Plants for Colorado Homesteads, Urban Farms, Gardens, and Food Forests
A Front Range Micro-Nursery Englewood CO
Asparagus
Purple Passion
Asparagus officinalis
USDA Hardiness Zone 3-10
Purple Passion is known for its large tender purple spears. Its considered slightly sweeter than green varieties, making it a favorite variety for eating raw. It loses its purple color once cooked.
Can produce a crop in the second year but recommended to allow shoots to mature into fronds. Fronds can reach 6ft tall and store energy in the roots which produce the following year's shoots.
Jersey Giant
Asparagus officinalis
USDA Hardiness Zone 3-10
Jersey Giant is an all male hybrid that is know for large yields due to the fact it doesn't expend energy for reproduction. It produces medium to large spears that are green with purple bracts.
INTERESTING FACT:
Asparagus has a unique quality in that it can tolerate high salinity in the soil in which it grows. Asparagus also does poorly when competing with weeds. Therefore it is a common practice to salt the soil in an asparagus patch. This will keep most weeds at bay allowing the asparagus to thrive uncontested.