Submitted photo Growing asparagus takes patience, but the reward is worth the wait.

I didn’t eat asparagus until I was married. Bill’s mom had wild stashes of asparagus stands that were very old. She watched and waited, and then, at the right time, she would pick the beautiful stems to eat.

Asparagus is a member of the lily family planted for the amazing harvests of white, green or purple stems each spring. You can start with seeds or roots. Choose a cold tolerant kind, resistant to rust and fusarium. Make sure to get a soil test before planting.

In early spring, dig a trench about 12 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches deep. Place the crowns 1 foot apart, spreading the roots out, as they grow horizontally. Make sure the crowns are up. Cover the crowns with 2 inches of soil, then as the days turn to summer, add additional soil as plants emerge. You will see the stems are tiny and spindly. Over the years, as the stems get larger and the roots spread out, the plants will rise, so filling in with nutrient rich soil is necessary.

Asparagus plants are dioecious, meaning some plants are male and some plants are female. The females bear the seeds, and the male bears pollen to fertilize the female plants. Females freely seed any area around them, and birds carry the seeds to other areas as well. Be sure of your choice of variety and sex, as a bed is meant to bear for 15 to 20 years.

Picking can begin the third year and continue until summer. Then allow the plants to grow to supply necessary nutrients. Fertilize with a 10-10-10 fertilizer for the first three years, and again in the fourth year after picking has ceased. Keep the weeds out as they can introduce unwanted insects and pathogens.

Picking asparagus has a procedure. When the stems are 5 to 8 inches tall, cut or snap them at ground level. Do not dig into the ground if cutting, as the roots are just below the surface. The stems will snap where the fibrous and tender tissues of the plants meet. This is the portion you eat. They are meant to be eaten within five days. Keep refrigerated.

Asparagus comes in several colors. Green is delicious. Purple is sweet and changes to green when cooked. White is considered a delicacy, as it is covered to keep the green color from photosynthesizing. It is the sweetest. We covered a portion and tried it. It works!

Hughes is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.