When to plant asparagus in Pretoria

Why these dates

Plant dormant crowns in early spring, 20 cm deep in a trench. Cut nothing in year one, a few spears in year two, and a full six-week season from year three onwards. Let the ferns stand until they yellow in autumn - that is when the crown is storing next spring's crop.

The crown is hardy to -25C and needs a cold dormancy. Emerging spears are damaged at about -2C and turn glassy and limp; more will follow, so a frosted picking is a delay rather than a loss.

Asparagus are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Pretoria is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Pretoria sits in zone 10a, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 3, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Pretoria →