How to Harvest Asparagus Plant: Best Time To Pick Asparagus

Do you know how to harvest asparagus plant? If you don’t then don’t fret. Read this article to learn all the best practices you need to know about it.

Asparagus belongs to the family of green vegetables like beans, peas, and cucumber, which are nutritious beyond our understanding. The sheer amount of health and wellness benefits you gain from consuming asparagus is enormous.

Hence, this season if you are thinking about planting asparagus in your back garden, then we believe the first thing you need to know is how to harvest an asparagus plant.

Because regardless of how well your plant, seed, germinate, and grow it.

Unless you know the proper harvest action technique, you won’t be able to reap its complete yield, and if you are not doing that, then you are not farming them correctly.

Cardinal Asparagus Plant Harvesting Rules

However, before we tell you how you can learn to harvest asparagus plants adequately, we would like to highlight some of the most cardinal rules of harvesting asparagus plants.

How to Harvest Asparagus Plant

According to us, the following are the most crucial of them all.

Only Harvest Asparagus Plants With Scissors or A Knife
Skip First Couple of Harvesting Seasons For Perfect Asparagus Growth
Harvest Asparagus Once They Reach The Height of 8 to 10 Inches
Stop Harvesting Asparagus Plants For The Season If Their Size Has Shrunk
Harvest Asparagus Plant According To Your Taste
Care For Your Asparagus Plant in Off-Season For Next Season’s Growth
Replenish Your Asparagus Plant During Pre-Season For Better Yield

We know that just based on these flashy headings gauging their context can be difficult for some people. Thus, we have defined them in great detail below.

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1. Only Harvest Asparagus Plants With Scissors or a Knife

The first cardinal rule of harvesting asparagus plants is knowing that you should only harvest them using scissors or a knife.

The primary reason for this is because asparagus plant roots are delicate, and if you do not treat them with respect, they deserve your entire plant bed can be ruined.

If this happens, your efforts of years can be washed away instantly. So never use heavy or modern machinery to harvest your asparagus plant; only use trusty scissors or knives for the job.

2. Skip First Couple of Harvesting Seasons for Perfect Asparagus Growth

The second rule of harvesting asparagus plants is forgoing the first couple of harvest seasons so you can have the ideal product for harvesting.

Asparagus, when planted in its initial years, can be extremely delicate and won’t produce the product you are looking for until it matures.

Hence, if you want delicious, crunchy, and nutritious asparagus, you must wait until your asparagus plant has reached its third year on the plantation.

This is the time when asparagus starts producing 8 to 10 inches height product which is lush green and, from the look of it, looks ready. Waiting for this asparagus is worth it if you want the premium product.

3. Harvest Asparagus Once They Reach the Height of 8-10 Inches

The next rule of asparagus harvesting is that you should only harvest asparagus plants that have reached the height of 8 to 10 inches because these are the mature products with the most nutrition in them.

Freshly grown asparagus planted under three harvesting cycles grow thinner and shorter than the required height we have mentioned above. Although they are perfectly edible, the drawback they have associated with them is their lack of nutrition.

Asparagus develops its world-renowned nutritional abilities as it matures, and when it does, it grows thicker and longer. So if you are looking for the perfect asparagus, only harvest them when they have reached the ideal width and height.

4. Stop Harvesting Asparagus Plants for the Season If Their Size Has Shrunk

An important harvesting rule of the asparagus plant is knowing when to stop. Asparagus plants are a crop that reproduces rapidly, and you can yield products from them from weekly to daily.

This is why for harvesting them adequately, an excellent rule is that you should stop harvesting them for the season if their width has shrunk to the size of a pencil and their height is below 8 inches.

Asparagus are at their nutritional best when they are thicker than 3/8th inch in width and between 8 to 10 inches in height. So, if your crop has fallen below, you should stop for the season.

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5. Harvest Asparagus Plant According to Your Taste

Another rule of asparagus plant harvesting is “to each their own.” We mean that asparagus plants can grow in different sizes and textures.

They can be thin and soft or long and crunchy. Hence, we believe you should choose to grow and harvest them according to your taste.

If you are looking for soft asparagus, you should harvest them within their first three harvest cycles, as they will provide you with non-mature soft asparagus.

