This magnificent vegetable is asparagus.

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Different colors - different varieties? Do not be surprised if you need 10 shoots of, say, white and green asparagus to prepare the next culinary masterpiece. In fact, these are parts of the same plant (and not varieties, as many believe). Shoots can even turn purple or pink if harvest timelines are missed. Nevertheless, there are many varieties of asparagus, most of them are cultivated in Germany and Holland. Some are more focused on white asparagus, others - on green.

Asparagus gives a harvest of 15-20 years, so the soil for it needs to be prepared especially carefully. The main thing is that the site is sunny, reliably protected from cold winds. Asparagus loves loose sandy loamy soil, rich in nutrients (sour and poor does not tolerate!). Unacceptably close occurrence of groundwater. Asparagus needs proper watering. In stale soil, shoots are transformed into bitter, and with an excess of moisture, the plants decay and the roots die.

Rotted manure (1 -1.5 kg / sq.m) is added to the site in advance. Dig holes with a depth of 20-50 cm at a distance of 90-100 cm from each other. Plants are planted and covered with ordinary soil. If necessary, during the summer the soil is loosened, removing weeds, and in the first two years after planting, the plants are spudded. In early spring and after cutting at the end of May, they are fed with mineral and organic fertilizers, gently digging the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm.

The first sprouts will appear in the second year in early May. But the real harvest can only be enjoyed next year. Young shoots usually begin to be harvested in May, and in cold weather - after three days. After they grow, break out or cut shoots at a height of 3-4 cm from the rhizome. After harvesting, asparagus is fed, the soil is loosened.

The first crop is usually small - 2-3 shoots per plant. 3-4 years after planting, the crop will constantly increase (25 or more), the next 8-12 years will become more or less constant. Then the stems are smaller and the yield is reduced.