Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns. This offering includes 10 premium, 2-year-old bare root plants, carefully selected to ensure vigorous growth and abundant harvests. The ‘Atlas F1’ hybrid variety is renowned for its exceptional productivity, consistently delivering tender, green spears with tightly formed heads. As a perennial vegetable, asparagus provides a delicious yield for many years, making it a sustainable and highly valued addition to any garden. These bare root asparagus plants are shipped dormant, ready to be planted and establish themselves in your garden, promising a future of fresh, homegrown asparagus.

The ‘Atlas F1’ hybrid is specifically bred to perform well in a variety of climates, particularly excelling under warm to hot growing conditions during the harvest season. Its robust nature and strong hybrid vigor ensure that spear production begins early in the spring and continues late into the cutting season, maximizing your yield. This makes it an excellent choice for gardeners looking for high yield asparagus varieties that can withstand diverse environmental factors and provide a long harvesting window.

Key Benefits

The Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns offer a multitude of benefits for the enthusiastic gardener, combining ease of growth with impressive results:

• Exceptional Yields: This hybrid variety is specifically known for its high productivity, providing a generous harvest of spears over an extended cutting season. Gardeners can enjoy fresh asparagus for longer each year.
• Superior Spear Quality: Produces beautifully formed, cylindrical green spears with tight, smooth heads, ensuring excellent texture and appearance for culinary use.
• Early and Extended Harvest: Spear production starts very early in the spring and continues late into the season due to the plant’s strong hybrid vigor, offering a longer period to enjoy your harvest.
• Adaptable to Various Climates: Thrives in a wide range of growing conditions, particularly performing well under warm to hot temperatures during harvest, making it a versatile choice for many regions.
• Perennial Longevity: Once established, these 2 year asparagus plants will continue to produce for 15-20 years or more, offering a sustainable and long-term food source from a single planting.
• Nutrient-Rich Vegetable: Asparagus is a healthy addition to any diet, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contributing to a nutritious lifestyle.
• Dormant Bare Root Shipping: Plants arrive in a dormant state, minimizing transplant shock and allowing them to establish strong root systems quickly when planted.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential to ensure your Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns thrive and provide years of delicious harvests. Asparagus requires a well-prepared site with excellent drainage. Choose a location that receives full sun, ideally 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Prepare your asparagus bed by digging a trench about 8-12 inches deep and 12-18 inches wide. Amend the soil with plenty of organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, to improve fertility and drainage. The ideal soil pH level for asparagus is between 6.5 and 7.5. These 2 year asparagus plants are shipped dormant and should be planted as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring.

When planting your bare root asparagus, create a mound of soil in the bottom of your trench. Spread the roots of each crown over the mound, ensuring the crown is positioned upright. Cover the crowns with 2-3 inches of soil, gradually filling the trench as the spears grow throughout the first season. Space plants 12-18 inches apart. Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil. During the first two years, focus on establishing the plants and do not harvest any spears. Allow the ferns to grow and photosynthesize, building up the root system’s energy reserves. Keep the bed free of weeds, which can compete for nutrients and moisture. A regular watering schedule is important, especially during dry periods, to maintain average moistness in the soil, avoiding both waterlogging and drought stress.

Fertilize your asparagus bed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer or compost. After the first two years, you can begin harvesting spears when they are 6-8 inches tall and about the thickness of a pencil. Snap them off at ground level. Stop harvesting when spears become thin, typically around late June. Allow the remaining spears to fern out, which will nourish the root system for the following year’s harvest. In late fall, after the ferns have turned yellow, cut them back to 2 inches above the ground. This helps prevent diseases and prepares the bed for winter. These robust plants are suitable for USDA Zones 3-10, making it possible to grow asparagus from crowns in many regions.

Size & Details

This offering includes 10 individual Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns, each a robust 2-year-old bare root plant. The 2-year age means these crowns have a well-developed root system, allowing for quicker establishment and an earlier first harvest compared to 1-year crowns. The plants are shipped in a dormant state, without soil, which is the standard and most effective method for shipping asparagus crowns. Upon arrival, the crowns will appear as a central bud with numerous fleshy roots extending outwards. Each crown is ready for immediate planting in your prepared garden bed.

When mature, these asparagus plants can reach heights of 4-6 feet with their fern-like foliage, providing a beautiful backdrop in the garden once the harvesting season concludes. The spears themselves grow to an ideal harvest length of 6-8 inches. Expect to begin harvesting light crops in the third year after planting, with full production commencing in the fourth year. These 2 year asparagus plants are designed to provide a long-term yield for many seasons to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: What condition will the Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns arrive in? A: Your Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns will arrive dormant and bare-rooted, meaning they will not have soil or foliage. This is the optimal state for shipping and planting asparagus crowns, ensuring they establish well in your garden.
• Q: How long until I can harvest asparagus from these crowns? A: Since these are 2 year asparagus plants, you should wait until the third year after planting for a light harvest. Full production typically begins in the fourth year, allowing the plants to build strong root systems.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Asparagus is an outdoor perennial vegetable. These crowns are meant to be planted directly into your garden bed to establish a long-term asparagus patch.
• Q: How much sunlight do these asparagus plants need? A: To ensure vigorous growth and high yields, Atlas F1 Asparagus Crowns require full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: What is the best way to plant these bare root asparagus crowns? A: Dig a trench, create a mound in the bottom, spread the roots over the mound, and cover with a few inches of soil. Gradually fill the trench as the spears grow. Ensure adequate spacing of 12-18 inches between crowns.
• Q: Is it good for beginners to grow asparagus from crowns? A: Yes, growing asparagus from crowns is a straightforward process, even for beginners. The key is proper bed preparation, patient establishment, and consistent care in the initial years.
• Q: What USDA zones are suitable for Atlas F1 Asparagus? A: The ‘Atlas F1’ variety is hardy and suitable for a wide range of climates, specifically thriving in USDA Zones 3 through 10.
• Q: What type of soil is best for these asparagus crowns? A: Asparagus prefers well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.5-7.5) is ideal for optimal growth.
• Q: How often should I water my newly planted asparagus crowns? A: Keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged, especially during the establishment phase. Water deeply, allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
• Q: Can I really expect high yield asparagus from these crowns? A: Yes, the ‘Atlas F1’ hybrid is specifically bred for its exceptional productivity and strong hybrid vigor, making it one of the most reliable varieties for high yields.