Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with our premium Mary Washington asparagus crowns. These are not just any plants; they are robust, 2-year-old heirloom varieties, celebrated for their exceptional flavor and prolific yields. The ‘Mary Washington’ asparagus is a true American classic, renowned for producing thick, tender, and delicious spears that will elevate your culinary creations. As a perennial vegetable, these plants establish themselves quickly and can continue to produce for 20 years or more, providing a sustainable source of fresh, homegrown asparagus for decades. They are shipped as bare-root crowns, ready to be planted directly into your garden, offering an efficient and effective way to start your asparagus patch. Investing in these heirloom asparagus plants means investing in long-term gardening success and countless gourmet meals right from your backyard.

Key Benefits

Choosing to plant ‘Mary Washington’ asparagus brings a multitude of advantages to your garden and table. This variety is a top performer, offering both resilience and exceptional culinary quality.

• Long-Term Productivity: Once established, these Mary Washington asparagus crowns can produce abundant harvests for over two decades, making them a highly sustainable and economical choice for your garden. Imagine enjoying fresh, homegrown asparagus year after year from a single planting.
• Superior Flavor and Texture: Known for its tender, crisp texture and distinct subacid taste, ‘Mary Washington’ asparagus delivers a gourmet experience. Its rich flavor makes it ideal for roasting, steaming, grilling, or enjoying fresh in salads.
• Disease Resistance: This heirloom variety boasts natural resistance to common asparagus diseases like rust. This inherent hardiness reduces the need for chemical treatments, promoting a healthier garden and more successful harvests of your heirloom asparagus plants.
• Winter Hardy and Heat Tolerant: Adaptable to a wide range of climates, these plants are winter-hardy, surviving cold temperatures, and also tolerant of summer heat. This resilience ensures consistent growth across various USDA zones.
• High Yielding: Expect bountiful harvests of thick, succulent spears. The 2 year asparagus roots are well-developed, ensuring they are ready to produce vigorously once planted, providing an impressive yield for your efforts.
• Easy to Grow: Despite its gourmet appeal, growing asparagus is surprisingly straightforward with these established crowns. They require minimal maintenance once planted, making them suitable for both experienced gardeners and enthusiastic beginners.
• Nutrient-Rich: Fresh asparagus is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contributing to a healthy diet. Enjoying your own homegrown produce ensures maximum freshness and nutritional value.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your Mary Washington asparagus crowns begins with proper planting and ongoing care. These resilient plants thrive with a few key considerations to ensure a bountiful harvest. Asparagus prefers a site with full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Choose a location that is well-drained, as asparagus does not tolerate soggy soil. Prepare your soil by amending it with compost or other organic matter to improve fertility and drainage. A soil pH level between 6.5 and 7.5 is ideal for optimal growth and nutrient uptake, which is crucial for healthy heirloom asparagus plants.

When planting your 2 year asparagus roots, dig a trench approximately 6-8 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Create a mound of soil at the bottom of the trench and spread the asparagus crown’s roots over the mound. Space your crowns about 12-18 inches apart within the trench. Cover the crowns with about 2-3 inches of soil initially, gradually filling the trench as the spears grow taller. Water thoroughly after planting. Asparagus requires consistent moisture, especially during dry periods, but avoid overwatering. Fertilize annually in early spring with a balanced fertilizer or compost to support vigorous growth and spear production. These rust resistant asparagus plants are generally robust, but monitoring for pests and diseases, though rare for this variety, is always a good practice. Proper care will ensure many years of delicious harvests from your asparagus patch.

Size & Details

This offering includes 10 Mary Washington asparagus crowns, each a robust 2-year-old plant, ready for immediate planting and establishment in your garden. These crowns are shipped bare-root, meaning they arrive without soil, which is standard practice for dormant asparagus plants and ensures healthy transit. Each crown is well-developed, with a strong root system, indicating its maturity and readiness to produce. The mature plants typically grow spears that reach 6-10 inches in height before harvesting. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that can produce for over 20 years once established, continuously sending up new spears each spring. While initial harvests are typically lighter in the first year after planting, the yield significantly increases in subsequent years, providing an increasingly abundant supply of fresh asparagus.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Mary Washington asparagus crowns get? A: These are 2-year-old crowns, meaning they have a well-developed root system. Once planted, the spears can grow 6-10 inches tall before harvesting, and the foliage can reach 3-5 feet in height during the growing season.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: These Mary Washington asparagus crowns are shipped as bare-root plants, not in pots. They will arrive ready for direct planting into your garden soil.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Asparagus is an outdoor perennial vegetable. These heirloom asparagus plants are meant to be planted directly into your garden for outdoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal growth and spear production, asparagus requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, growing asparagus, especially with 2-year-old crowns, is relatively easy. Once established, they require minimal care, mainly consistent watering and annual fertilization.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your asparagus crowns will arrive in a dormant, bare-root state, which is normal and healthy for this type of plant. They will have no soil attached, prepared for planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these 2 year asparagus roots? A: The best time to plant asparagus crowns is in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows them ample time to establish before the heat of summer.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Mary Washington’ variety is cold-hardy and thrives in USDA Zones 3-8, meaning it can withstand cold winters in these regions.
• Q: Can I harvest asparagus the first year after planting? A: It’s generally recommended to wait until the second or third year after planting to begin harvesting heavily. A light harvest may be possible in the second year, but full production of your rust resistant asparagus begins later to allow the plants to establish strong root systems.