Question
I live in sharon hill PA 5 minutes from phila international . I brought two asparugus plants. Insert only says they need sun to shade and grow into a bush & get 3 feet high. HELP!

Answer
Zelma, soak the plants in tepid water for about an hour before planting.  You then want to plant them 18" apart in a bed that will be used solely for asparagus, since it will take 2-3 years to harvest this perennial vegetable.

Once planted, mulch to a depth of 2" with either shredded leaves or straw. Plant them in a bed rich with compost and humus in a location that receives a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day.  Water to a depth of 1" per week.  Do not fertilize heavily the first year.  Asparagus should only be fertilized only twice per year; once in the spring and once again in the fall.  You can use a liquid fertilizer or side dress the spears.

In year two, you can start caring for them as you would any other vegetable.  In year three, you will be able to harvest the spears.

As a side note, many gardeners prefer planting seed.  They claim the seedlings grown from seed are much stronger and healthier than those grown from crowns.  They also produce a majority of male plants.  A bed of male plants will out-produce a mixed bed by 25%.  This is due to the female
plants energy being directed to producing berries which eventually form into seed.  The disadvantage to seed is that you lose the first year's production due to the seedling expending all of its energy into producing the crown.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Mike