Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns – 5 count, 2-Year-Old Bare Root Live Plants

Overview

Cultivate a bountiful harvest of tender, flavorful spears with these premium Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns. This offering provides 5 robust, 2-year-old crowns, specifically selected for their early vigor and excellent heat resistance. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a highly prized perennial vegetable, known for its delicate flavor and impressive nutritional profile. The ‘Grande F1’ variety is particularly noted for its ability to extend the harvest season, producing abundant yields even when temperatures rise. These 2 year asparagus crowns are shipped dormant and bare root, ready to be planted directly into your garden, offering a head start on establishing a long-lasting and productive asparagus patch. Investing in high-quality Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns ensures a rewarding gardening experience and delicious, fresh asparagus for years to come.

Key Benefits

The ‘Grande F1’ variety offers numerous advantages for home gardeners and commercial growers alike, making it an excellent choice for those looking to grow asparagus. From its robust growth to its disease resistance, these crowns provide a superior foundation for your garden.

• Early and Vigorous Production: The ‘Grande F1’ variety is known for its early emergence and strong growth, allowing for an extended harvest season. This means you can enjoy fresh asparagus sooner and for a longer period.
• Heat Resistance: Unlike many asparagus varieties, ‘Grande F1’ is remarkably heat-resistant. It’s slow to fern out and become fibrous even when temperatures exceed 70 degrees, ensuring tender spears throughout warmer periods. This is a crucial benefit for those in warmer climates.
• High Yields of Quality Spears: Expect large yields of medium-large to large diameter green spears, often tinged with attractive purple tips. The consistency in size and tenderness makes these Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns a top choice for culinary use.
• Excellent Disease Resistance: This variety boasts strong resistance to common asparagus diseases, contributing to healthier plants and more consistent harvests with less effort. Disease resistance is key to successful, long-term asparagus cultivation.
• Perennial Harvest: Once established, an asparagus patch can produce delicious spears for 15-20 years or more. These 2 year asparagus crowns provide a significant head start, allowing you to establish a long-term food source in your garden.
• Nutritional Value: Asparagus is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a healthy and delicious addition to any diet. Growing your own ensures the freshest possible produce.
• Easy to Establish: Arriving as dormant bare root asparagus, these crowns are straightforward to plant and establish in prepared garden beds, setting you up for years of successful harvests.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential to ensure your Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns thrive and produce abundant harvests. Asparagus is a long-term investment in your garden, and understanding its specific needs will lead to greater success. Upon arrival, your bare root asparagus will be dormant. Plant them as soon as possible after receiving them. Choose a site with full sun, receiving at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, and ensure the soil is well-drained. Asparagus prefers a soil pH between 6.5 and 7.5; conduct a soil test to confirm and amend as necessary.

Prepare a trench about 6-8 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Create a mound of soil in the center of the trench and spread the roots of each crown over the mound. Space the crowns 12-18 inches apart. Cover the crowns with 2-3 inches of soil, gradually filling the trench as the spears grow throughout the season. Water thoroughly after planting. During the first two years, focus on establishing a strong root system. Harvest sparingly, if at all, in the first year to allow the plant to put energy into developing robust crowns. By the third year, you can enjoy a full harvest. Fertilize annually in early spring with a balanced fertilizer. Keep the area free of weeds, as they compete for nutrients and moisture. Protecting your 2 year asparagus crowns from pests and diseases is also crucial for a healthy patch.

Size & Details

This offering includes 5 Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns. Each crown is a robust 2-year-old plant, shipped dormant and bare root, meaning they arrive without soil. This method ensures they transplant easily and minimize shock, allowing them to establish quickly in your garden. The ‘Grande F1’ variety is known for producing medium-large to large diameter spears. Once established, these plants will begin to bear harvestable spears in approximately 3 years, providing a long-term yield. The recommended spacing for these plants is 12-18 inches apart to allow ample room for growth and root development. They are suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8, demonstrating broad adaptability to various climates. The vigorous growth habit means they are slow to fern out, maintaining tender spears even in warmer conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns get? A: While the crowns themselves are compact for shipping, mature ‘Grande F1’ asparagus plants can grow ferns up to 5-6 feet tall during the growing season. The spears themselves can be harvested when they are 6-10 inches tall.
• Q: What condition will the bare root asparagus arrive in? A: Your bare root asparagus will arrive dormant, without soil. This is the standard and healthiest way to ship asparagus crowns, ensuring they are ready to be planted directly into your prepared garden bed for optimal establishment.
• Q: How much sunlight do these 2 year asparagus crowns need? A: Asparagus thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for vigorous growth and abundant spear production from your 2 year asparagus crowns.
• Q: Is this an easy plant to grow for beginners? A: While asparagus requires some patience in the first few years as it establishes, it is generally considered a low-maintenance, long-lived perennial once established. The ‘Grande F1’ variety’s disease resistance and adaptability make it a good choice for those looking to grow asparagus.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns? A: The best time to plant dormant Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns is in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows the plants to establish their root systems before the heat of summer.
• Q: How long until I can harvest spears from these crowns? A: These are 2 year asparagus crowns, meaning they have already had two years of growth. You may be able to harvest a few spears sparingly in the first year after planting, but a full harvest is typically recommended starting in the third year to ensure strong plant establishment.
• Q: What soil pH level is best for growing asparagus? A: Asparagus prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH, ideally between 6.5 and 7.5. It’s important to test your soil and amend it with lime to raise pH or sulfur to lower it, if necessary, for optimal growth of your Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns.
• Q: Can I grow asparagus in containers? A: While possible, asparagus has an extensive root system and prefers deep, rich soil. Growing asparagus in containers requires very large, deep containers (at least 20 gallons per plant) and diligent watering and fertilization. It’s generally more successful when planted directly in the garden.
• Q: Will these Grande F1 Asparagus Crowns survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Grande F1’ variety is hardy in USDA Zones 3-8. If you are within this range, your asparagus crowns should survive winter and return year after year, especially with a protective layer of mulch in colder zones.
• Q: What makes Grande F1 asparagus heat-resistant? A: The ‘Grande F1’ variety has been specifically bred to be slow to fern out and become fibrous even when exposed to temperatures exceeding 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This genetic trait allows it to continue producing tender spears for a longer period in warmer climates, making it a superior choice for those looking for heat resistant asparagus.