{"title":"Asparagus","description":"Asparagus variety seeds.","products":[{"product_id":"semences-asperge-mary-washington-ancestrale","title":"Mary Washington Asparagus Heirloom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsparagus officinalis.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAsparagus is a plant of ancient dignity — already cultivated by the Egyptians, celebrated by Pliny the Elder in his \u003cem\u003eNatural History\u003c\/em\u003e, served to the Roman emperors who considered it so refined a dish that they sometimes shipped it as far as the borders of the Empire packed in Alpine ice. The Mary Washington selection, named after George Washington's mother, was born around 1919 in the laboratories of the United States Department of Agriculture under the direction of J.B. Norton, as one of the first asparagus varieties resistant to rust — a disease that was ravaging commercial asparagus beds at the time. It has remained the reference variety of North American vegetable gardens for a century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLong, straight spears, tender green lightly tinged with mauve at the tip, with fine, sweet flesh, no fibre and no bitterness when harvested at the right stage. But the real gift of this plant is its longevity — a well-established asparagus bed produces for 15 to 25 years, sometimes more, from a single sowing. It's probably the best return on investment in the vegetable garden: a few hours of well-considered work up front for decades of spring harvests. And what harvests — six to eight weeks of fresh asparagus from April to June, just steamed with brown butter and a dash of lemon, roasted in the oven, blanched into risotto, or simply crunched raw in the garden, barely snapped, in that unique flavour that announces the return of the warm season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrower's tip:\u003c\/strong\u003e This plant demands patience and a well-chosen spot. From seed, count three years before the first real harvest — year one, let it grow without taking anything to build a deep root system; year two, a few spears only over 2-3 weeks; year three, full harvest. Choose the permanent spot with care: sandy or loamy, deep, drained, never soggy soil, with neutral to slightly alkaline pH (asparagus hates acidity). Never move an asparagus bed once established — it does not forgive. Prepare a 30-40 cm trench, enrich with mature compost, and plant for the next twenty years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen-pollinated. Hardy perennial (zone 3). Dioecious — separate male and female plants. Males are more productive (they don't invest energy in producing red berries).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight: 1.2 to 1.8 m for summer foliage (left to grow into green ferns after the end of the harvest).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaturity: 3 years from seed for the first real harvest. Productive for 15 to 25 years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExposure: full sun.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeep soil, sandy to loamy, perfectly drained, rich in organic matter, pH 6.5-7.5. Space plants 40 cm apart in the row, 1.2 m between rows.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndoor start 10 to 12 weeks before last frost, or direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked. Seeds benefit from a 24- to 48-hour soak before sowing. Transplant to the permanent location at the end of the first season or the following spring.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Joual Vert","offers":[{"title":"20","offer_id":42605434470572,"sku":"GC-H-ASPMAR-20","price":0.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100","offer_id":42605434503340,"sku":"GC-H-ASPMAR-100","price":3.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500","offer_id":42605434536108,"sku":"GC-H-ASPMAR-500","price":15.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2500","offer_id":42605434568876,"sku":"GC-H-ASPMAR-2500","price":54.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0532\/1388\/8684\/products\/asparagusmw_ff41f5cb-3e72-45cc-a7e1-50fcd3d7e363.jpg?v=1664221172"}],"url":"https:\/\/joualvert.ca\/en\/collections\/asparagus.oembed","provider":"Joual Vert","version":"1.0","type":"link"}