Asparagus are one of the few, true connoisseur crops that the everyday man can grow in his garden or allotment. While it is true that there is no lack of availability of asparagus in the shops, they tend to be woody in texture and lacking in flavour. Of course the down side to growing your own asparagus s that he season is relatively short but this is more that made up for in flavour and of course freshness. Unlike shop bought asparagus, home grown spears can be cut, washed and cooked to perfection in a little as twenty minutes. You really can't get better than that.
Don't forget that that you won't be cutting any spears from your asparagus crop until at least year two, but more realistically you will be looking at year three before you can savour the delights of your work.
Using 3 inch pots, sow one seed per pot using a good quality compost such as John Innes 'Seed and Cutting'. Each seed can be planted about half an inch deep.
Gently water in, and then place the pots into a propagator or seal into a clear, polythene bag. Keep your pots on a warm, bright windowsill, but out of direct sunlight. make sure that the compost is kept damp and is not allowed to dry out. Do not have the compost waterlogged as this can kill of the seedlings as they germinate.
Be aware that the soft fronds can be scorched if there are in direct sunlight or shrivel if they are allowed to dry out.
Once the seedlings have reached a foot tall and the threat of late frosts have passed the young plants can be moved outside into a cold frame to help them harden off. They may still need to be brought back inside over night if the night temperatures are a little cold.
Once they have hardened off they will be ready for planting out into their final position which should be a prepared asparagus bed.
