Asparagus is a native herbaceous perennial of Central Europe and the steppes of Russia.   There are about 150 species which include about twenty which regularly are developed for  ornamental purposes.

Asparagus Officinalis is the most common garden variety.  Generous feeding, care, and good, friable soil are essential to the growth of the choicest stalks. Limestone and decaying vegetable matter provide the richest soil which must be well-drained and deeply dug.

Eastern or southern exposure should combine with ample space between plants.  Only large one-year roots should be planted which have been grown from seed.   Asparagus will thrive in soils that are too saline for normal weeds to grow in.

In the past, asparagus growers  would use salt to control weeds in ground that was intended to grow asparagus.  However, the flip side to this decision is that the soil never is good for anything else.

Besides the familiar green asparagus, there also white asparagus which has been called spargel.  It is grown by keeping the plants from getting light and instead, exposing them to ultraviolet light.

Green asparagus is normally used in American and Thai cuisine.  In such countries as Germany and France white asparagus is the more popular choice as it is less bitter than the green variety.

However, unless one has suitable room for planting and growing asparagus and waiting for three years for harvest, it is best to patronize a local product market and have fresh healthy asparagus on your table the same day.

Since the second century physicians have described asparagus as a cleansing and healing additive to one’s diet and long-recognized it for its medicinal properties.  It lost popularity in the Middle Ages, but returned to favor in the seventeenth century and remains so to this very day.