Jersey GiantAn asparagus cultivar that has a moderate yield with extra large spears, but adapts well to the south. Good soil drainage. Examples include Ariane, Pacific 2000, Pacific Purple and Stewarts Purple. best. to mid season and has an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Healthier ferns give way to healthier plants and higher yields in subsequent years. It became popular in France and it has a whitish-green color with hints of light pink throughout. Before planting asparagus, have yoursoil tested to see if the soil has the right amount of nutrients for asparagus to thrive. While annual vegetable crops can be moved if the first planting site doesn't work, asparagus cannot. Wild asparagus can usually be harvested in early spring and it is found frequently in western Europe and Great Britain, mostly on coastal dunes and cliffs as well as open grassy areas near seas. Avoid planting in heavy clay or very sandy soil. Seeds can take three weeks to germinate. This happens at the end of each harvest season, and in newly planted asparagus stands that are not harvested. 5 Jersey Knight Asparagus Bare Root Crowns -Green Asparagus - Planting Ornaments Perennial Garden Simple to Grow Pots Gifts. I can say I appreciate the information on the Mellenium variety. 'Jersey Supreme' is a newer, disease-resistant variety that produces spears earlier than 'Giant' or 'Knight.' 'Supreme' is an excellent choice for light, sandy soil. These are technically the stems of the plants. Asparagus - Jersey Giant . 'Jersey Knight' is an all male cultivar (female plants are occasionally produced however) that features green spears that are 3/8" in diameter or more. A new asparagus bed may take several years before abundant, thick spears are produced. There are female plants and male plants. This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. You should also be aware that all-male is still at best 75%. We were a bit underwhelmed by Pacific Purple. The fern creates energy that will be stored in the underground portion of the plant to produce the following years spears. with medium diameter stalks which are best harvested when they are about Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant. good in poorer soils and is an all male variety of asparagus. Once the spears are sturdy and several inches tall, 3-4 more inches of soil can be back-filled into the furrow. To plant the crowns, place them "head-to-toe" (bud-to-root tip) in the furrow as shown in the photo below. The flavor is excellent, and the plant is resistant to rust, crown rot and fusarium. There are two times when asparagus beds can be cultivated: Before the spears come up in the spring, and after all of the spears are harvested but before ferns come up in late June. UC 157 This is a hybrid asparagus that performs well in warmer climates. From Left - Ariane, Millenium, Mondeo, Pacific 2000, Pacific Purple, Stewart Purple, Tesco's un-named!!! The only difference between green and white asparagus is the color because white asparagus has the same taste and texture as green asparagus, provided that it is the same or a similar variety. one source tells us that this all male hybrid has flavoursome tender Jersey Knight F1 hybrid 'Millennium' has emerged as the top choice of asparagus varieties in the Midwest. It is also a great choice if your soil is sandy. The first spring, a year after planting the crowns, do not harvest any spears. Growers planning a new asparagus field should prepare the field in the year prior to planting. Viking is known to produce large yields. Hybrid varieties are mostly all-male plants, so planting hybridsminimizes the issue of re-seeding. Early or mid season probably does not mean much here, a week difference? To plant the crowns, place them "head-to-toe" (bud-to-root tip) in a line down the furrow, so that the buds of the crowns are spaced above 12 inches apart. New asparagus fields are typically planted from small crowns, rather than planting them from seed. All of the furrows may be dug before the first crowns are laid down. Nevertheless, I have nothing at all against the Jerseys. It also performs equally well in heavy, clay-like soils. This information came through conversations with asparagus colleagues at Michigan State University and Nourse Farms. Purple spotcauses sunken purple spots on asparagus spears, and tan spots with a purple border on mature stems. This spacing works well because many crowns have roots between about 8-12 inches long. Ferns are an important part of asparagus production. find your local hardiness zone with this map. Following correct planting methods for asparagus is important for this long-lived perennial crop. But I'd agree that the DTM means little for the average home grower and is only important for the commercial or market grower. We recently confirmed that Walker Brothers, the producer of Jersey asparagus crowns, has stopped propagating the Jersey Knight, Jersey Giant, and Jersey Supreme varieties. 88. All rights reserved. Roundup) in and around asparagus at certain times in the season. Small, narrow spears will start to emerge from the soil within 2-3 weeks of planting, depending on precipitation, temperature and amount of soil cover. Millenium - very nice chunky, a bit bitter raw, Mondeo - Incredibly tender, more stringy end, more delicate, more subtle flavour, bland, Pacific 2000 - Very tender, great flavour, similar to Mondeo for flavour, slightly bitter raw, Pacific Purple - bit watery, not as much flavour, more woody, bland, Stewarts Purple - not as watery as Pacific Purple, one of the nicest, very sweet. rot. The Jersey Series asparagus is a hybrid variety of all-male plants and includes Jersey Giant, Jersey Knight, and Jersey Supreme. Model #NURSERY. Predominantly male, produces high yields, high disease tolerance and produces well in warmer climates. Immediately after laying the crowns in the furrows, cover them by back-filling the furrow with 2-3 inches of soil. Adaptable to most climates this variety is easy to grow It is resistant to rust and fusarium wilt and it does best in growing zones 3-8. It is hardy in Zones 3 to 9 (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or -40 degrees Celsius). Make sure you get the right one! University of Minnesota Extension discovers science-based