Getting Asparagus Ready for Winter

Q. I've been getting e-mails about preparing asparagus ready for winter. They recommend cutting the stems 2" above the ground, then apply compost then mulch.  Is that what I should be doing to get the plants ready for winter?

When temperatures get cold and start to freeze, asparagus will turn brown, the tops die. Sometimes they stay green all winter long if we have a warm winter.

A. That’s not what I liked to do with asparagus. I found that 2 inches of “stubble” created by cutting the stems above ground interfered with my work getting ready for next year’s spring crop. I preferred to cut this woody stem growth about an inch below the soil surface with a thick knife or asparagus knife on about January 1. 

I prefer to cut the spears when I harvest them and sort them in the shed or kitchen. I find that the asparagus stubble scattered in the field interferes with walking and harvesting. https://www.harryepstein.com/asparagus-knife-usa-weeder.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2sqOBhCGARIsAPuPK0jTKUY5H9kiydW_sFC5-Nf8fPNb1csto5wpHWzPw97TMJAXE-aI5SoaAjRlEALw_wcB

If we have a cold winter these stems (called fronds) freeze and turn yellow. With a warm winter they stay green.

• Don’t reapply asparagus stems as a mulch to your old asparagus bed or to any vegetables due to allelopathy. I would burn it instead.

Regardless of how they appear in the winter these ferns still need to be cut back to get ready for next year’s production. After they are cut and in late winter, a fertilizer such as rich compost or regular compost plus a mineral fertilizer high in nitrogen, needs to be applied. Asparagus loves rich soil.

Bare Soil Warms Faster

Bare soil warms up faster than a cold winter soil covered in mulch. A warmer soil means an earlier asparagus spear harvest. If you can keep an eye on your asparagus emergence, then apply the mulch when you first start seeing spears if you want early production and not earlier than this. Next year’s production can start as early as January. If you want production later in the spring, then mulch them immediately after you apply the compost or manure.