# [ ](/gardening-guides?f%5B0%5D=gg_content_type%3AQ%20%26%20A "Q&A's") Why Are My Asparagus Spears So Thin? ![Bunch of asparagus](/sites/default/files/styles/side_image_xs/public/2026-11/asparagus_bunch.jpg.avif?itok=2VZ6Xv9n) # [ ](/gardening-guides?f%5B0%5D=gg_content_type%3AQ%20%26%20A "Q&A's") Why Are My Asparagus Spears So Thin? How can I get my asparagus to grow thicker stems? Thin asparagus spears can be caused by several things, including the age of your plants, poor soil fertility, lack of moisture or harvesting too heavily. Cutting back the fern-like foliage (leaves) too early can also affect the thickness of next season's spears. #### Give Young Asparagus Time to Establish If your asparagus plants are still young, thin spears are quite normal. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that can produce for many yers but needs time to develop strong root systems and build up energy reserves in their underground crowns. Avoid harvesting in the first year and only harvest lightly over the next couple of seasons while the plants establish. Asparagus plants can produce for many years, so the original planting position and soil preparation can have a lasting effect on their growth. They need plenty of sunlight and fertile, free-draining soil with good organic matter. If your asparagus is growing in heavy, poorly drained soil or a shady spot, this could be contributing to the thin spears. #### Encouraging Thicker Asparagus Spears For established asparagus plants, here are a few things that will help: **Improve the soil** Apply Daltons [Garden Time™ Compost](/products/garden-timetm-compost) around your plants to replenish organic matter and help improve soil structure. Avoid digging deeply around the crowns, as this can damage the roots. Also feed with [Daltons Ready to Grow Blood and Bone](/products/daltons-ready-to-grow-blood-and-bone). Avoid digging deeply around the crowns, as this can damage the roots. **Keep up the watering** Asparagus needs consistent moisture, particularly during dry spring and summer weather. A layer of Daltons Premium Mulch and Feed will help retain moisture and keep weeds down. **Don't over-harvest** Established asparagus plants can generally be harvested for around 6-8 weeks in spring. If the spears start becoming noticeably thinner, it's time to stop picking and let the plants recover. **Don't cut back the foliage too early** Once harvesting finishes, allow the remaining spears to develop into tall, fern-like foliage. These ferns use sunlight to produce energy that's stored in the crowns for next spring's crop. Cutting the ferns back too early can result in thinner spears the following season, which may well be the cause of your problem. Leave the foliage until it naturally yellows and dies back in late autumn or early winter before cutting it back. Guides [All Gardening Guides](/gardening-guides) Topic[Vegetable Gardening](/gardening-guides?f%5B0%5D=topic%3A17) ## Products To Try ![](/themes/custom/b_three/images/icon-svgs/caret.svg) ![](/themes/custom/b_three/images/icon-svgs/caret.svg) [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/product_filter_listing_320/public/2025-10/garden_time_compost_40l_flat_1600x1600px.png.avif?itok=53Lco0HF) ##### Garden Time™ Compost ](/products/garden-timetm-compost) [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/product_filter_listing_320/public/2026-09/garden_time_chicken_sheep_pellets_10kg_vis_flat.jpg.avif?itok=RI4wqO8g) ##### Garden Time™ Chicken and Sheep Pellets ](/products/garden-timetm-chicken-and-sheep-pellets) [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/product_filter_listing_320/public/2020-10/Prof%20Blood%20and%20Bone%205kg%20vis.png.avif?itok=Ep57VIPO) ##### Daltons Ready to Grow Blood and Bone ](/products/daltons-ready-to-grow-blood-and-bone) [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/product_filter_listing_320/public/products/garden-time-seafeed-plus-npk-1l-480x600.png.avif?itok=KfGq5TEy) ##### Daltons Garden Time™ Seafeed Plus NPK ](/products/daltons-garden-timetm-seafeed-plus-npk) ## More like this ![](/themes/custom/b_three/images/icon-svgs/caret.svg) ![](/themes/custom/b_three/images/icon-svgs/caret.svg) [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/planting-guide/rhubarb_is22383266m_0.jpg.avif?itok=V6kPxrR5) ##### Why is my Rhubarb Green, not Red? My question is about rhubarb. We have a couple of good size plants but the stalks never seem to go red, they always stay green. Help! Rhubarb jam just isn't the same. ](/gardening-guides/why-my-rhubarb-green-not-red "Why is my Rhubarb Green, not Red?