Livelihood Idea: Backyard asparagus farming
September 23, 2001 | 12:00am
Steamed with mayonnaise for dip, made into succulent soup, sautéed with onions and pork, beef or chicken and whipped into a variety of other dishes, asparagus is guaranteed to whet up your dining capriccio and win over your taste buds.
In terms of nutritive value, asparagus has 32 percent calcium content, 30 percent phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals. But because it is expensive, it is not popular with low-income families. Backyard farming could reverse that.
This high-end vegetable is served as regular fares in trendy hotels, pricey restaurants and by airline caterers which supply food requirements of transients and expatriates.
Asparagus, often regarded as rare and expensive, can be a regular fare in the Filipino family’s meals. The trick is to plant them yourself in your backyard. This hardy, branching, herbaceous plant, considered a vegetable in cooking grow best in cool places. Thus, cultivation was previously limited to farms in Baguio and the Mountain Province.
However, new tropical varieties – Mary Washington and Martha Washington, among them – have been found suitable to warm climate, which makes them a good choice in backyard farming anywhere in the country.
Asparagus can be harvested 200 days in a year with a weekly yield of two kilos from about 75 plants. Demand for this highly-regarded vegetable is high with the country importing P20 million worth of asparagus a year. In Metro Manila alone, there is a 25-hectare gap in production for the required volume which is roughly 5,000 kilos a day.
Most preferred variety by growers in the country is Martha Washington which has high commercial quality; it adjusts well to the climate and is resistant to asparagus rust.
The "male" asparagus plant with relatively long flowers produces more spears or shoots, the edible parts. The "female" plant, however, produces more seeds.
To cut on initial cost of production, it is better to start from seeds. These can be bought at P3 per gram from local producers of asparagus or from the Bureau of Plant Industry. A gram of seeds can produce about 75 plants.
To prepare the backyard for planting, plow and harrow the field twice alternately to obtain good soil tilt, with a depth of 20 cm or deeper. Irrigate the field. Make furrows 30 cm wide and 15-25 cm deep. Apply chicken dung for fertilizer. Allow for 125 cm distance between seeds.
To plant seeds, plant five seeds per hill and, upon transplanting, split the grown seedlings at the base as five separate plants. Allow only three canes or stems to grow on each hill so more spears can grow. Cut the canes of the male plants after they have already sent out pollens to fertilize the females.
Starting with seedlings means harvesting sooner. Seedling can be planted in used plastic or tin cups for six months and then transplanted to be exposed to field condition for another six months to one year. For easier transplanting, keep the crowns or the seedlings small by not applying any fertilizer until they are already in the field, arranged in plots.
Support weak stems by tying them to bamboo stakes and to prevent, also, the crowns below from being shaken by the wind.
Harvest seeds when they are already red and mature, then dry them for a few days. Store at room temperature for future planting. Harvesting the spears is done for 200 days a year. Green asparagus should be cut nine to 10 inches longer or at least half the length above the ground. The spear should be no closer than two inches from the crown to avoid injury to the developed buds of the rhizomes. Allow rest periods during summer or when irrigation is not available.
Shoots may be marketed in bundles of one kilogram or half kilogram as is done in the Crossing area in Pasig City or Nepa-Q-Mart near Cubao.
Asparagus reaches 10-15 years of maximum productivity. After that, dig out the plants, split the canes at the base and replant them. – PAJ News & Features
In terms of nutritive value, asparagus has 32 percent calcium content, 30 percent phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals. But because it is expensive, it is not popular with low-income families. Backyard farming could reverse that.
This high-end vegetable is served as regular fares in trendy hotels, pricey restaurants and by airline caterers which supply food requirements of transients and expatriates.
Asparagus, often regarded as rare and expensive, can be a regular fare in the Filipino family’s meals. The trick is to plant them yourself in your backyard. This hardy, branching, herbaceous plant, considered a vegetable in cooking grow best in cool places. Thus, cultivation was previously limited to farms in Baguio and the Mountain Province.
However, new tropical varieties – Mary Washington and Martha Washington, among them – have been found suitable to warm climate, which makes them a good choice in backyard farming anywhere in the country.
Asparagus can be harvested 200 days in a year with a weekly yield of two kilos from about 75 plants. Demand for this highly-regarded vegetable is high with the country importing P20 million worth of asparagus a year. In Metro Manila alone, there is a 25-hectare gap in production for the required volume which is roughly 5,000 kilos a day.
Most preferred variety by growers in the country is Martha Washington which has high commercial quality; it adjusts well to the climate and is resistant to asparagus rust.
The "male" asparagus plant with relatively long flowers produces more spears or shoots, the edible parts. The "female" plant, however, produces more seeds.
To cut on initial cost of production, it is better to start from seeds. These can be bought at P3 per gram from local producers of asparagus or from the Bureau of Plant Industry. A gram of seeds can produce about 75 plants.
To prepare the backyard for planting, plow and harrow the field twice alternately to obtain good soil tilt, with a depth of 20 cm or deeper. Irrigate the field. Make furrows 30 cm wide and 15-25 cm deep. Apply chicken dung for fertilizer. Allow for 125 cm distance between seeds.
To plant seeds, plant five seeds per hill and, upon transplanting, split the grown seedlings at the base as five separate plants. Allow only three canes or stems to grow on each hill so more spears can grow. Cut the canes of the male plants after they have already sent out pollens to fertilize the females.
Starting with seedlings means harvesting sooner. Seedling can be planted in used plastic or tin cups for six months and then transplanted to be exposed to field condition for another six months to one year. For easier transplanting, keep the crowns or the seedlings small by not applying any fertilizer until they are already in the field, arranged in plots.
Support weak stems by tying them to bamboo stakes and to prevent, also, the crowns below from being shaken by the wind.
Harvest seeds when they are already red and mature, then dry them for a few days. Store at room temperature for future planting. Harvesting the spears is done for 200 days a year. Green asparagus should be cut nine to 10 inches longer or at least half the length above the ground. The spear should be no closer than two inches from the crown to avoid injury to the developed buds of the rhizomes. Allow rest periods during summer or when irrigation is not available.
Shoots may be marketed in bundles of one kilogram or half kilogram as is done in the Crossing area in Pasig City or Nepa-Q-Mart near Cubao.
Asparagus reaches 10-15 years of maximum productivity. After that, dig out the plants, split the canes at the base and replant them. – PAJ News & Features
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
- Latest
Latest
