While many fresh fruit and vegetables are getting ready to be served for the holidays, the asparagus is waiting for Easter to shine on our plates. Not all producers are at the same stage, but the production is in progress in the various French regions. “Some producers are at the crushing stage, others have started hilling while some are already installing their plastic tarps,” explains Christian Befve, internationally renowned asparagus expert and founder-manager of the Befve&Co consulting firm.
It is still too early to predict whether the 2023 campaign will be commercially successful, but all the weather conditions have been met, so far, to guarantee a nice season in terms of production. “Everything looks very promising for the asparagus. The amount of rain in the autumn has compensated for the water shortage caused by the summer drought. The plots, including those which were experiencing water stress, have now recovered the moisture necessary for their development. At the same time, the very cold temperatures we are currently experiencing are excellent for the asparagus as they will facilitate their storage. For its migration to storage and its hibernation, the plant indeed needs less light as well as cold temperatures. The stocks are made thanks to the low temperatures and the frost which allow the plant to go dormant. The plants need to go below 11°C and they have now reached 6°C at the claw, which is highly favorable for their development.”
This is certainly reassuring for the upcoming season since the early and late varieties need 600 hours and 900 hours below 11°C, respectively, in order to reach their full potential.
The various asparagus production areas in France
The southwest of France is still the main producing region in France, with mostly white varieties and a harvest going from early March to the end of May. But the first asparagus (white and green) that will arrive on the market in late February, until the beginning of May, will come from the southeastern part of the country. The western production (70% of white asparagus and 30% of green asparagus) will be available from April to mid-June, followed by the eastern production (mostly white varieties) from mid-April to mid-June, and finally the central and northern production with white (80%) and green (20%) asparagus.
Preparation work in progress - video report
Crushing: asparagus growers must first conduct crushing operations to destroy the mound with the left-over plants from the previous season.
Lateral crushing of the leaves. The plants have turned yellow and lost their cladode leaves.
Frontal crushing of the leaves. The crushed material is left on the grass between the rows.
Removing the mound: following the crushing, the mound is demolished without damaging the claws to remove the old stems, the roots of weeds that could hinder the growth of shoots in the spring, and to avoid the rise of the plateau.
Demolishing and cleaning the mound of green asparagus
Demolishing and cleaning the row of white asparagus
Burning the foliage of green asparagus
Building the mound: after bringing organic matter and/or bottom manure on the row, asparagus growers proceed to building the mound. They bring soft light soil to the plateau (20-30cm of soil for green asparagus and 40-55cm of soil for white asparagus). The more soil, the bigger the shoots.
Adding organic matter and/or manure fertilizer on the row
Crushing, hilling and mulching of the white asparagus row
Laying plastic mulch on the mound: once the mound is loose, aerated and finished, it must be protected from bad weather by an opaque mulch for white asparagus and a transparent mulch for green asparagus. This protection also prevents weeds from settling and keeps insects at bay. For this, it is necessary to plant the hoops that will support the plastic mulch and fill the pockets of the mulch.
Placing the opaque mulch on the recently made asparagus mound
Placing Engels hoops with modification of the spin for white asparagus
Filling the pockets with mulch