grow and photosynthesize, which stores energy in the roots for future harvests. Keep the area free of weeds, as asparagus does not compete well. Fertilize annually in early spring with a balanced fertilizer or compost. The heirloom asparagus variety is hardy in USDA Zones 3-8, tolerating a wide range of climates. Proper care in the initial years will lead to decades of delicious spears, making it easy to grow asparagus successfully.

Watering is important, especially during dry spells, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not waterlogged. Overwatering can lead to root rot. After the first frost, the ferns will turn yellow; cut them back to about 2 inches above the ground. This helps prevent diseases and makes for a cleaner patch. Monitor for pests like asparagus beetles and diseases, though asparagus officinalis is known for its rust resistance. With proper preparation and ongoing care, your asparagus patch will be a highlight of your garden for many seasons. If you’re looking for a reliable perennial vegetable, this is an excellent choice.

Size & Details

This offering includes 3 Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots, ready for planting. These bare roots are dormant, typically arriving with a well-developed root system and a crown from which new spears will emerge. When mature, Mary Washington asparagus plants produce spears that can grow up to 8-10 inches tall before fern development. The plants themselves can reach a height of 3-5 feet when allowed to fern out. These bare roots are ideal for establishing a new asparagus bed, offering a head start compared to growing from seed.

Expected time to first harvest is typically two to three years after planting the bare roots, allowing the plants ample time to develop a strong root system. Once established, the asparagus patch will provide harvests for 15-20 years or more. This is a robust and resilient perennial vegetable, making a long-term contribution to your home garden. Planting these bare roots ensures you are setting up a highly productive and long-lived source of fresh, delicious asparagus.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: When mature, the ferns of Mary Washington Asparagus can reach 3-5 feet tall. The edible spears themselves are typically harvested when they are 6-10 inches tall.
• Q: What condition will the bare roots arrive in? A: The 3 Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots will arrive dormant, which is their natural state for planting. They will be carefully packaged to ensure they are healthy and ready to be planted in your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Mary Washington Asparagus is an outdoor perennial vegetable. It requires specific outdoor conditions to thrive and produce spears, making it unsuitable for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: Asparagus requires full sun exposure, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, for optimal growth and spear production. This is crucial if you want to grow asparagus successfully.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Once established, heirloom asparagus is relatively low-maintenance. The initial planting and care in the first two years are the most critical for long-term success.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these bare roots? A: The best time to plant asparagus bare roots is in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows the plants to establish before the summer heat.
• Q: How long until I can harvest the spears? A: You should not harvest in the first year after planting. A light harvest can begin in the second year, and full production typically starts in the third year. This patience is rewarded with decades of delicious spears from your asparagus officinalis.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Mary Washington Asparagus bare roots are hardy in USDA Zones 3-8, meaning they are well-suited to survive cold winters in those regions and return year after year.
• Q: What type of soil is best for growing asparagus? A: Well-drained, sandy loam soil with a neutral to slightly acidic pH (6.5-7.0) is ideal for growing healthy asparagus.
• Q: Can I really expect this plant to produce for many years? A: Yes, with proper care and a good growing location, perennial vegetable asparagus patches are known to produce for 15-20 years, and sometimes even longer.