Grow Asparagus ‘Millennium’ for a Long-Lived Vegetable Crop
Fresh pickings for many springs to come.
Vegetable gardeners are accustomed to planting tomatoes, peas, beans, greens and all the other familiar back-yard crops fresh each spring. However, there are some perennial crops for home gardeners, with asparagus being one that might persist for a dozen years or more with good care.
Among asparagus varieties, 'Millennium' is a leading choice thanks to its hardiness, disease resistance, adaptability to a range of soil textures and, of course, flavor. 'Millennium' is a high yielding variety that keeps its tips tightly closed, making for the most appealing spears.
Common name: 'Millennium' asparagus
Botanical name: Asparagus officinalis 'Millennium'
Needs: Asparagus takes full sun to part shade. The variety 'Millennium' adapts well to sandy or heavy clay soils. It is appropriate for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 8.
Origin: 'Millennium' asparagus is a variety that was developed at Ontario's University of Guelph.
How to grow it: Asparagus can be started from seed, but the more popular and easier route is to purchase crowns, which are dormant, bare-root divisions. Crowns can be planted in the garden three to four weeks before the typical last frost date. Dig a trench about eight inches deep in soil with moderate texture. If the soil is sandy, dig several inches deeper; if it's clay soil, make the trench a few inches shallower. Leave the excavated soil piled alongside the trench. If planting multiple rows, leave about six inches between trenches.
Lay the crowns in the trench with their roots extending in one direction. (There is no need to spread the roots apart.) The top (bud end) of each crown should sit about 10 inches from the top of the next crown. Cover the crowns with just two to three inches of soil. Water well to settle the soil, and keep the crowns moist throughout the weeks to come.
As the asparagus begins to grow, gently add more soil from the pile reserved alongside the trench and do not allow the planting to dry out.
The first season in the garden, allow the asparagus plants to grow; do not harvest any spears. Remove the spent foliage when the plants go dormant in the fall.
Harvesting 'Millennium' asparagus: Asparagus spears are ready to pick when they are at least the width of a pencil and between six and nine inches tall. Harvest them by slicing them at or just below the soil line with a sharp knife. This is the typical schedule for harvesting asparagus: The first spring—one year after planting—pick spears over the course of one week. Then allow the plants to grow undisturbed until fall, keeping them watered and weeded. The second spring after planting, harvest for two weeks. In subsequent years, harvesting can continue for four to six weeks.
