Asparagus is a long-lived perennial vegetable well-suited to Zones 3-8, with well-drained soils pH 6.2-7.0. Plant crowns in spring; harvest spears for 6-7 weeks after 3 years light harvest, full by year 5; productive 15+ years.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- April-May (2-4 weeks before last frost) – April-May (2-4 weeks before last frost)
- Harvest
- Late April - June – Late April - June
- Frost-free days
- 150+
Yield
- Typical yield
- 3,800 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 15 years
- Years to full prod.
- 5
- Labor
- 55 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
1 active buyer on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "stable".
Supply Below Demand
4 of 6 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, vegetable supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
6 of 6 documented market channels rate viable or better (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, restaurant, csa). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
4 viable direct-market channels (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, restaurant, csa). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Mature vegetable market; growth over a 5-year horizon is expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-8; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop GDD minimum not recorded. Region accumulates 2500+ GDD (base 50F), sufficient for most temperate crops.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~36 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 150 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Perennial. Region's zone 5-6 winters deliver well over 1,000 chill hours, ample for temperate perennials.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 6 hardiness zones (3-8). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
Limited by frost-free season. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
No limiting condition found. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
No limiting condition found. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- 2–9
- Frost-free season
- 150+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- not yet recorded
- Winter chill
- not yet recorded
- Rainfall
- 31.5–157.5 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.2–7.0
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- high sensitivity
- Needs cold-air drainage
- yes — avoid frost pockets
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- 5 ft
- Rooting depth
- 72 in
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
5 of 13 documented equipment items are crop-specific (38%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
3 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage (hydrocooled)) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~36 in. High water demand — may exceed typical farm irrigation capacity.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
50 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
1 processor/cooperative buyer on record for this crop.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Larger tractor needed than for small fruit because asparagus is typically grown at field scale in straight rows. Required for fern chopping and fall tillage.
Opens 6-8 inch deep furrows for setting crowns at establishment. 3-point hitch implement. Used once in a 15-20 year planting life.
Specialized planter places crowns at consistent depth and spacing. Typically rented or custom-hired for establishment — not owned for a single-use event.
irrigation
Supplemental irrigation improves establishment and fern growth in droughty seasons. Mature asparagus has deep roots and tolerates moderate drought, so irrigation is not universally required.
spraying
Tractor-mounted boom for herbicide applications pre-emergence and post-harvest, plus fungicide and insecticide sprays on ferns. Higher capacity than small fruit operations require.
cultivation
Shallow cultivation of between-row middles for weed control. Post-harvest light tillage also helps reshape ridges.
Chops and shreds 5-7 ft tall ferns after killing frost. Fern residue removal reduces Stemphylium purple-spot and asparagus beetle overwintering.
harvesting
V-notched or straight asparagus knife for cutting spears 1-2 inches below soil line. Low capital cost; hand labor dominates harvest cost (30-80% of total production cost).
Slow-moving platform with conveyor where pickers walk or lie down. Substantially improves labor productivity on 10+ acre operations. Optional at smaller scales.
post_harvest
Rapid pre-cool to 34°F using chilled water. Critical for 14-21 day shelf life. Walk-in cooler alone is inadequate because the fibrous tissue holds field heat.
Automates sorting and banding of spears into 1/2 lb or 1 lb bunches. Hand bunching common under 5 acres.
Holds harvested product at 34-36°F and 95% relative humidity until shipping. Size to 2-3 days peak harvest volume.
general
Subscription weather service or on-farm station. Spring frost during harvest requires rapid decisions to cut all marketable spears before the frost event.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage (hydrocooled)
Temperature
32–36°F
Humidity
95–100%
Max Storage
14 days
Top-ice / liquid ice
Temperature
32–34°F
Humidity
95–100%
Max Storage
21 days
Frozen (blanched)
Temperature
-10–0°F
Max Storage
365 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $4,350/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Annual operating cost $3,200/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $6,300/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 5 years. Long establishment — capital tied up 5 years before full return.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $23.00 ($1,150/ac over 50 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Above median.
Grants/Subsidies
Vegetable crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $1/per lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $4,200 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $1,000/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $7,000/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $1,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA RMA, regional budget studies (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
3 of 10 documented risks are high-severity (30%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
6 viable market channels of 6 documented, plus 1 named buyer. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
5 years to full production at $7,000/ac establishment cost. Multi-year capital commitment before first full return.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-8 (6 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a vegetable revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Soil-borne fungal complex that is the primary cause of asparagus decline. Infection builds over the life of the planting, reducing spear counts and eventually killing crowns.
Fungal disease producing small purple lesions on spears (downgrading fresh-market appearance) and later tan-bordered lesions on ferns. Severe fern infection reduces photosynthesis and weakens crowns.
Fungal disease producing rust-colored pustules on ferns, reducing carbohydrate storage and future spear yield. Most severe in humid, dewy conditions.
pest
Most significant asparagus insect pest. Adults feed on spears (causing browning and curvature) and lay black eggs on spears, making them unmarketable. Larvae defoliate ferns.
Secondary pest, less damaging than common asparagus beetle. Adults feed on ferns and berries; larvae feed inside berries.
Fly larvae tunnel in stem bases, possibly serving as entry points for Fusarium. Links to crown decline are documented though not fully quantified.
weather
Emerged spears are killed or deformed by temperatures below 30°F. A single hard spring frost can cost 1-2 weeks of harvest and damage already-cut tissue.
Saturated soils during the 6-8 week harvest window compact under foot and equipment traffic, damage crowns, and delay daily cutting. Wet spears also bruise more readily.
market
Domestic spring harvest compresses into 6-8 weeks and competes with year-round imports from Mexico and Peru, depressing wholesale prices.
Asparagus plantings require 3 full years before a full harvest season and do not reach peak yield until years 4-5. Cash-flow negative for the first 2-3 years.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 20 kcal | 189,601 kcal |
| Protein | 2.2 g | 20,856 g |
| Total fat | 0.1 g | 1,138 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 36,783 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g | 19,908 g |
| Sugar | 1.9 g | 17,822 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Asparagus →
Avoid near, or plan around (15)
Grows with (1)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie
98 tracked changes across 9 data categories