Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022 - 82

Asparagus - Horticulture
root. Most daikon radishes reach their useable size in 60 to 70
days.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Turmeric (Curcuma
longa): These perennial crops are grown in tropical
environments for their rhizomes, which creep laterally under
the soil surface like irises. In the Midwest, they can be grown
from 1-inch rhizome cuttings as a long-season annual planted
in hoophouses that maintain minimum 50° F soil temps and
70° F air temps. Trench, hill, and irrigate like potatoes.
Harvest and sell as " new " or " baby " ginger in mid-late fall.
Our season is not long enough (5 to 7 months) to produce
large mature and cured rhizomes, which require 8 to 10
months.
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas): Sweet potato varieties of
Asian origin are starchier than more commonly grown
varieties, and often are white or purple fleshed, instead of
orange. Varieties include Murasaki, Okinawa Purple,
Molokai Purple, Red Japanese, and Stokes Purple. Murasaki
has been adopted in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United
States and is easier to get than the others. However, most of
these varieties take 120 to140 days to mature, unlike orangefleshed
varieties which take 90 to 110 days; Red Japanese is
an exception at 110 days. The longer-maturing varieties can
be grown in a hoophouse.
Marketing
Growers who want to diversify their farming operations by
including Asian vegetables need to be very cautious before
beginning production. Marketing information for Asian crops
is not widely published. Since many Asian crops are niche
items, only specialized produce companies deal in them.
Most of these buyers deal with restaurants, some chain stores,
and specialty food stores. Growers who market directly to
consumers or restaurants often have more opportunity to
educate customers about how to use the crops. It is more and
more common to see Asian crops included in salad mixes at
farmers markets.
Do your homework. Establish markets and buyers before
buying any seed. Calculate budgets and collect economic data
on any crop to determine its profit potential. And remember
that all of these crops are very labor intensive, so you will
need a strong and dependable labor force for timely harvest
and proper cultural management.
Resources
" Ethnic Vegetables: Asian, " University of Kentucky
Extension, https://uky.edu/ccd/content/ethnic-vegetablesasian
" Asian
Vegetables: Selected Fruit and Leafy Types, " Purdue
University Center for New Crops and Plants Products,
http://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-488.html
82
" Asian Vegetables, " Purdue University Center for New Crops
and Plants Products,
http://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1387.html
Specialty
and Minor Crops Handbook, second edition,
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
publication 3346, available from ANRCatalog,
https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/
Minor Vegetables Fact Sheets, University of Florida IFAS,
available from AskIFAS
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/entity/topic/minor_vegetables
Asparagus - Horticulture
Major update by Ben Phillips, Liz Maynard - Oct 2020
Reviewed by Liz Maynard - Aug 2021
Crop Description
Hybrid varieties of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) have
improved vigor, disease tolerance, and higher yields, and are
grown from seeds or crowns. All-male hybrids have higher
yields and do not produce seed. Absence of seed production
is desirable because seeds develop into volunteer asparagus
seedlings that are a weed problem. Order hybrids well in
advance.
All-male hybrids: Greenox, Guelph Eclipse, Guelph Equinox,
Guelph Millennium, Porthos, Sequoia, Walker Deluxe, Jersey
General, Jersey Giant (56X22-8), Jersey Knight, Jersey King,
Jersey Supreme.
Other hybrids: Atlas.
Non-hybrids: Viking KB3, Mary Washington.
Specialty: Purple Passion.
Planting and Spacing
Crowns: Use only 1-year old crowns. Transplant April 15 to
May 15. Use 4- to 5-foot rows with crowns 12 to 16 inches
apart. Set the crowns in 8-inch furrows in light soils and 5- to
6-inch furrows in heavy soils. Cover with 2 to 3 inches of
soil. Select deep, well-drained sandy loam soils. Hybrids
should be planted slightly deeper. Start cultivating when
spears begin to emerge and continue periodically until
furrows are level at end of first season.
Seedling transplant: 10- to 14-week old seedling transplants
can be mechanically transplanted. Transplant in either the
spring or fall.
Midwest Veg Guide 2022

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-387.html http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-387.html https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/ https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/entity/topic/minor_vegetables https://www.uky.edu/ccd/content/ethnic-vegetables-asian https://www.uky.edu/ccd/content/ethnic-vegetables-asian http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-488.html

Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022

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