50 Jersey Knight Asparagus Crowns – 2 Year Bare Root Plants – Large, Healthy Roots

Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with Jersey Knight asparagus crowns, a highly acclaimed variety known for its exceptional productivity and robust nature. This offering includes 50 two-year-old bare root plants, ready to establish quickly in your garden. The ‘Jersey Knight’ cultivar is celebrated among growers for its impressive yields of extra-large, uniform, and tender spears, perfect for fresh eating, cooking, or adding to salads. As a bare root plant, these asparagus crowns arrive without soil, ensuring easy handling and planting. They are vigorous growers, designed to provide a bountiful harvest year after year, making them a staple for any home gardener looking for a reliable and delicious perennial vegetable.

The ‘Jersey Knight’ variety stands out for its superior flavor and consistent performance. This makes it a top choice among the ‘Jersey’ series of asparagus. These plants are not only productive but also exhibit strong resistance to common asparagus diseases, contributing to their longevity and health in the garden. Planting these asparagus bare root plants is an investment in years of fresh, homegrown produce, bringing the joy of gardening directly to your table.

Key Benefits

Choosing Jersey Knight asparagus crowns for your garden offers a multitude of advantages, ensuring a successful and satisfying harvest. Their inherent qualities make them a superior choice for both novice and experienced gardeners seeking high-quality asparagus.

• Exceptional Yields: Enjoy an abundance of tender, extra-large spears annually, providing a generous harvest from early April through mid-May. These plants are celebrated for their impressive productivity.
• Superior Flavor & Texture: ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus is renowned for its delicious, subacid taste and crisp, crunchy texture, making it ideal for a wide range of culinary uses.
• Disease Resistance: These asparagus bare root plants are highly resistant to several common asparagus diseases, ensuring healthier plants and more reliable harvests with less effort.
• Cold Hardy & Heat Tolerant: Adapted to a wide range of climates, these crowns are cold-hardy (USDA Zones 3-8) and heat-tolerant, thriving in diverse environmental conditions.
• Vigorous Growth: Known for being vigorous growers, these crowns establish quickly and produce strong, healthy spears, contributing to the overall success of growing asparagus plants.
• Adaptable Soil Conditions: ‘Jersey Knight’ can even grow in soils with heavy clay, though well-drained, average moistness is preferred, showcasing its adaptability.
• Long-Term Investment: As a perennial, once established, these Jersey Knight asparagus crowns will provide fresh asparagus for many years, offering a sustainable and rewarding harvest.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful growing asparagus plants, particularly the ‘Jersey Knight’ variety, requires attention to a few key cultural practices. These 2-year-old bare root crowns are ready for planting in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Choose a site with full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, and ensure the soil is well-drained. Asparagus prefers a soil pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Before planting, amend your soil with compost or well-rotted manure to improve fertility and drainage. Dig trenches 6-8 inches deep and 12-18 inches wide, creating a mound in the center of each trench. Spread the roots of the crowns over the mound, ensuring the crown is about 2 inches below the soil surface after backfilling.

Water newly planted Jersey Knight asparagus crowns thoroughly. Maintain consistent soil moisture, especially during dry periods, but avoid waterlogging, which can lead to crown rot. Fertilize annually in early spring with a balanced fertilizer or compost. These hardy asparagus varieties are quite resilient, but proper care in the first few years is crucial for strong establishment and abundant future harvests. Protect young plants from weeds, which compete for nutrients and moisture. In colder zones, a layer of mulch in late fall can help insulate the crowns over winter.

Patience is key with asparagus; it typically takes three years from planting for the first significant harvest. In the first year, allow the ferns to grow to build up energy in the crowns. In the second year, you may harvest lightly for 2-3 weeks. By the third year, you can enjoy a full harvest season. Monitor for common pests like asparagus beetles and diseases, though ‘Jersey Knight’ is known for its strong resistance. With proper care, your best asparagus for gardens will thrive, providing fresh spears for decades.

Size & Details

This offering includes 50 individual Jersey Knight asparagus crowns, each a robust 2-year-old bare root plant. These large and healthy asparagus roots are carefully selected to ensure vigorous growth and high productivity in your garden. As bare root plants, they are shipped without soil, making them lightweight and easy to handle upon arrival. Each crown is ready for immediate planting in your prepared garden bed, typically in early spring.

When mature, Jersey Knight asparagus plants can produce spears that are extra-large and uniform, reaching optimal harvest size. We recommend spacing these plants 12 to 18 inches apart to allow ample room for growth and proper air circulation, which is vital for healthy crown development and strong yields. While the first significant harvest is expected in the third year after planting, the anticipation is well worth it for the many years of fresh, tender asparagus these hardy asparagus varieties will provide.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How many years until I can harvest from these Jersey Knight asparagus crowns? A: Asparagus is a perennial crop that requires patience. You can expect your first light harvest in the second year, and a full, bountiful harvest from the third year onwards.
• Q: What condition will the asparagus crowns arrive in? A: These are shipped as bare root asparagus crowns, meaning they will arrive without soil. They are dormant and ready for planting upon receipt.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Jersey Knight asparagus crowns are outdoor plants, ideally suited for garden beds where they can establish and produce for many years.
• Q: How much sunlight does growing asparagus plants require? A: Asparagus thrives in full sun, needing at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and spear production.
• Q: What type of soil is best for these crowns? A: They prefer well-drained soil with average moistness and a pH level between 6.5 and 7.5. They can tolerate heavy clay but perform best in rich, loamy soil.
• Q: Are these hardy asparagus varieties suitable for my climate? A: ‘Jersey Knight’ is known for its cold-hardiness and heat tolerance, making it suitable for USDA Zones 3-8. This wide range covers many climates across the US.
• Q: How far apart should I plant the asparagus bare root plants? A: We recommend spacing the crowns 12 to 18 inches apart within the row, and rows should be 3-5 feet apart, to ensure adequate space for growth.
• Q: What is the taste and texture of ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus? A: ‘Jersey Knight’ is highly prized for its subacid taste and crisp, crunchy texture, making it a favorite for fresh eating and cooking.
• Q: Can I grow these in containers? A: While possible, asparagus needs significant root space and is a long-lived perennial, making large, permanent raised beds or in-ground planting more suitable than typical containers.
• Q: How long do best asparagus for gardens plants typically live? A: With proper care, an asparagus patch can remain productive for 15-20 years or even longer, providing a consistent supply of fresh spears.