Description
Asparagus officinalis
Purple asparagus was originally developed in Italy by farmers in the Albenga region. The colour comes from the high levels of anthocyanins in the spears. Anthocyanins are potent antioxidant flavonoids that have protective and preventative health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Purple asparagus is a bit nuttier and sweeter than green asparagus because it has about 20 percent more sugar in its stalks. ‘Sweet Purple’ is a disease-resistant productive variety producing thick sweet spears which are lower in fibre than some other varieties. Treat purple asparagus the same as green for preparation and cooking purposes, but note that the colour does fade slightly with cooking.
Originating from Europe, North Africa and West Asia, asparagus has been cultivated for over 2,000 years as a vegetable and medicinal herb. A herbaceous perennial (winter dormant), the first shoots of asparagus in spring are one of the most anticipated events in the vegetable growing calendar! They can be eaten raw or cooked, or juiced, and are a good source of protein and dietary fibre, as well as vitamins C, B2, B9, K and E and minerals such as iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium. The berries are toxic to humans, dogs and cats, but the seeds can be apparently be roasted as a coffee substitute!
Both the roots and the shoots can be used medicinally; they have a restorative and cleansing effect on the bowels, kidneys and liver. The shoots can be juiced fresh, and the roots are harvested in late spring, after the shoots have been cut as a food crop, and are dried for later use (this will obviously impact future crops however). The strongly diuretic action of the roots make it useful in the treatment of a variety of urinary problems including cystitis. The roots are said to be able to lower blood pressure, and have also been used in the treatment of cancer.
Prepare your asparagus beds well, in a sunny spot (or light shade only). Asparagus needs deep, rich well drained soil – plenty of compost with added sand or fine stones (it is found naturally in river and coastal environments in sandy soil). It enjoys a pH level in the neutral range of 6.5 to 7.5. Beds will crop for 20 years or more, so it’s worth putting the effort in up front! Space plants at least 30cm apart in rows 50cm apart. How many plants you need depends on your requirements as a household, but I’d recommend three per person as an absolute minimum (and personally I can eat a lot more than that!). Water plants in well, add more compost, and then mulch. We used wood chip mulch to start our beds off but have planted a living mulch of wild and alpine strawberries which seems to be working well. Feed the bed again once or twice through the season and then again at the start of each season. Dormant plants are frost hardy; new spears may be damaged by hard frosts (but more will be on their way!)
Your plants are already one year old, but asparagus needs to develop a good crown (underground mass of tuberous roots, providing the reserve of energy) before it can be harvested. So despite the fact that spears will be produced in year two, you should resist the urge to harvest them, for the sake of your next 20 years’ harvests! Allow the feathery stems to develop throughout the summer and do not cut them down until they have yellowed off. Year three (two years after planting) will be your first harvest.
You may notice red berries produced on some stems; these are female plants – asparagus is dioecious, having separate male and female plants. Until recently, many growers preferred male plants as they produce more spears, and some male-only hybrids were developed. However, under open field systems (where asparagus is not ‘forced’), recent research has found female plants often produce bigger spears, which have a higher market value, and in fact the weight and yield of female plants were equivalent to or significantly higher than those of male plants, regardless of the cultivar.
Our plants are unsexed so you may receive either. If yours do produce berries, you could harvest them for the seed to grow more yourself (remember they will be three years until harvest). Or you may also find they self-seed – in which case you may have to ‘weed’ some out so your bed spacings are not compromised, and transplant them to a new bed if desired.
Certified organic one year old plant (= 2 years to harvest) in 9cm pot. Bulk orders can be grown to order for $3.50 each for seedling plants (= 3 years to harvest) in 7cm pot. Minimum order 30 plants. Please contact us via email to order bulk.
Freight: We can send up to 9 plants this size (in 9cm pots) for the same freight price or they can be combined with other grades but this will incur higher freight costs.
