When to harvest asparagus

In the third year after planting crowns, harvest asparagus for no more than one month, and from the fourth year on, harvest from first spring appearance through May or June for up to 8 to 10 weeks.

The window: Third year after planting crowns: no more than one month the first season. Fourth year and thereafter: from the spears' first appearance in the spring through May or June, as long as 8 to 10 weeks.

Harvest spears that are 5 to 8 inches in length by cutting or snapping.
In the third year, the plant is still expanding its root storage system, so limit harvest to one month.
From the fourth year on, begin when the spears first appear in the spring.

The mistake to avoid: Do not over-harvest in the third year, because excessive removal of spears weakens a plant that is still expanding its root storage system.

Timing varies by region and year; your local extension office is the closest authority.

Grounded in: extension.illinois.edu. Every timing follows sentences verified verbatim on those pages.

Our other tools
feedornot.com can dogs, cats and chickens eat that?
checkthetemp.com USDA safe cooking temperatures
isitstillfresh.com how long food really lasts
freezeornot.com what freezes well and how long it keeps
getthestainout.com gentle stain removal, step by step
readthetag.com laundry care symbols, decoded
substitute.kitchen ingredient substitutions that scale
whichbug.com identify a bug from what you can see
ismyplantdying.com diagnose a struggling plant
aquariumstudio.ai aquarium care and tank help