Asparagus is one of my top veggies; it also happens to be one of the most expensive vegetables!
Even the cheapest bunches at the local grocery stores ring in at $3 a pound; now, let’s not forget that you still have to cut the hardened, tough, browned, and woody ends off of your asparagus before you can cook it.
All in all, you’re probably going to spend roughly $4 to $5 per pound of usable commercially-grown asparagus, without that organic label.
This is not a budget-friendly vegetable, especially when your entire family fights over the succulent, garlic-roasted, tender shoots of the asparagus fern at dinner time.
It almost makes you want to kick yourself in the butt when you discover that 3 years of time, a bit of digging, and $20 in bare roots can provide your family with a bumper crop of organic, clean asparagus for DECADES to come!
…. Or even less money, if you grow these asparagus seeds instead!
On that note, I’d like you to meet Archie the Asparagus Plant! I grew this little guy from seed, and he has finally outgrown his seedling pot: this old, up-cycled, dilapidated, clearance sand bucket I scored for $0.10! Scoring cheap pots in unconventional ways is a skill you simply must possess as you pursue the homesteading life!
How to Grow Asparagus In a Container from Seed
Asparagus is a pretty easy vegetable to grow in the garden, but it can be a challenge to grow 100% in containers; don’t be discouraged though, because it is more than possible. Understanding how this perennial plant grows, overwinters, spreads, and reproduces will be the key to growing your asparagus successfully, especially in container gardens.
Of course, you need to have some of the basic tools on hand for starting your seeds, including large fabric pots or clay pots (I recommend a 12″ standard clay pot with drainage, or something deep like my starter pot). This will give your tiny plants plenty of room to reach and grow. You will also need your asparagus seeds (the Mary Washington variety is very, very popular), and some well rotted compost or clean potting soil. Let’s dive in!
How Does the Asparagus Plant… Grow?
The asparagus that you are familiar with is actually a tender early spring shoot.
The tiny shoot, if left to grow, would develop into a fern-like bush of incredible size. These plants grow SO large that many people even use them as seasonal privacy fences! It tends to come as quite a shock, but you should expect foliage in excess of 4 to 6 feet, so do not plant asparagus in an area that might produce undesirable blind spots.
As the foliage grows and photosynthesizes sunlight, the energy is carried to the roots and stored for the next spring. The plants will also flower, fruit, and drop seed, which you can replant.
As winter approaches, the ferns are killed off by freezes. The next spring, these perennials send up small shoots (the asparagus you would harvest and eat in the 3rd or 4th year after planting) and the process happens all over again!
Planting Asparagus in Starter Pots
Fill your pots with soil, and settle the soil with some water. Deeper containers are important for asparagus plants, as they send deep roots quickly; the roots’ development is very important for the health of an asparagus plant. Place two of your asparagus seeds approximately 1/3 to 1/4 inch deep, cover them with soil, and pat down slightly to ensure good soil contact. Give the seeds a light watering, afterwards. Asparagus seeds are excellent when it comes to germination.
This might bring you to ask, “Then why do you only have one plant, if they germinate so well?”
Well, you see, the carnage of the Late Freeze ’18 was a rough lesson; I lost all of my asparagus plants except for this one! I left them out a bit too late in the night, and they never recovered. Little Archie is a lone survivor, and I will be trying again next spring! I should have used a micro greenhouse to keep them from freezing, and I will be taking this path next time. Just know that asparagus is very easy to grow from seed; in addition, you can buy far more seeds than roots on a budget.
Caring for Asparagus Seedlings: The First Year
Asparagus is quite the resilient plant. You will not have to take my word for it, as you will find out for yourself incredibly quickly. However, there are a few guidelines that you must adhere to if you want your plants to grow big and healthy as quickly as possible.
- Sunlight: Asparagus requires full sun for maximum growth and root development. As soon as the seedlings have gotten their first leaves, begin hardening them off. The roots will store away energy for the following spring, which the plant will draw on to create tons of shoots. All of this growth and storage demands lots of the sun’s rays.
- Water: Asparagus doesn’t like to be dry; but it doesn’t seem to mind being soggy! Keep your plants well watered, especially during the first year as the root system establishes itself. Wet feet can contribute to fungal diseases, so this is the biggest concern when it comes to your asparagus plants being on the damp side.
