While asparagus requires no additional winter protection in mild climates, winter prep is recommended to ensure your asparagus plants go dormant for the winter.
- As cool weather sets in, the leaves of the asparagus plant begin to yellow and the fronds die back.
- Once they have died back completely, cut them from the stems or allow the snow to knock them down onto the bed.
- The fronds are your mulch–the idea is to protect the crowns from cold injury by providing additional thermal protection.
- Once the fronds have been cut back, cease watering the asparagus entirely.
- If you live in a particularly cold area, you can spread approximately 4 inches of additional mulch such as straw, wood chips, or other organic materials over the crowns.
- Remove in late winter or early spring once temperatures are warming or once crowns have emerged.
Successful storage of your food is an important part of the harvest and the larger cycle of growing. The less we waste the more food we can ensure to feed ourselves, our family, our communities, and whoever else we may grow for.