IF YOU buy it in the shops, asparagus can be pretty expensive. But we can grow it outdoors in Britain, so it’s not surprising that more people than ever now want to grow their own.

A smallish bed, maybe six feet by two feet, is enough to keep a pair of asparagus fanciers in tasty home-grown spears throughout the asparagus season (late April until mid June) every year.

It needs far less looking after than an intensive salad or veg patch of that size, so an asparagus bed is ideal for what you might call the idle gourmet.

Since asparagus is a long-term crop that lives in the same bed for its entire life of 20 years or so, it’s vital to prepare the soil well. Even though you won’t plant until spring, start making the bed now.

Mark out your plot in a sunny, sheltered spot with well-drained soil and dig in as much well-rotted organic matter as you can, removing stones and weeds as you go.

Pay particular attention to perennial weeds which will make your life a misery for years, as well as reducing your crop. Leave the soil lying rough through the winter but hoe off any weeds that come up.

Meanwhile, find a supplier of good quality asparagus plants. Most large seed firms supply them through their catalogues for spring delivery. Alternatively, you’ll find pot-grown plants in garden centres at planting time in April.

When you have your plants, give the ground a final forking over, working in some organic general fertiliser (Growmore or Vitax Q4). If the soil isn’t naturally well-drained, make a raised bed or a series of ridges six inches high and three feet apart.

Plant your asparagus crowns carefully in fair-sized holes so you can spread the roots out well in the bottom. Plant them so the top of the crown is two inches below the surface to allow for gradually “earthing up” later, which gives you superior, long-stemmed shoots.

在英国，商店中的芦笋价格不斐，因此，越来越多的人开始在自家种值芦笋，这也就不足为奇了。

一小块约六英尺乘二英尺的菜地，就足够两个芦笋爱好者在整个芦笋季节中（四月末至六月中）品尝美味的自种嫩笋。

与种植同样面积的生菜或蔬菜相比，种植芦笋要轻松许多。因此，如果您想做个悠闲的美食家，一片芦笋地便是理想之选。

由于芦笋是长期作物，需在同一块土地生长二十余年，因此准备适宜的土壤尤为重要。即便您打算来年春天种植，也应从现在开始准备菜地。

在一处阳光充足、保护措施良好、土壤排水性能佳的地点开出一块地，尽可能多地翻出充分分解的有机质，并除去石块与杂草。

要特别注意那些终年生长让人烦恼的杂草，它们还会降低你的作物产量。将开好的地保持现状，直至冬天结束。期间，只要进行除草即可。

同时，找一家提供高质量芦笋幼苗的供应商。大多数种子公司通过其产品目录进行春季供货。或者，当四月的种植期来到时，你还可以在公园中心找到盆栽的幼苗。

拿到幼苗后,再把地最后耙一遍,添加一些有机类肥料(Growmore或Vitax Q4).如果土壤本身的排水性不好,则应采用垄作模式或使用一连串六英寸高、三英尺间隔的田埂进行栽培。

将芦笋根径植入大小适合的洞中，这样可使其根部在底部很好地伸展。种植时，根径顶部应低于地表两英寸，以便之后不断进行“培土”，这样就可以生长出优良的长茎新牙了。