Asparagus (asparagus) is a healthy vegetable that is now very common. It contains many vitamins and other beneficial substances. What varieties of asparagus are best to choose from in this article.
Bean Asparagushas nothing to do with asparagus, and is a vegetable crop in the form of beans.
Edible Asparagus
You can grow different varieties of asparagus. Among them, the most common: early, middle, as well as late.
We recommend reading the article on asparagus and the subtleties of growing this vegetable in the next article.
Early
Among the early varieties of asparagus can be distinguished:
- Argentine Asparagus. At first, the plant has a white color, then it turns green. Sometimes asparagus takes on a purple hue. Many aesthetes choose it because of this. Stems about 20 cm high, its weight is not more than 50 g, the average diameter of asparagus is 1.5 cm. A summer resident can grow on one square meter no more than 2 kg of juicy shoots. This productivity suits many summer residents, but this may not be enough for a production scale.
- Bucklim. This plant has a white flesh, on top it is pale green in color. The height of Baklim is about 25 cm, the thickness of asparagus of this variety is 28 mm. The mass of the plant is not more than 150 g. To collect 3 kg of stems, you need to plant them on one square meter.
- Early yellow. This asparagus variety has an excellent taste. Its shoots are slightly greenish, the flesh is tender. Early yellow can be consumed as raw so, for example, canned or boiled. The shoot gives about 200 g of the crop, but often no more than 250 g.
- Magnus F1. This type of asparagus bears fruit only from the third year. Its fruits are juicy and resilient. From one plant, you can collect 110 g of the crop. After five years of fruiting, asparagus gives up to 350 g of the crop. The advantage is that asparagus Magnus F1 will delight you for more than one year.
- Gaynlim. This variety is edible, unlike sea asparagus. 140 g of crop can be harvested from one plant. Shoots yellow with a slightly greenish tint. The diameter of the asparagus is up to 25 mm, the height is about 20 cm. 3 kg of asparagus falls on one square meter.
- Xenolim. This variety of asparagus is early ripe. It has green stalks. Their length is not more than 20 cm, the diameter of asparagus is 25 mm. The weight of Xenolim is 100-120 g. Productivity is not more than 3.5 kg of tasty stalks with 1 square. m
- Guelf Millennium. This asparagus has light green shoots with a slightly yellowish tinge. The Guellf Millennium reaches a height of 25 cm, its thickness is 15 mm, and its weight is about 100 g. It can be cooked and canned. For 1 square. m plantings can grow no more than 3.5 kg of the crop, but this is a very good indicator.
- Guelph Eclipse. The height of the shoots is about 25 cm, the diameter of the plant is 20 mm, the weight is not more than 150 g. Guelf Eclipse can be used in any form. From one square meter, you can collect up to 3 kg of crop.
- Waldau. The shoots of asparagus of this variety are green, the flesh is white with a slightly yellowish tinge. From the bush, you can collect 150 g of the crop only after the third year of fruiting. From the fourth year, about 350 g are collected from one bush.
Argentine Asparagus
grade "Baklim"
variety “Early yellow”
Grade “Magnus F1”
grade Gaynlim
grade "Xenolim"
grade “Guelf Millennium”
grade “Guelf Eclipse”
grade Waldau
Medium
Among the popular ones are:
- Mary Washington Its flesh is slightly fibrous and has a fairly pleasant taste, shoots are green, and the heads have a reddish tint. Diameter is about 15 mm. One plant will produce no more than 250 g of the crop.
- Snow head. This asparagus variety has cream petioles and white heads. Smack of Snowy Head, like green peas. You can eat this asparagus, both fresh and canned. To collect 3 kg of shoots, you need to plant a plant on one square meter.
- Cumulus F1. Has white stems, flesh of the same color. This distinguishes Cumulus F1 from many species of asparagus. In the third year of fruiting, it has a mass of stems of about 120 g. From the fifth year, up to 300 g can be harvested from one plant.
- Harvest 6. This asparagus will certainly please you with a high harvest. Her petioles are not only large, but also thick. They have a pink tint. Their heads are quite tight. The flesh is slightly yellow. One plant gives about 200 g of the crop, in rare cases up to 250 g and there must be suitable conditions for this.
- Mikhnevskaya early. This variety of asparagus is mid-season. Its stems have a purple hue, and the heads are thick and dense. The stalks are bell-shaped. One bush gives no more than 250 g of the crop.
- Royal. This is a mid-season asparagus. Its shoots have a bright green color, and their diameter is 20 mm. The heads are dark in color, and the flesh is white and tender. Asparagus is 20 cm long. One square meter of plantings can produce from 3 to 6 kg of crop.
variety “Mary Washington”
grade "Snowy head"
grade “Cumulus F1”
variety “Harvest 6”
variety “Early Mikhnevskaya”
Royal variety
Gardeners recommend collecting shoots of all mid-season varieties already in late April. It is during this period that they are juicy and resilient.
Later
The following late asparagus varieties can be distinguished:
- Glory to Braunschweig. The flesh of this plant is white, juicy, green shoots. One bush gives about 12 cuttings. This is approximately 200 g. The “Glory of Braunschweig” is suitable for canning.
- Hope. The vegetation of this variety is 80 days. Hope was bred in Russia. This asparagus is medium in size. Its shoots are green, the bushes are small, the flesh is white. Many tasters note the excellent taste of this variety of asparagus. Hope's productivity is good. From one square meter of sowing, you can collect up to 2.5 kg of crop.
grade “Glory of Braunschweig”
grade "Hope"
Types of Inedible Asparagus
The following main types of inedible asparagus can be noted:
- Soy Asparagus Produce this species from soybeans. To get asparagus they need to give the necessary appearance. To do this, pre-soak them in ordinary running water, then grind them thoroughly. In the end, you should get soy milk. During boiling, it forms a white film. Dry this film in suspension. As a result, you get fujah, that is, asparagus from soy.
- Ruched asparagus. It is a grass that has thick rhizomes. Quite often, representatives of this asparagus are used in Ayurvedic medicine. It looks like asparagus only with its foliage.
- Sea Asparagus. This plant can be found on the coastal zone. Sea asparagus has a brackish flesh. Often it is used in Japanese cuisine. It is also suitable for Mediterranean dishes. In Russia, this variety of asparagus is not common.
Types of Decorative Asparagus
We can distinguish the following types of decorative asparagus:
- Thin-leaved. This plant conquers with its beauty. It consists of thin bunches of leaves that look like needles.
- Multi-sheeted. This is a perennial plant, not at all tall. Often it is used for rockeries. It has bluish needles, which are distinguished by their beautiful appearance.
- Pharmacy. This is a perennial plant that has tall bushes. In summer, its greens are especially lush and beautiful. During this period, her color is golden. In autumn, the fruits turn red. In winter, branches of pharmacy asparagus are covered with silver hoarfrost.
How to distinguish decorative asparagus from edible?
We are used to eating asparagus rather than decorating the garden. That is why for us this plant is more edible than ornamental. Sometimes you can see information that decorative as well as delicious asparagus are somewhat different. This statement is not wrong.
All types of asparagus known today are edible. In order for asparagus to become decorative, you just need to give the sprouts sprouts above the ground. Automatically then it can not be eaten.
Varieties of asparagus, there are many dozens and all of them are appreciated by gardeners. It is quite possible to grow asparagus at home and not overpay for it in the store. In addition, such a product will be without the use of chemicals.