Asparagus Mary Washington - Ontario Seed Company

Asparagus Officinalis

Mary Washington Asparagus is a trusted, reliable variety introduced in 1949 that produces vigorous, medium green, mouth-watering spears that are excellent fresh or quite suitable for freezing. It is an heirloom vegetable that is one of the older and more common asparagus varieties, with good resistance to asparagus rust and wilt. When fully established, asparagus plants can produce yields for 20 years or more. Your asparagus seeds may be started indoors for one year, before being transplanted to a garden bed with deep, well-composted soil. To keep them growing well, you should mulch your plants with composted material each spring - and you will be enjoying delicious asparagus spears for years to come!

How to Grow Asparagus Seeds

• Site: Select a sunny site with well-drained soil and work in large amounts of composted manure up to 12" deep. A soil pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 is ideal.

• Planting: Soak your asparagus seeds in water for 2 days, then sow seeds 2.5 cm (1") deep and 12.5 cm (5) apart in rows 45 to 60 cm (18-24") apart.

• Thinning: Thin the seedlings to 15 cm (6") apart when they are 7.5 cm (3") tall.

• Transplanting: During mid-spring in the second year, transplant the 1-year-old roots 45 cm (18") apart in rows 1 m (40") apart.

• Harvesting: It is best to wait until the third year after sowing to take a regular harvest.

• Upkeep: Each spring, mulch established plants with compost and work in large amounts of composted manure 30 cm (12") deep. Feed with a general-purpose vegetable fertilizer such as granular 4-12-8 or soluble 20-20-20.

Approx. 100 seeds/pkt.