Green and White Asparagus
Green and White Asparagus

White asparagus is considered a delicacy.  It has a milder flavor than green asparagus. White asparagus is preferred in gourmet cooking.  It is also expensive.  Here is how to grow your own.

Blanched In Darkness

White asparagus is grown just like regular asparagus with one important difference.  The shoots are deprived of light so they never turn green.  There are two ways this is normally done.

Cover With Dirt

The first way is the least expensive.  You simply heap dirt on the crowns so that the shoot is a normal length underground before it pokes through.  Use a knife to cut the shoot from the base and pull it out.  You should have a normal shoot with just a bit of green on it, where the tip poked through.

Black Plastic Hope Houses

If you are more ambitious, however, you can try the second method.  A set of hoops are placed along the row of asparagus and covered with black plastic.  This blocks all the light from the shoots.  Every day, you briefly remove the plastic while harvesting the shoots that are ready, then immediately replace it when you are done.  Again, you should have white asparagus.

Cut At Ground Level

Remember to cut the asparagus stems at ground level.  Leaving a stump allows diseases to take hold and can kill the asparagus.  

When To Stop Harvesting

The shoots will become smaller in diameter as the season progresses.  When they become the diameter of a pencil, it is time to stop harvesting them.  Remove the cover or dirt and let the asparagus grow.  This allows the plant to store enough energy to make it through the winter and the next year’s harvest.

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