Vineyards 
Asparagus
Asparagus is a member of the Lily family. It is a perennial plant and develops a root system from which buds grow shoots. This shoots are delicate, tasty, succulent and they are called candles. Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which is high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin. Asparagus contains folacin which is necessary for blood cell formation, growth, and prevention of liver disease. Folacin has been shown to play a significant role in the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, that cause paralysis and death in 2,500 babies each year.Its wealth of nutrients, fiber and very low sodium and calorie content make asparagus a nutritionally wise choice for today's health-conscious consumer.
Useful advices
- Growing Asparagus
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All regions of our country are appropriate for asparagus growing. Asparagus is mainly cultivated by seedlings. You have to sow the seeds around the end of April in opened beds in rows. The spaces between rows have to be 25-30cm. The asparagus is growing slowly (2-6 weeks) and that’s why you have to irrigate regularly. Best irrigation is the drip irrigation.
When the asparagus plants reach 7-10cm height, you have to leave 8-10cm between them in the rows. Till the autumn the plants develop good root systems with 3-4 branching each. In October you have to cut the stems off and leave 2-3cm o them above the surface. You have to clean and dig over the beds. The seedling has to spend the winter in this condition.
You will have best results with planting annual seedling. The soil has to be deeply ploughed in the autumn. Early in the spring you have to form a 35cm deep furrow. You have to plant the seedling on its permanent place early in the spring before the beginning of the vegetation. The appropriate for planting asparagus plants have to be with large, succulent and white roots that have 3-4 good shaped buds. If the spaces between rows are 100-130cm and 40-50cm in the rows, you will need around 1300-2500 plants for a decare.
The normal harvesting begins in the fourth year. You have to harvest by hand. There are used special knives, if the areas a bigger. The “candles” have to be cut off before they show up on the surface. One good developed plant gives 10-12 “candles” averagely. The average crop by decare usually is 500-600kg. The harvesting season ends around the beginning of June. The asparagus vegetation lasts till the autumn. The asparagus lives around 15 years. You can plant new asparagus plants on the same place after 10 years.
