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When to Pick Asparagus in its Plant Cycle
When to Pick Asparagus in its Plant Cycle. Fresh-picked asparagus is one of the vegetable world’s delights every spring. If you are going to pick it yourself, however, it is important to know when the best time is to do so. Picking too early or too much can damage the plant, which can have a negative impact on growth in future years.
Fresh-picked asparagus is one of the vegetable world’s delights every spring. If you are going to pick it yourself, however, it is important to know when the best time is to do so. Picking too early or too much can damage the plant, which can have a negative impact on growth in future years.
Wait a Few Years
Asparagus is a perennial, and with proper care, you will be able to enjoy delicious asparagus for many spring seasons after you’ve first planted it. However, that means you must wait for the first three to four years before you pick any of it. Small stalks may appear that look promising, but do not be tempted. Asparagus root systems take a long time to establish themselves and you could be putting your plants in jeopardy by being impatient.
The Asparagus is Ready
Once your plants have matured and are producing spears, the ideal time for harvest is just after the spears have reached 4 to 5 inches in height, which should happen very soon after spring has come to your region. It is difficult to give an exact time, because asparagus plants are extremely susceptible to temperature and sun changes. They will seem to shoot up instantly when it is sunny and warm. When it is cold and cloudy, they are a lot like many people and do not really seem to move.
It is a mistake to think that thickness of stalks is indicative of toughness. Conversely, it is also a mistake to think that thinner stalks automatically indicate tenderness. Use color and head formation as your guide when choosing which spears to pick. As a rule, very intensely green spears are sweeter than ones that are less intensely colored. Tightly grouped heads on the spears are usually indicative of good flavor and texture as well. Do not pick spears that have heads that have loosened, as these are about to turn into asparagus ferns and will be bitter and woody. You can harvest the seeds from the ferns to plant more asparagus, if you like, but they do not make good food.
How Long to Harvest
Cornell University’s Vegetable MD program recommends only harvesting for a maximum of two weeks the first year you are doing it, four weeks the second and six weeks every year thereafter. Furthermore, they recommend stopping your yearly harvest when you notice a profusion of small stalks popping up in place of the mix of stalk sizes you will likely have seen previously in the season.
