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Growing asparagus from seed is easy, and it’ll save you a lot of money compared to buying pricey asparagus crowns. Whether you’re saving seed from heirloom asparagus plants, or simply purchasing asparagus seed, it’s easy enough to establish a whole field of asparagus plants for just a few dollars.

These days most people plant asparagus crowns or first-year bare-root plants. Starting from crowns gives you a head start on production, and you’ll be able to harvest your first asparagus spears one season earlier. But that year of growth comes at a hefty price…
Nurseries sell asparagus crowns for as much as $5 each. A potted asparagus plant will set you back $10 to $12 in the spring.
A single seed packet, on the other hand, costs about $3 for a pack of 50 to 100 seeds. That’s a tiny investment for a whole field of homegrown asparagus.

Asparagus is a flowering plant that produces seeds, just like any other garden crop. For many years I believed that Asparagus was a fern, and could only be propagated by division.
I had never seen Asparagus “go to seed” because the asparagus crowns purchased from garden centers are all males. The female asparagus plants don’t produce nearly as many edible shoots, and instead, devote their energy to making seed.
Like so many of our food crops, asparagus flowers are bee-pollinated. Male and female plants are separate, and a bee must first visit a male asparagus flower on a male plant followed by a female flower on a female plant.

Since asparagus crowns are generally sold as male-only, you’ll only ever see the bright red asparagus fruits (seed pods) if you grow asparagus from seed.
Or, in my case, get a batch of asparagus crowns that happen to contain several female plants. Something went wrong in the selection process, and roughly 1/3 of the asparagus crowns I ordered were female.
The female plants are usually culled out because they produce far fewer harvestable spears. With 1/3 of my asparagus beds planted with female plants, the harvests are pretty slim each spring. But a ready source of female plants means that I have plenty of asparagus seed to plant each year.
When you grow asparagus from seed, you’ll have a choice. Either keep the female plants or cull them out to make room for more productive male plants.
As a home grower, culling out the female plants will result in a better harvest, but then you won’t be able to save asparagus seed. You also won’t get to enjoy the beautiful bright red asparagus fruit in the fall.
(If you’re not saving seeds or keeping female plants, you can always buy asparagus seed here. It’s rather inexpensive, especially compared to crowns.)

Saving Asparagus Seed
The seeds start out as dense clusters of round green seedpods. They’ll take months to ripen to a full dark red color. While at first, it may look like a huge harvest of asparagus seed, don’t count your eggs before their hatched.
Many of those green asparagus seed pods will be knocked off by wind or rain or picked off early by birds, long before they ripen.
In that time, a dense crop of asparagus seed will be reduced to no more than a small handful of ripe asparagus seeds per plant. That handful of asparagus seed pods still yields quite a few plantable seeds.
Each asparagus fruit contains several seeds, and a single female asparagus plant can produce hundreds of seeds in a good year, even accounting for losses.

Leaving just one or two female asparagus plants in your patch is often enough to ensure a lifetime supply of seed, provided those female plants survive and thrive.
When growing asparagus from seed, if you don’t cull out the female asparagus plants, they’ll be roughly 1/2 of your total plants. Allow the plants to mature for a few years until you can identify the female plants. At that point, I’d suggest culling down to half a dozen female plants at most.
To save asparagus seeds, harvest the berries when once they’ve turned bright red in the fall. Here in Vermont (zone 4), that happens in mid to late September. Allow the berries to dry for a week or two, and then carefully break the seed pods open and extract the seeds.
Lay the seeds out to dry for at least another week before storing them to plant the following spring.

Growing Asparagus from Seed
Planting asparagus seeds is a simple process, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve saved your own seed, or purchased a package of asparagus seed.
Start the seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last expected frost date in your area. In my cold Vermont climate, the last frost happens the first week of June. That means I’ll need to plant asparagus seed in mid to late March.
Most locations see spring a good bit earlier than we do here, and asparagus seeds can be started sometime in February.
Plant asparagus seeds about 1/2 an inch deep in fertile potting soil.
The seeds need soil temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees F for good germination, so it’s a good idea to invest in a seedling heat mat.
Since most garden crops only need to be started 6 to 8 weeks early, you can reuse the heat mat for tomatoes and peppers later on once the asparagus has germinated.
In the best of conditions, Asparagus takes between 2 and 4 weeks to germinate. Some seeds can take as much as 8 weeks to germinate.
That’s one reason why the seeds need to be started so early in the spring. Pre-soaking the seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours before planting can help speed germination, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Transplanting Asparagus Seedlings
Unlike asparagus crowns, which have a large root mass, asparagus seedlings are just getting established. Take extra care in handling them, and avoid damaging their roots. Plant them a bit denser than you would crown to allow for some dieback.
Transplant asparagus seedlings to the garden after the risk of the last frost has passed in your area. That’s the same time you set out tomato plants.
Crowns are planted 18 to 24 inches apart, but try spacing seedlings about 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. If all the plants thrive, the extra crowns can be thinned out or transplanted later.
When transplanting asparagus seedlings, you don’t need to plant them as deep as mature crowns, but they also shouldn’t stay at the exact same depth they were growing in the seed trays.
Instead, aim to plant them about two to three inches deeper than they were in the trays. This gives the young roots more room to develop and helps anchor the plants securely in the soil.
As the seedlings grow, you can gradually mound a bit of soil around the base of each plant, mimicking the trenching method used for crowns. While a full trench isn’t necessary for seedlings, this gradual hilling encourages strong root systems and sturdier spears down the line.
It’s a gentle balance—deeper than trays, but not as deep as you’d go with store-bought crowns.

