A little over a year ago, I posted a how-to on planting an asparagus crown in a pot, and I wanted to share how the project went! While I don’t think a pot is a good place for the long term (asparagus develop complex root systems and live for as long as 15 years), it was a perfect spot for my crown to grow while I waited to have a real garden of my own. You’re not supposed to harvest the spears for the first three springs so the root system has time to develop, but by next spring, it will be ready to eat.
One crown will probably only produce enough spears for salad garnish, but it’s such a beautiful plant that I thought it was worth it. I love the feathery leaves and little golden pods you see on the spears once they go to seed. Asparagus tastes like spring to me, so it will be incredibly satisfying to be able to eat it straight from the garden. According to my new bible, Golden Gate Gardening, you need at least five plants to feed one person all season long, and twenty plants is “an asparagus lovers dream,” so I’m not sure I have room for that, but this is a start!
Here’s a photo of the entire plant in its pot, sitting in its future location in my new garden:
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