- Fertilizers: Asparagus is a fairly heavy feeder, so be sure that it is given plenty of rich compost or plenty of fertilizer. If you notice that growth has slowed or stalled, it may be time for another feeding. This is so, so, so important for those of you who are growing mini asparagus beds to maturity in containers.
- Root “Leg Room”: Asparagus plants require space as they mature. Lots of space! Seedlings should be moved to their permanent homes as soon as time, space, and weather allow. The large root systems of these plants are exactly what produces your shoots that you intend to eat; if they are not taken care of properly, you will suffer from limited harvests in the future. Older plants will need repotting every few years, as the plant continues across the width of the pot.
- Winter Protection: Asparagus beds should be heavily mulched through the winter to protect the crowns from cold damage; plants in containers should be protected even further. Try mounding soil around the pots, packing around the pots with straw, or any other insulating ideas. You don’t want the crowns and roots to dip below their hardiness temperature, or you may lose them.
The Biggest Challenges You Will Encounter While Asparagus Container Gardening
If you aren’t careful, your asparagus may take a serious hit when it comes to the limitations of containers. Two of the biggest obstacles are rhizome growth and freeze protection, especially in smaller containers and colder growing zones.
As the plants enter their third year, they will begin to reach their full size. The following year should provide you with your first real harvest, as the third year is usually when the plants begin to reach full potential. This massive plant requires a very large container for growth; if you’re thinking a huge Sterilite tote, you’re right. That is exactly what you’ll need in order to grow these plants. If the roots cannot spread out and absorb enough nutrients to produce a large enough plant to support the growth of the rhizome, you simply won’t get a nice harvest from the plant. Container gardening is notorious for producing a very small harvest in many cases.
Freezing is another issue with asparagus plants. They are hardy down to -40, which is absolutely incredible. However, that applies to the root system of the plant. The foliage dies with the fall freezes. If you live in some of the colder zones (2, 3, 4, & 5), it’s possible that the plants could suffer from cold damage without the protection of the soil. Container gardens get far colder than gardens within the Earth’s soil, which could pose a problem. In order to help protect the asparagus during the worst of the winter, you could bring the container into a garage or basement area, or you could insulate the containers with straw. Straw is very effective at insulating plants.
Asparagus Hardiness Zone & What to Do If You’re Outside of It
Asparagus is hardy between zones 3 and 8. Any zone colder than 3 will increase the risk of losing the asparagus to cold damage, requiring the gardener to protect it throughout the winter. As stated above, either insulate the plant with straw during the cold weather, or store them in a slightly warmer location where the asparagus won’t endure the high winds and winter precipitation.
Zones warmer than USDA zone 8 will not have an adequate winter for dormancy; this is not a good thing for the asparagus plant. It requires a dormant winter period to encourage rhizome development, halt growth of the previous year’s foliage, and prepare for the spring growth. Without winter, the rhizome will not be triggered to produce the vigorous spring growth, which becomes the harvest once the plant has reached maturity. If you live in these warmer zones, you may need to store the rhizome and its surrounding soil in the freezer for a few weeks in order to simulate winter.
I live in zones 3-4. Can I grow asparagus in a large stock tank without the roots freezing over a harsh winter?
Hello, Janette! My only concerns for your asparagus are the hardiness zones. Since asparagus is hardy to zone 3, it shouldn’t be an issue; however, growing in containers tends to mimic a drop in hardiness zones. A large stock tank is far better than a large pot; but it still won’t be the same as a grounded plant. I would definitely recommend that you at least try this during the upcoming winter and see if you can keep the roots alive with this method. However, I would dig out half of the roots after the first hard freeze (when the ferns die back), keep them in their moist soil, and move them to a cold, dark, safe place for the winter. This could be your garage, basement, etc. Anywhere where the temperatures shouldn’t get too much above or below freezing to keep them dormant. Then, with the remainder in the stock tank, I would cover the tank, wrap it in a thick layer of straw, and see what happens. The straw will help to insulate the tank and keep it safe from the wind; once snow arrives, that should further insulate the tank.