Growing Asparagus in the Hot Zones

It’s the middle of June and we’re still getting a 
few new asparagus spears.  Photos by Mary Woody.

We’ve often heard the question, “Can I grow asparagus in Florida?”  As usual, the answer is “Depends,” or “Maybe.”  Depends on the variety and where you plant it, and maybe if the weather cooperates and conditions are just right.   

At the VegHeadz garden at least nine years ago we planted asparagus in the garden.  It was not very successful—full sun, irrigated.   But asparagus makes seeds, and we were gifted with a volunteer plant further down in the garden where it received some shade part of the day.   It survived and multiplied.   We rarely harvested any, except to graze a stalk or two if any happened to be fresh on our weekly work day.   This gave the bed the opportunity to get well-established. 

We eventually moved the roots up into the sunnier herb beds where it also survived because the plant was now adapted to our particular location   When asparagus leafs out it takes quite a bit of space so it was eventually dug up and shared with gardeners who wanted to plant it at home.   One clump was planted in the edible forest, a somewhat shadier area, where it has persisted and multiplied. That is the bed pictured here.  It is not irrigated nor fertilized, and it receives quite a bit of shade, particularly in winter.  It is also in a lower part of the garden, which is always a few degrees colder in winter.  Asparagus needs to become fully dormant in winter.   

Simulating Dormancy: In regions with mild winters (like Florida), asparagus will not naturally go dormant. To force a rest period and induce new spring spears, cut all the yellowing or dead foliage back to the ground in mid-winter (e.g., January).

Variety:  The identity of the variety we are growing has been lost to time, but the top varieties for warm zones include:  

         UC-157: A University of California hybrid specifically bred to excel in warm, subtropical climates

        UC-72: Highly productive and resilient to high heat

        Jersey Knight: A vigorous, all-male hybrid that produces large, thick spears and resists crown rot

        Purple Passion: Produces sweet, tender purple spears and performs well in hot southern regions.  

Planting the Bed:  Plant 1-year-old dormant crowns in late winter to early spring.  Dig a trench about 6 to 8 inches deep.  Place the crowns 12 inches apart and cover with just 2 inches of soil. As the shoots emerge throughout the summer, gradually fill the trench to the top so the roots are sufficiently deep. 

Soil & Sunlight: Plant in a site with 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight, but anfternoon shade is beneficial.  Best is sandy, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. Asparagus prefers a soil pH of roughly 6.5 to 7.0. 

The Waiting Game: Do not harvest any spears during the first 1 to 2 years so the plant can establish a strong root system. Allow the spears to grow into tall, feathery ferns. Once established, limit harvests to 4 to 8 weeks in the spring, leaving some spears to mature and feed the roots.  

Maintenance: Keep the bed heavily mulched to retain moisture and suppress weeds.  Nitrogen fertilizer can be applied during the growing season to promote robust fern growth.

The final word, you will be able to harvest asparagus and it will be delicious, but it is unlikely to be the fat succulent spears seen in the grocery store in spring.  

To the right of the asparagus is Malabar 
Spinach growing on a small trellis.  
Behind it is our recently expanded blueberry
patch.

We use bamboo from our garden to build simple 
barriers to keep blooming asparagus out of
pathways.