How do you farm white asparagus?
How to Grow White Asparagus
- Turn the soil in a full-sun garden bed with a spade the fall before planting, loosening it to a 12-inch depth.
- Dig a 12-inch-deep furrow for each asparagus row immediately before planting in spring, after frost danger is past.
How long does it take to grow white asparagus?
For mature plants over 4 years old, the harvest period for asparagus is only six to eight weeks after initial spear emergence. For 3-year-old plants, harvest for only three to four weeks. After that time period passes, allow all spears to develop into ferns.
Can I grow white asparagus?
This asparagus season enjoy white asparagus from your green asparagus patch. Mound 6 to 8 inches of soil or mulch loosely over green asparagus just as the tips are popping through the soil. Harvest once the white tips poke through the mounded soil or mulch.
Is Growing asparagus profitable?
California is the asparagus capital of the U.S., producing more than 90 million pounds annually from about 30,000 acres with a value of about $150 million. Washington State is the nation’s second largest asparagus supplier, producing about half of California’s annual output.
Does white asparagus need sunlight?
White asparagus, however, is grown completely under the soil or covered with plastic so it is never exposed to sunlight. This prevents photosynthesis, keeping the spears milky white. As they grow, more dirt is mounded up around them, keeping them covered until harvest.
Is white asparagus grown in the dark?
The white color comes from growing in the dark to protect shoots from exposure to sun, which triggers photosynthesis and turns the shoots green. Producing white asparagus commercially is labor intensive. To get top prices, farmers must grow shoots of a particular size and handle them carefully to avoid the sun.
Why is white asparagus so expensive?
Why is white asparagus so expensive? Because growing white asparagus underground is much more labor intensive, that’s reflected in the price. Each stalk must be unearthed and cut by hand, a painstaking job. White asparagus can be as a much as $2 more a bunch than green.
Is white asparagus natural?
While white asparagus is grown in a dark environment, either underground or well covered, the green version gets to soak up all the sunlight. Covering the white asparagus prevents it from producing chlorophyll, the naturally occurring chemical that turns the vegetable green.
How much does asparagus make per acre?
Labor: 20–30 hours. The costs of production of asparagus production varies, however, harvest labor is the highest expense. Based on most recent production and price averages, the estimated gross value per acre is approximately $4,200 to $6,000 per acre for wholesale and retail markets, respectively.
How much will one asparagus plant yield?
Each plant produces about 1/2 pound of asparagus spears each year, so plan on planting about five to 20 plants per person, advises the University of California.
What is white asparagus called?
royal vegetable
White asparagus, often called the ‘royal vegetable’, ‘white gold’ or ‘edible ivory’, is the exact same vegetable as green asparagus. The difference in colour is due to the green one growing in the traditional way above ground (therefore exposed to light) and the white one maturing underground.
What’s the best way to grow white asparagus?
Growing White Asparagus 1 A Tub. In early spring, when the spears first start to break through the ground, invert a completely opaque plastic tub and place it over the plants. 2 A Soil Mound. Block light from developing spears by mounding soil up over them. 3 Light-Blocking Fabric. 4 PVC Pipe. 5 More Growing Tips.
When do white asparagus spears start to grow?
Asparagus spears grow in early summer from a perennial crown, providing you with a steady harvest for many years. White asparagus grows from the same plants that produce green spears.
Why is white asparagus so expensive to grow?
Why is white asparagus so expensive? Because growing white asparagus underground is much more labor intensive, that’s reflected in the price. Each stalk must be unearthed and cut by hand, a painstaking job. White asparagus can be as a much as $2 more a bunch than green.
What to do with white Spears of asparagus?
They can then be roasted, baked, sautéed, boiled or shaved in salads just like green asparagus. However you cook them, make sure that the white spears are cooked all the way to very tender.