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/lillies_is62311910_l.jpg.avif?itok=fQ-75lKl) ##### Why are my Lilies Deformed? Some of my lillies are distorted and deformed when they bloom. Do you know the reason for this please? ](/gardening-guides/why-are-my-lilies-deformed "Why are my Lilies Deformed?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2020-12/Cherry%20iS1275848398XL%20sml.jpg.avif?itok=O6UYLyDO) ##### Why Do My Cherry Trees Drop Their Fruit in Spring? Each spring my fruiting cherry trees have plenty of blossoms and loads of fruit after the bees have done their job but in November all of my fruit falls off the trees and another year goes by with no cherries in December. Can you help? ](/gardening-guides/why-do-my-cherry-trees-drop-their-fruit-spring "Why Do My Cherry Trees Drop Their Fruit in Spring?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2023-05/feijoas.jpg.avif?itok=z1YaoT7S) ##### Why aren't my feijoas producing any fruit? Why aren't my feijoas producing any fruit? One plant is at least 10 years old and has flowered twice but not set fruit. ](/gardening-guides/why-arent-my-feijoas-producing-any-fruit "Why aren't my feijoas producing any fruit? ") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/strawberries_in_the_basket_494473482xxl.jpg.avif?itok=Z3Ovtr2S) ##### Why are my Strawberries Deformed? This year my strawberries were mostly deformed. They are growing in three different areas and were normal last year. Could it be because there are almost no bees in my garden? What could be the trouble? ](/gardening-guides/why-are-my-strawberries-deformed "Why are my Strawberries Deformed?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2023-06/istock-515222748.jpg.avif?itok=7tBNqIRI) ##### Why do my Daphne Plants Keep Dying? One of my favourite plants is daphne, but I have had two die on me. I have them in semi sunny spot, stones in the pot for drainage, but they still keep dying. Are there any other tips for me please? ](/gardening-guides/why-do-my-daphne-plants-keep-dying "Why do my Daphne Plants Keep Dying?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2018-03/gardner_holding_tomato_and_basket_of_vegetables_is136944170xl.jpg.avif?itok=XD_MB09X) ##### Why aren’t my Vegetables Producing? My tomatoes look healthy but have few flowers and the fruit is slow to ripen. Scarlet runners are producing very few beans. Radish and spinach have bolted, corn cobs are stunted, and courgettes wither at about 5cm long. Carrots and turnips are thriving. I’m watering regularly with soak hoses, so it’s not lack of water. What’s going wrong? ](/gardening-guides/why-arent-my-vegetables-producing "Why aren’t my Vegetables Producing?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2018-03/olives_harvesting_is170146937l.jpg.avif?itok=ONXqMkxs) ##### Why Are My Olives So Small? I have a hedge of olive trees and harvested some fruit last year, but the olives were very small. What can I do to make the fruit fleshier? ](/gardening-guides/why-are-my-olives-so-small "Why Are My Olives So Small?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/planting-guide/garden_vegetables_489515614lsmall.jpg.avif?itok=nSh0ZYa_) ##### Why Are My Vegetables Going to Seed So Quickly? All my vegetable plants (leeks, beetroot, cauliflower, and cabbages) went straight to seed this year. Is there any way to prevent this or is it just the weather? ](/gardening-guides/why-are-my-vegetables-going-to-seed-so-quickly "Why Are My Vegetables Going to Seed So Quickly?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/lilac_branch_is_39751688xxl.jpg.avif?itok=dOsMbg6W) ##### Why Is My Lilac Tree Not Flowering? We have a lilac tree and for the past fourteen years we have had plenty of green and growth, but very few flowers. Could you please give me some advice? ](/gardening-guides/why-my-lilac-tree-not-flowering "Why Is My Lilac Tree Not Flowering?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/wisteria_is9357104s.jpg.avif?itok=hMvWi-p7) ##### Why Won’t My Wisteria Grow? I have tried three times now to grow wisteria in my garden with no success. My garden is very dry in summer and is surrounded by many trees. I would love to have this plant growing on my fences. ](/gardening-guides/why-wont-my-wisteria-grow "Why Won’t My Wisteria Grow?") [ ![](/sites/default/files/styles/page_listing_2xl/public/2023-06/istock-1307577658.jpg.avif?itok=SOIy25Zr) ##### Why Is My Daphne Bush Dying? I love my Daphne bush, but it is dying. It is about a year old and growing by a fence where the ground is very wet. Is there any way of saving it, I have used Acid fertiliser. Should I shift it? ](/gardening-guides/why-my-daphne-bush-dying "Why Is My Daphne Bush Dying?")