ASPARAGUS CULTIVATION OVER THE SEASONS
February and March : planting and hilling
As soon as the first rays of sunshine appear at the end of winter, asparagus growers get busy in the fields where the remains of the cut tops – Stackle – have to be removed. The earth must be dug and the mounds opened with a harrow and a hook – Höcke. The Stackle are pulled out by hand – Stackle ropfe. In the past, they were put in piles and burned; today, with mechanization, they are shredded on site.
The next step is crucial: rebuilding the protection for the claws (the asparagus root system), in other words covering the plants with a mound – Sparichelhüffe – of about 30 cm of soil; this is a technique that also allows the sun’s heat to be captured throughout the day. This traditional method is gradually being replaced by more mechanized methods : the mounds are being replaced by a “line” raised over the entire length of the field and covering several hundred claws.
The young plants, the fruit of the previous year’s seeds, are planted in new plots that have been prepared for this purpose in early spring.
April and May : the harvest
From mid-April to the end of May, the asparagus is harvested before it emerges from the soil in order to preserve its whiteness. Under optimal conditions, shoots grow 5 to 6 cm each day. The season begins 3 weeks after tarping and lasts 6 to 7 weeks, depending on the weather.
Since the 1980s, the mounds have been covered with plastic sheeting to make the most of the sun’s heat throughout the day.
June : the end of the harvest and the appearance of foliage
The asparagus harvest comes to an end in June. In order to allow the plant to make reserves for the following year, the shoots are then allowed to grow : high green tufts appear, the foliage, which become like small shrubs.
October and November : cutting the foliage and harvesting the seeds
In the autumn, the plants produce small red berries on their stems. These are harvested and dried during the winter. These will be the seeds for sowing.
In November, the asparagus beds, or mounds, are cleared and the yellow shrubs cut 15 cm above the ground. In the past these were then burned to destroy the flies and asparagus beetles that had taken refuge there, and which are true enemies of asparagus. Today, the shrubs are shredded.
The cycle can then start again…. In the past, the first harvest did not take place until the third year. Only a few asparagus plants were harvested. It was only from its sixth year that asparagus was harvested throughout the season, bearing in mind that the asparagus plantation had a lifespan of about 12 to 15 years, or even 20 years.
For modern production, the harvest starts in the second year and the asparagus plantation has a lifespan of 8 to 10 years.