Asparagus 'Pacific Purple'

It's a whole new, delightfully delicious, eating experience when you grow Pacific Purple Asparagus in the vegetable patch! This long-lived perennial sets crops for more than a decade, and you will thrill to the gourmet flavor and terrific plate appeal of these extra-thick, super-succulent spears.

Pacific Purple is a British asparagus, bred for flavor and heavy yields. It succeeds wildly on both counts: it is by far the most prolific of the purples, and the flavor is legendary. Lightly steam this asparagus or simply eat it raw: there is none of the fibrous, stringy experience of green varieties. It's tender from tip to base!

Purple asparagus has actually been around a long, long time; records exist of it being grown in France more than 150 years ago, and it was not new then. But it has only recently arrived on American tables, and we are proud to make the plant available to Park gardeners this season. Its benefits go well beyond its striking color and beauty!

Pacific Purple spears are about 6 to 7 inches long, much thicker than traditional green. Boasting 20% more sugar than green asparagus, they are mild, nutty, and sweet.

And concealed within each yummy bite is a good serving of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight cancer. This asparagus is a superfood, absolutely central to a nutritious disease-prevention diet.

Pacific Purple is a large plant with fern-like foliage reaching 4 to 5 feet high and 12 to 30 inches wide. The spears ripen in mid- to late season. After harvest, let the foliage die down naturally; it feeds the plant as it matures, so you don't want to cut it back until it falls over. That's about all there is to maintaining this vigorous perennial!

Before planting these bareroots, enrich the planting site with a balanced fertilizer, and make sure the drainage is good. Raised beds work well for this perennial, but traditional rows are also fine. Bear in mind that this is a tall plant that will shade neighboring plants during the growing season. During the first two years, as the plants reach maturity, make sure they never dry out completely. Cut back the dead foliage in late autumn and keep the bed weeded to prevent insects from sheltering near the plants.

Once your purple asparagus bed is established, you will wonder how you ever got by without fresh, delicious, healthy stalks straight from the garden to your plate! Enjoy. Zones 3-9.