The Magic Of Growing Asparagus

Some things in the garden take time. They ask for patience, a little faith, and the willingness to plant for the future. Asparagus is one of those things.

You start by choosing a sunny spot with well-drained, nutrient-rich soil—somewhere this crop can settle in for the long haul. Instead of seeds, most gardeners begin with crowns—tangled roots that look unassuming but hold so much potential. You dig trenches, at least six inches deep, and lay the crowns inside, spacing them out so they have room to stretch. Then, little by little, you cover them with soil as they grow, letting them settle in slowly.

The first year, you wait.

This is not easy.  It requires patience and grace.  

It means that you have to be willing to let the garden grow a little wild before the neat and tidy asparagus begin to grow.  For your first year, your asparagus will look like the image below.  

The second year, you watch as the plants strengthen. And then—one spring morning—you see them. Slender green spears breaking through the earth, reaching for the sun, reminding you that good things come to those who wait.

And once it begins, it never ends.  Asparagus is a gift that keeps giving. Year after year, it returns—an early sign of spring, a reward for the gardener who thought ahead. It thrives with little fuss, needing only a season a layer of fresh compost to keep it happy. And in return, it offers the kind of harvest that feels almost effortless.

There’s something deeply satisfying about growing food that comes back to greet us every spring, like an unexpected friend, something that outlasts the seasons, the droughts and the snow.  There is something grounding about knowing that what you plant today could feed you for years to come. If you’ve never grown asparagus, maybe this is the year to begin. The garden is a phenomenal teacher, and with asparagus, she teaches us to trust the process.

Learn more about growing asparagus, the wild child way in my course below!