How Long Until Harvest?
When you plant asparagus from seed, you’re one year behind schedule compared with planting asparagus crowns. Crown planted asparagus can be harvested carefully in the 2nd year and fully in the third year.
For seed planted asparagus, harvest just a few spears in the third year and then you’ll be able to harvest a full crop in the 4th year.
In the meantime, just carefully tend the asparagus spears, keeping the beds free of weeds. In a few years, they’ll fill out the beds and give you a good crop in the spring as well as showy foliage in the fall.

I found your information very helpful about my asparagus seeds. My wife and I are currently trying to off-grid work a vegetable garden and would enjoy and use the information you provide. I try growing heirloom varieties with what I call little production but it’s enough to keep us sustained this far. Please include us in your information disbursement as I can still use tips for propagation and growth. Thank you very much and here’s to new friends, good harvests and the black earth.
Thank you for this, Ashley. I’ve started asparagus from seed and will be ready to plant outside in about a month. When I do, should I keep them at the same level they’re at in the seed trays, or do they go deeper, like crowns?
You don’t need to plant them as deep as mature crowns, but they also shouldn’t stay at the exact same depth they were growing in the seed trays. Plant them about two to three inches deeper than they were in the trays. This gives the young roots more room to develop and helps anchor the plants securely in the soil. As the seedlings grow, you can gradually mound a bit of soil around the base of each plant, mimicking the trenching method used for crowns. While a full trench isn’t necessary for seedlings, this gradual hilling encourages strong root systems and sturdier spears over time.
If my female asparagus still has red seed pods on the stems from last year, do you think the seeds will be plantable now in April? It’s still quite cold here (5°C highs in the day).
I’m thinking of planting directly into another asparagus bed that has been slowly dwindling.
Yes! That actually should work just fine. Around this time of year, the birds will be coming back to pick off the last of the seeds and spread them, so if you pick them now and plant them that’d be perfect. Best of luck!
Yes, I agree. The robins came and ate all the berries. The seeds have been stratified over the winter and they will sprout into seedlings. I took mine indoors to start.
how many years till the females make seed?….other than seeds, is there a way to tell female from male?
They should go to seed the first fall after planting. The seeds are the only way that I am aware of to tell the difference.
typo: While at first, it may look like a huge harvest of asparagus seed, don’t count your eggs before their hatched.
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When potting on young ferns can they be buried a bit deeper for more stbility? or do they need to be planted at the same depth as they are whe they sorout?
Many thanks for your great article
You’re welcome. We’re so glad you enjoyed the post. What kind of ferns are you potting up?
After much searching this is the only article that mentioned spacing for a temporary bed. This is my first year growing asparagus from seed. I did start them early and have lots of seedlings. Lots of good information here. Thank you!!!!!!
You’re very welcome. We’re so glad you enjoyed the article.
Hi, can i start the seeds in darkness, or is light required for germination? Thanks
Asparagus needs bright light for germination.
Hello,
Very helpful article, wish I found this article last year!
I started my asparagus last spring/summer (2020). I live in 5b, so we will have our last frost next month.
Last fall I put hay after I cut the yellowish fern to put them to sleep. I just checked my asparagus bed this morning and there were one purplish spear about 2 inches tall and another one just about 1/4 inch. Those two were where the hay was a bit open (I can see the soil). I am wondering if I should move the hay covering them or just wait until the last frost?
And also, what should I do about the spears if there will be some/many as this will be their second summer? It’s tempting to try one LOL
Removing winter mulch actually stimulates growth because the sun’s rays are able to reach the soil to warm it more quickly. You do want to wait until the danger of frost has passed though because heavy frosts can make the spears tough. As to whether or not you can harvest any of the spears this year, that all depends on whether you planted from seed or if you started with crowns. If you started last year with crowns then you should be able to harvest a small percentage for about 2 weeks. Then the following year you can harvest for the full 6 weeks.
Hi!
Than you for the reply, that’s very helpful!
I planted them last year from seeds, so no harvesting spears at all this year?
You’re very welcome.