Asparagus Plant 'Mary Washington'

Asparagus Plant 'Mary Washington'

Asparagus officinalis 'Mary Washington'

Mary Washington is one of the most popular of all heirloom asparagus varieties and is an excellent choice for the garden. The delicious asparagus shoots (called "spears") are tender, thick, heavy and straight and are of a rich dark green color with a purple tinge.

Produces uniform spears up to 2cm thick (yes almost three quarters of an inch) and a heavy yield; it also has a high tolerance to fusarium, crown and root rot.

This variety was originally developed in California and introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1949.

In regards to the history of this variety, Oregon State University states,"Modern American rust resistant varieties trace back to breeding work done by J. B. Morton at Concord, Massachusetts under heavy rust conditions. A male plant, A7-83, from a variety called 'New American', was found to be exceptional in transmitting rust resistance and vigor. When A7-83 was crossed with B32-39, a female selected from the English variety `Reading Giant', the resulting progeny was the best of many hundreds tested. From this progeny came the strain called 'Martha Washington' and the two original parents were known as `Martha' and `Washington'. Later, another female selection from `Reading Giant', called `Mary', was crossed with `Washington' resulting in the development of `Mary Washington' the most important U.S. variety to date."

Supplied as compost block grown plants (not bare root crowns).

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How To Grow Asparagus 'Mary Washingtonc'

Plant out anytime of the year, weather permitting.
Plant out 9" or further apart in rows 18" apart.
Do not cut (harvest) in the first year and do not be too greedy in the second year either!

See Paul Peacock planting our Asparagus on The Allotment Channel.