Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable harvested for its young shoots. It originated in Asia Minor and has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years; in Maine, it is one of the first major spring vegetables.¹

Plant notes

The edible spear is a rapidly growing shoot. If left alone, it develops into a tall, fern-like plant that replenishes the crown for the following year.¹

Northeast notes

Unlike annual vegetables, a well-kept asparagus bed is a long-lived planting. That permanence gives it a different role in a Northeast garden from quick annual crops such as radish or pea.¹

Footnotes

1. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, “Growing Asparagus in Maine,” accessed July 17, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³