When to Plant Asparagus in Perth, Mediterranean Guide

Plant June to August. Right now in October it is out of season. The next planting month is June.

Planting window
Plant dormant crowns in winter into raised, well-drained beds, and pick lightly in the second spring. The Adelaide season can run into...
Days to harvest
about 104 weeks
Sunlight
Full sun (minimum 6-8 hours daily)
Water needs
Deep watering weekly during growing season. Reduce in winter dormancy. Asparagus has deep...
Spacing
30cm apart, 120cm between rows
Soil pH
6.5-7.5

Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Asparagus guide is written for the Mediterranean zone, which takes in Perth, Adelaide and Bunbury. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Asparagus is a long-lived perennial that takes 2-3 years to establish but then produces harvests for 15-20 years or more. It requires patience upfront but rewards with decades of spring spears. Male crowns are more productive than female plants as they don't waste energy on berry production. One of the most rewarding investments in any Australian home garden.

See what grows now in your own postcode

Best Planting Window for Mediterranean

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
- - - - - P P P - - - -

P = Planting window

Plant dormant crowns in winter into raised, well-drained beds, and pick lightly in the second spring. The Adelaide season can run into December, while Perth spears come a little earlier and need good summer watering on sandy soil.

Want a nudge when it is Asparagus sowing time in Perth?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Mediterranean zone right now, Asparagus included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

Current Growing Conditions

Soil temperature: 15.6°C (optimal range: 16–30°C) ✗ Outside optimal range

Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Perth), not a live sensor.

What this month normally looks like

In October the Mediterranean zone normally runs 22°C by day and 10°C overnight, with about 38 mm of rain over 6 or 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 19 postcodes, SILO.

How to Grow Asparagus in Mediterranean Australia

When to Plant

Plant dormant crowns in winter into raised, well-drained beds, and pick lightly in the second spring. The Adelaide season can run into December, while Perth spears come a little earlier and need good summer watering on sandy soil.

Soil
Deep, well-drained sandy loam enriched with aged compost and manure. Heavy clay must be improved with gypsum and organic matter, or use raised beds.
pH Range
6.5-7.5
Sunlight
Full sun (minimum 6-8 hours daily)
Spacing
30cm apart, 120cm between rows
Watering
Deep watering weekly during growing season. Reduce in winter dormancy. Asparagus has deep roots (1-2m) so infrequent deep watering is better than frequent shallow watering. Drip irrigation ideal.

Companion plants: Tomato, Basil, Parsley, Marigold, Nasturtium

Avoid planting near: Onion, Garlic, Potato

Mediterranean Growing Tips for Asparagus

Recommended Varieties

  • Mary Washington
  • UC157
  • Purple Passion
  • Precoce d'Argenteuil

Key Challenges

  • Summer drought stress on fern growth
  • Sandy soils may need organic matter enrichment

Pro Tips

  • Excellent asparagus zone with reliable winter dormancy
  • Summer irrigation needed for fern health but disease pressure is low due to dry conditions
  • Sandy soils drain well but add plenty of compost for moisture retention

Harvesting Asparagus

When ready: Spears 15-20cm tall with tight, compact tips. Harvest before tips begin to open or 'fern out'. Thickness of a pencil or larger.

How to harvest: Snap spears at soil level by bending gently. They break at the natural weak point. Alternatively, cut with a sharp knife 2cm below soil surface. Harvest every 1-2 days during peak season.

Preserving: pressure canning

2 tested pressure-canning recipes for Asparagus: 2 where it is the crop being canned. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.

Recipes in this set

  • Asparagus, spears or pieces
  • Asparagus

The full recipe details are for members on a paid plan: jar sizes, headspace, process time, the pressure for a weighted or dial gauge at your altitude, the ingredients, the preparation steps and the safety notes.

See the plans

Where to next

What asparagus costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the mediterranean zone this October: Lemongrass, Dwarf Beans (Bush), Eggplant (Aubergine) and Parsnip.

The pest most likely to find your asparagus: Rust (various).

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Common Questions About Asparagus

When do you plant asparagus in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Mediterranean zone, Perth is its reference city.