75 Jersey Knight Asparagus Crowns – 2 Year Bare Root Plants – Outdoor

Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with these premium jersey knight asparagus crowns. You will receive 75 healthy, 2-year-old bare root plants, ready to establish quickly in your garden. The ‘Jersey Knight’ variety is celebrated among gardeners for its exceptional productivity and robust growth. Known for producing impressive yields of uniform, extra-large, and tender spears, it’s an excellent choice for both novice and experienced growers. These asparagus plants for sale are not only vigorous but also renowned for their delicious flavor, making them ideal for fresh eating, cooking, or adding to salads. Investing in ‘Jersey Knight’ means enjoying abundant harvests of gourmet-quality asparagus year after year, transforming your garden into a source of fresh, homegrown produce.

The ‘Jersey Knight’ is a hybrid all-male variety, which contributes to its higher yield as it doesn’t expend energy on producing seeds. This characteristic, combined with its resilience, makes it a top choice for commercial growers and home gardeners alike. These bare root crowns are an economical and efficient way to start an asparagus patch, providing a head start compared to growing from seed. With proper care, these jersey knight asparagus crowns will establish a perennial bed that will provide decades of delicious harvests, becoming a staple in your spring garden.

Key Benefits

The ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus offers numerous advantages for the home gardener. Its superior characteristics ensure a bountiful and satisfying harvest:

• High Yielding Variety: ‘Jersey Knight’ is an all-male hybrid known for its impressive production of thick, tender spears. This means more asparagus for your table without the plant diverting energy to seed production, ensuring maximum productivity from your asparagus plants for sale.
• Exceptional Flavor and Texture: These spears are celebrated for their superb, mild flavor and crisp, tender texture, making them perfect for a wide range of culinary applications, from steaming to roasting.
• Disease Resistant: This variety boasts high resistance to common asparagus diseases such as Fusarium wilt and rust, reducing the need for chemical interventions and promoting healthier plants and harvests. This makes disease resistant asparagus a reliable choice for long-term cultivation.
• Cold-Hardy and Heat-Tolerant: Adaptable to a broad range of climates, ‘Jersey Knight’ thrives in USDA Zones 3-8. Its resilience to both cold winters and warm summers ensures reliable growth across many regions, making cold hardy asparagus a versatile option.
• Vigorous Growth: The 2-year-old crowns are well-established, promoting rapid root development and strong, healthy growth in their first season, accelerating your journey to a productive asparagus patch.
• Versatile Soil Tolerance: While preferring well-drained soil, ‘Jersey Knight’ can tolerate heavier clay soils, provided drainage is managed, offering flexibility in garden placement.
• Long-Term Investment: Once established, an asparagus bed can produce for 15-20 years or more, providing a sustainable source of fresh vegetables with minimal annual effort, making growing asparagus from crowns a wise long-term choice.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of jersey knight asparagus crowns begins with proper planting and consistent care. Asparagus thrives in a permanent location, as it is a perennial crop that will produce for many years. Choose a site with full sun, receiving at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Prepare the soil by incorporating plenty of organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, to ensure good drainage and fertility. Asparagus prefers a soil pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Dig trenches 12 inches deep and 12-18 inches wide, mounding a 2-3 inch high ridge of soil down the center. Space the crowns 12-18 inches apart on top of the ridge, spreading the roots evenly.

Once planted, cover the crowns with 2-3 inches of soil. As the spears grow, gradually fill in the trench with more soil, being careful not to bury the emerging spears. Continue this process until the trench is completely filled and the soil is level with the surrounding ground. During the first two years, focus on establishing a strong root system. Do not harvest any spears in the first year after planting, and only lightly harvest in the second year. This allows the plants to store energy for future prolific harvests. Water regularly, especially during dry periods, to maintain consistent soil moisture. Asparagus needs about 1-2 inches of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced fertilizer or compost, and again after the harvest season to replenish nutrients. Keep the bed free of weeds, as they compete with the young asparagus plants for resources. These practices will contribute to the health and longevity of your disease resistant asparagus.

Pest and disease management is generally straightforward for ‘Jersey Knight’ due to its inherent resistance. However, monitoring for common garden pests and addressing any issues promptly will ensure optimal growth. In colder climates, a layer of mulch applied in late fall can help protect the crowns during winter. By following these guidelines for growing asparagus from crowns, you can look forward to many years of delicious, homegrown asparagus spears from your healthy, cold hardy asparagus plants.

Size & Details

This offering includes 75 individual jersey knight asparagus crowns, each being 2 years old. These crowns are shipped as bare root plants, meaning they arrive without soil, which is the standard and most effective way to transport and plant asparagus crowns. The 2-year age ensures a robust root system, providing a significant head start compared to younger crowns or seeds. Each crown is inspected to ensure it is large, healthy, and ready for planting upon arrival. When mature, ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus plants typically produce spears that are 6-10 inches long and quite thick, providing a substantial harvest.

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable, and once established, an asparagus patch can remain productive for 15-20 years or even longer. For optimal growth, we recommend spacing these crowns 12-18 inches apart in your garden. Harvesting typically begins in the third year after planting, from early April through mid-May, depending on your specific climate and growing conditions. The quantity of 75 crowns is sufficient to establish a generous asparagus bed, providing ample fresh spears for a family and potentially enough for preserving. These asparagus plants for sale represent a long-term investment in your home garden, promising years of delicious, homegrown produce.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: Asparagus plants produce spears that typically grow 6-10 inches tall during harvest. The fern-like foliage that develops after harvest can reach 4-6 feet in height, providing a lush backdrop in your garden.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: These jersey knight asparagus crowns are shipped as bare root plants, meaning they do not come in a pot. They are carefully packaged to ensure freshness and viability upon arrival, ready for direct planting into your garden bed.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Asparagus is an outdoor perennial vegetable. It requires significant space and sunlight to thrive and is best grown in a dedicated garden bed.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal growth and spear production, ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for healthy development and good yields.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Once established, asparagus is relatively low-maintenance. The initial planting and establishment period require attention, but after the first few years, it becomes an easy-to-care-for perennial crop, especially this disease resistant asparagus.
• Q: Is it good for beginners? A: Yes, ‘Jersey Knight’ is a great choice for beginners due to its vigor, disease resistance, and adaptability. Growing asparagus from crowns provides a faster start than seeds, making it more encouraging for new gardeners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your cold hardy asparagus crowns will arrive dormant and bare-rooted, carefully inspected to ensure they are healthy and ready for planting. They will have no soil attached.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant asparagus crowns is in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows the plants to establish their root systems before the heat of summer.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: Asparagus does not produce traditional blooms in the way ornamental plants do. Instead, the focus is on harvesting the young spears. The ferny foliage develops after the harvest season, which is essential for photosynthesis and building energy for the next year’s crop.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: ‘Jersey Knight’ is highly cold-hardy and thrives in USDA Zones 3-8, meaning it is well-suited to survive cold winters in most temperate regions of the US.