However, if crunchy and jumbo asparagus is your preference, then you have to wait for at least three harvest cycles as only will they produce the product you are looking for.

6. Care for Your Asparagus Plant During Off-Season for Next Season’s Growth

The second last asparagus harvesting rule is that if you want your asparagus plant to provide your premium product year after year, you need to care for it in the off-season for better next season’s growth.

Your plant will need a lot of attention and care to ensure its survival during the winter, and if you can provide that, you can expect to reap the benefits of its products for multiple years.

7. Replenish Your Asparagus Plant During Pre-Season for Better Yield

The final cardinal rule of harvesting asparagus plants is that once the winter passes and you are in your pre-season for your next harvesting season, you should replenish your plant for better yield.

You should apply a 1-inch layer of rich compost or manure to the bed in pre-season. Doing this will increase subsequent cycles yield as your plant will be better prepared for higher growth work.

How to Harvest Asparagus Plant: 5 Steps To Follow

Now that you know the cardinal rules of asparagus plant harvesting. The next topic we would like to discuss is the steps you need to know to harvest an asparagus plant correctly. The following are them.

1. Plant Your Asparagus Plant in One of Two Ways

The first step of harvesting the asparagus plant correctly is knowing how to plant it first. Because if you won’t know how to plant it correctly, then how will you be able to harvest it?

You can plant asparagus in one of the two ways: one by one plantation or all in one. One by one ensures every bed is germinated to perfection, whereas all-in increases your better yield potential.

2. Let it Grow to Your Ideal Preference (Thin & Soft or Long & Crunchy)

The second step of harvesting the asparagus plant is letting it grow to your ideal preference. Asparagus plants can either grow till thin and soft or long and crunchy according to specific growing conditions.

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So whatever you are opting for, let it grow to your ideal preference so you can harvest the perfect product you’d like.

3. Only Harvest Asparagus Plant in its 3rd Year & First Month of the Season

The third and one of the most critical steps for adequately harvesting asparagus plants are harvesting them only in their third-year harvest cycle and even in their first month of the cycle for optimal results.

4. Use Scissors or a Knife to Cut Asparagus Plant from its Fibrous Roots

The fourth and most crucial step of harvesting the asparagus plant is that once your crop is ready, you should harvest it only by cutting it with a scissor or knife from its fibrous roots.

You should do this so it doesn’t damage the plant’s integrity, and you can reap its reproduction repeatedly.

5. Avoid Excessive Disturbance at All Costs

The final step of harvesting the asparagus plant is that you should avoid excessive disturbance at all costs. Excessive disturbance occurs when you use tools other than scissors or knives to harvest asparagus.

This can cause permanent damage and could be why your plant dies, so if you wish to avoid this, avoid excessive disturbance by only using the allowed tools to harvest asparagus.

Harvesting Asparagus Plant FAQs

The following are the most FAQs of harvesting an asparagus plant.

Q: What Is The Ideal Way To Harvest An Asparagus Plant?

The ideal way to harvest an asparagus plant is to harvest them using only small scissors or a knife.

This is the best way because these tools ensure that your plant’s roots aren’t extensively damaged, which can happen if you use bigger machinery for harvesting.

Q: Why Can’t We Use Bigger And Modern Machines To Harvest Asparagus Plant?

You can’t use industry-level machinery to harvest asparagus plants because its plant bed and root are extremely delicate in nature.

Once disrupted, they can exceptionally quickly wilt and die.

Q: How Many Harvest Cycles Can You Take Out Of An Asparagus Plant Bed?

Asparagus plants reproduce at a remarkable speed if they are properly looked after.

So you can easily expect 8 to 10 harvest cycles from a single plant bed if you look after it properly.

Final Thoughts

Asparagus is a green vegetable that brings you numerous health benefits. You gain a variety of nutrients in the least amount of calories when you consume them.

They are an excellent food source as they provide an abundance of antioxidants, improve your digestive system, lower your blood pressure, and are delicious above all.

This is why in this asparagus plant article, we have highlighted to you how to harvest asparagus plants in a complete guide. So if you are planning to add them to your diet after this, you can.