solutions, delivers practical education, and engages Minnesotans to build a better future. There are several different hybrid "Jersey" asparagus varieties, Jersey Knight, Jersey Supreme, Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince, may be more. However, these mulches also keep the soil cooler and wetter, potentially delaying or reducing asparagus spear emergence in the spring. Do not let the crowns dry out between placing them in the furrows and covering them with soil. If you require assistance finding where to order crowns for these varieties, you may contact Annie Klodd or Natalie Hoidal. It is important to take care of the ferns even after the harvest is over to make sure you will have good future harvests. Male plants grow a greater number of smaller, uniform spears. As described previously, most new asparagus patches are established by planting one-year-old crowns into deep furrows. It is important to cover the crowns with soil very soon after planting. Their spears are very thick and they are a perennial plant so you can enjoy them for many years to come. They also prefer full or partial sun. Because of this and a few other factors, white asparagus can be quite expensive up to double the amount you pay for other types of asparagus and it is actually considered a delicacy in Europe. Mulching: Straw and leaves can be used for mulch in asparagus beds to help smother weeds. Its energy goes into producing spears rather that seeds as with female plants. Some of them are heat tolerant so the spears will resist becoming tough and ferning in summer. pollinated variety. I actually like Millenium over the Jerseys. Home gardeners can use glyphosate (i.e. After I read the info, still do not see the big differences between them. The Precoce DArgenteuil asparagus is tender and very tasty. You can't go wrong with any of these hybrid varieties, but many gardeners like Jersey Giant for its high yield of male-only plants and tender, flavorful spears. Item #305537. Well adapted to the South. As asparagus plants age, they will send up more spears, since it has a larger crown and larger energy reserves. Late spring frosts can kill emerged spears, so find an area that is not low-lying or exposed to frost. To plant asparagus, place crowns in a trench 12 to 18 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Description Huge crops! It goes dormant earlier in the fall and wakes up more slowly in the spring, reducing the risk of late fall and early spring frost damage. Space the crowns 12 to 18 inches apart in rows that are 4 to 5 feet apart. Green asparagus is inarguably the most common type of asparagus found in most supermarket produce departments. Open-pollinated varieties of asparagus contain both male and female plants. If the asparagus bed is to be part of a larger vegetable garden, the best place is at the north end of the garden, so that the tall ferns do not shade the other crops. 'Jersey Giant,' 'Jersey Knight' and 'Jersey Supreme' were developed by the Rutgers University breeding program. colour is lost if cooked so if you are going to cook it steaming is Select a delivery dateclose to when you anticipate planting, as the crowns must be refrigerated until planting. The plant itself can grow up to five feet tall while the asparagus itself can get to roughly nine inches in length. These roots grow tall stalks that can yield up to 3-4 times more asparagus than other varieties. If you can spot the yellow growth somewhere in the fall, you can go back in the spring and look for spears that will likely be growing by then. Pests (such as cutworms) may do damage that can make asparagus spears to grow crooked or fall over. Delivered right to your inbox once per week. The Jersey Series asparagus is a hybrid variety of all-male plants and includes Jersey Giant, Jersey Knight, and Jersey Supreme. Our goal: fresh from our Asparagus Farm to your garden. Powered by learn more about Jersey Supreme asparagus from Stark Brothers. learn more about Conovers Colossal asparagus from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. As its name suggests it produces purple spears which are There are many varieties of asparagus to choose from with the most visibly different being the purple varieties. It will be returned to the trench several weeks later as the ferns grow. Cover the crowns with 2 inches of soil, and water well. Harvest spears until June 30, and then allow the large feathery ferns to develop. Of course, most of these asparagus varieties are hardy to Zone 3 (down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit or -40 degrees Celsius). Our Asparabuddie of Hargreaves Plants who are major suppliers of asparagus crowns to growers and have an extensive testing program sent us six asparagus varieties to compare. In this article, well take a closer look at these 10 asparagus varieties. Walker Brothers has no plans to sell their existing breeding lines, so we do not anticipate a revival of these varieties. Then, dig a 6-12 inch deep furrow (trench) for the crowns to be planted into. Water deeply 1 inch a week; do not let soil completely dry out, Plant grows to 4 to 5 feet, spears 7 to 9 inches, Meaty, succulent spears lend themselves to any type of dish. Next, cover the crowns with 2-3 inches of the soil that was removed from the furrow previously. $11.99 delivery Mar 28 - 31 . Then again, they are slightly later to emerge. An asparagus plants ferns (above ground) have a width of 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 centimeters). The preharvest intervals for these two fungicides are 180 and 0 days . Since asparagus trials require daily harvest and data collection for around 6 weeks per year over multiple years, the logistics of collecting quality data for such a large endeavor must be carefully considered and weighed against other urgent research priorities. It is also a very tender type of asparagus, much more so than its white and green counterparts, in part because of its lower fiber content. year old plants might set you back 17.50. $68.99 31% off! Atlas Atlas is a vigorous variety that performs well in hot weather. . The wild asparagus bush usually gets to around three feet in length and it has thorns that are green and sharp but also soft. 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