Asparagus is a vegetable known and harvested since antiquity. Appreciated for its content of Vitamins A, B9 and PP, phosphorus and manganese.
But beware, this diuretic plant, rich in uric acid, should be consumed in moderation by people with urinary problems, kidney stones, cystitis, prostate problems, but also gout, or suffering from bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis.
What is the difference between a white asparagus and a green one?
When the “turions” point at the top of the mounds of the asparagus grove, they are white or sometimes slightly tinged with purple. If not harvested but left for another day, they elongate and make chlorophyll becoming green asparagus.
Fashions change, in the past it was white asparagus that was the most popular.
– Fintina
A look back at growing asparagus.
It is a culture that requires an investment over several years. The first two years are just for setting up the plants.
“The first spring the “claws” are planted in a ditch and covered with a little earth.
At the end of the first winter, the ditches are filled with earth after adding organic matter, but no harvest is made the following spring.
It was not until the second winter that the first mounds were formed. The first harvests can begin in the third year, taking care not to harvest more than 2/3 of the spears.
Each winter the mounds are open, an addition of organic matter is desirable before closing them.
– FHM
When do we start harvesting them?
From the beginning of the push in April, sometimes in March, from the third year. This harvest continues until St Jean.
Why do we stop at this date?
St Jean is an easy date to remember because it is linked to many events and festivals whose pagan origins go back very far, it is also very close to the summer solstice and the beginning of summer on the calendar.
In terms of cultivation, asparagus, which are bulbous plants, need to replenish resources for next season. This is why we let the last shoots develop completely.
The spears will elongate and give stems and “false leaves”, the cladodes* on which will be found the flowers and fruits which are toxic.
At the parasitic level
Watch out for the asparagus leaf beetle, Crioceris asparagi, which can greatly reduce foliage and thus compromise the next year’s harvest.
Also beware of white worms which are generally disturbed by the operation of opening the mounds.
Against these parasites a nematode is used: the Steinernema feltiae by trying to touch the larval stages I and II of the leaf beetle.
*Cladodes: Stems transformed into shape to provide chlorophyll function in place of non-existent leaves. This is what gives the impression that the flowers and fruits are carried by the leaves.
Ask all your questions during the gardening program on Sunday morning on France bleu Isère from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. by calling 04 76 46 45 45.