25 Jersey Knight Asparagus Bare Roots – High Yield Vegetable Plant for Zones 3-9

Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with our premium selection of asparagus bare roots. This offering includes 25 robust ‘Jersey Knight’ varieties, renowned for their exceptional vigor and impressive yields. The ‘Jersey Knight’ is a highly favored choice among gardeners due to its strong disease resistance and ability to produce an abundance of thick, flavorful green spears with distinctive purple tips. Unlike younger plants, these mature bare roots are ready to establish quickly in your garden, providing a consistent supply of fresh, home-grown asparagus for many seasons to come. Growing your own asparagus not only guarantees unparalleled freshness and taste but also offers a sustainable and satisfying way to stock your kitchen with healthy produce. These roots are a smart investment for any gardener looking to cultivate a long-lasting and productive vegetable patch.

The ‘Jersey Knight’ variety is specifically bred for superior performance, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners. Its inherent resilience minimizes common asparagus ailments, allowing you to focus on nurturing a thriving crop. Prepare for the joy of harvesting your own delicious asparagus, knowing you’ve planted a variety that promises reliability and abundance.

Key Benefits

Our asparagus bare roots, particularly the ‘Jersey Knight’ variety, offer a multitude of advantages that make them a standout choice for any vegetable garden. These benefits extend from their robust growth habits to the quality of the harvest you can expect:

• High Yield Potential: Expect significantly greater yields compared to older asparagus strains. These vigorous roots are designed to produce an abundant harvest of spears, ensuring your family enjoys fresh asparagus for a long time.
• Superior Disease Resistance: The ‘Jersey Knight’ variety is highly resistant to common asparagus diseases such as Rust and shows good tolerance to Fusarium and Crown Rot. This resilience simplifies care and ensures healthier plants.
• Exceptional Flavor & Quality: Enjoy the rich, delicious flavor of freshly harvested asparagus that far surpasses store-bought options. The spears are known for their tender texture and vibrant green color with attractive purple tips.
• Vigorous and Reliable Growth: These plants exhibit strong, consistent growth, coming back stronger year after year. This ensures a reliable and bountiful harvest season after season, making them a truly sustainable garden addition.
• Easy to Grow: Suitable for a wide range of climates (USDA Zones 3-9), these asparagus bare roots are relatively easy to establish and maintain with proper care. They are an excellent option for those looking into growing asparagus at home.
• Long-Term Investment: Once established, an asparagus patch can produce for 15-20 years or more, offering a continuous supply of fresh vegetables from a single planting. This makes them a highly economical and rewarding crop.
• Nutrient-Rich Harvest: Asparagus is packed with vitamins and minerals, offering a healthy and delicious addition to your diet. Harvesting it fresh from your garden maximizes its nutritional value.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential for establishing a healthy and productive patch of Jersey Knight asparagus. Begin by selecting a site that receives full sun, ideally 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Asparagus prefers well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Before planting, amend your soil generously with compost or aged manure to improve fertility and drainage. A soil pH between 6.5 and 7.0 is ideal. Dig a trench about 6-8 inches deep and 12 inches wide, mounding some soil in the center of the trench. Spread the bare roots over the mound with the crown facing upwards, ensuring the roots are evenly distributed. Space each crown about 18 inches apart in the trench, and if planting multiple rows, space the rows 3-5 feet apart.

After placing the crowns, cover them with 2-3 inches of soil and water thoroughly. As the spears begin to grow, gradually fill the trench with more soil until it is level with the surrounding ground. Consistent moisture is crucial during the establishment phase; aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rain or irrigation. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to crown rot. Fertilize your asparagus bare roots twice annually: once in early spring before new growth emerges, and again after the final harvest to replenish nutrients. Use a balanced fertilizer or a fertilizer specifically formulated for vegetables. Keep the area around your asparagus patch free of weeds, as they compete for nutrients and water.

Patience is key when growing asparagus. Avoid harvesting any spears during the first two years to allow the plants to establish a strong root system. In the third year, you can begin harvesting for a short period (about 2-4 weeks). Each subsequent year, the harvest period can extend up to 8-10 weeks. Look for spears that are about 6-8 inches tall and snap them off at ground level. Providing proper care will ensure your disease resistant asparagus plants thrive for many years, yielding delicious harvests.

Size & Details

This product includes 25 Jersey Knight bare roots, which are mature, dormant root systems ready for immediate planting. Each bare root is carefully selected to ensure vigor and health, providing you with a strong foundation for your asparagus patch. Upon arrival, the roots should be planted as soon as possible to prevent drying out. Once established, ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus plants typically grow to a mature height of 3-5 feet with a similar spread, creating a lush, fern-like foliage during the non-harvest season. These are perennial plants, meaning they will return year after year, providing continuous harvests for 15-20 years or even longer under optimal conditions. The spears themselves can grow to be quite thick, often reaching 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter, with a vibrant green color and attractive purple tips. This particular variety is known for its impressive growth rate and ability to quickly produce a robust root system, contributing to its reputation as a high yield asparagus.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these asparagus plants get? A: Once established, ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus plants typically grow to a height of 3-5 feet with a similar spread during their fern-like growth phase after harvest. The spears themselves are usually harvested when they are 6-8 inches tall.
• Q: Are these asparagus bare roots suitable for my climate? A: Yes, these ‘Jersey Knight’ asparagus bare roots are highly adaptable and suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9, covering a wide range of climates across the United States.
• Q: How much sunlight does growing asparagus require? A: Asparagus thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and spear production.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? Is it good for beginners? A: While asparagus requires some initial effort for soil preparation and establishment, once it’s set up, it’s relatively low-maintenance. Its disease resistance makes it a good choice for beginners interested in high yield asparagus.
• Q: What condition will the bare roots arrive in? A: Your asparagus bare roots will arrive dormant and carefully packaged to ensure their health. They should be planted quickly upon arrival to facilitate successful establishment.
• Q: How long until I can harvest asparagus after planting these bare roots? A: Patience is key with asparagus. It typically takes 2-3 years after planting to begin harvesting. This allows the plants to develop a strong, extensive root system for years of bountiful harvests.
• Q: What type of soil is best for these asparagus bare roots? A: Asparagus prefers well-drained, fertile soil that is rich in organic matter. A sandy loam with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 is ideal.
• Q: How often should I fertilize my Jersey Knight asparagus plants? A: Fertilize twice annually: once in early spring before new growth begins, and again immediately after the final harvest to support continued plant vigor and ensure a great yield.
• Q: What makes ‘Jersey Knight’ a disease resistant asparagus variety? A: The ‘Jersey Knight’ variety has been specifically bred for its strong resistance to common asparagus diseases like Rust, and it also exhibits good tolerance to Fusarium and Crown Rot, contributing to healthier and more productive plants.
• Q: Can I grow this variety in containers? A: While possible, asparagus typically performs best when planted directly in the ground due to its extensive root system. If using containers, choose very large, deep planters to accommodate growth.