Due to the prolonged low temperatures in the soil in January and February, as well as the few hours of sunshine, the asparagus spears had no reason to sprout until the end of February. This so-called winter rest is good for the asparagus' vegetation because it saves energy to sprout powerfully on sunny days. The first week of March was sunny, and the vegetation was able to catch up. However, according to the weather forecast of a few hours of sunshine and lower temperatures, spring is being slowed down. However, the asparagus season is expected to start at the end of March with the first significant harvest volumes.
Sunny days help vegetation catch up
According to asparagus cultivation consultant Dr. Ludger Aldenhoff, the cold values in the soil averaged 3.9 °C until the end of February. By way of comparison, in recent years only 2017 saw lower values, with an average of 2.9 °C. Otherwise, the average in recent years was over 4 to 5 °C in the soil. The lower cold value in the soil is due to the frosty nights and few hours of sunshine. "At the end of February, I was still expecting a late start to the season, but the delay was made up for with the past very sunny week. Nevertheless, the longed-for start to the asparagus season is still delayed somewhat, as little sun and cooler temperatures are forecast again for this week. The harvest will begin in the very early asparagus fields next week, but significant quantities are not expected until the end of March at the earliest," explains Dr. Ludger Aldenhoff.
Asparagus companies in the starting blocks
In the past few weeks, asparagus businesses have been preparing for the season at full speed and are looking forward to being able to offer their customers this fine vegetable again soon. Simon Schumacher, spokesperson for the board of the Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers (VSSE) is optimistic: "The asparagus businesses are well-prepared and ready to start the harvest soon. After the cool winter days, the asparagus spears will sprout strongly in the sun and warmer temperatures, providing plenty of asparagus delight. As always, the following applies: in direct marketing, there is asparagus for every budget due to multiple assortments."
"German Asparagus Day" on May 5, 2025
For the third time, there will be a nationwide Tag des Deutschen Spargels (en.: German Asparagus Day) on Monday, May 5, 2025. With this day of action, the industry wants to draw attention to the important first vegetable in Germany. Customers will receive a small surprise at the asparagus stands and in the farm shops when they buy asparagus. Click here for more information.
Regional, sustainable, and fair
According to AMI, Germany's degree of self-sufficiency regarding asparagus amounted to 85 percent last year. This makes white asparagus one of the few vegetable varieties that are produced and consumed in Germany to such a high degree. Buying local asparagus not only ensures self-sufficiency in one's own country, but it is also sustainable and fair. The short transport distances save a lot of CO2.
Review of the 2024 season
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the 2024 asparagus harvest in Germany was 3.4 percent lower than in the previous year, with a harvest of 108,130 metric tons. Over the past seven years, an average of around 118,678 metric tons of asparagus has been harvested each year. This means that the 2024 harvest is almost 9 percent below this average. The area under asparagus cultivation has decreased by 3 percent from 20,371 hectares in the previous year to 19,764 hectares.
The yield of 5.47 metric tons per hectare showed a very slight decline of 0.4 percent compared to 2023. In Germany, there were a total of 1,357 asparagus producers last year (2023: 1,440 producers), who cultivated a total of 22,827 hectares of asparagus (including young plants). The fact that the area under cultivation is a good 4 percent smaller than in 2023 and that the number of asparagus growers has fallen by almost 6 percent already shows the effects of high production costs and the difficulty of achieving adequate prices.
Franconia: First early asparagus from the end of March
"There's not much going on yet. But here we only have one layer of cover. It will definitely be April 10 to 14 before we can harvest. But as for the asparagus under triple cover, we will be able to harvest for the first time between March 20 and 25," asparagus farmer Ingo Reinhart told BR24. Two weeks of temperatures of 15 degrees and rain – then the asparagus would sprout properly, according to Reinhart. More and more companies are growing under plastic sheeting and using the greenhouse effect.
The Franconian Asparagus Growers' Association is also confident that the first Franconian asparagus will be available at the end of March. Similar to last year. "At first there will only be small quantities – then larger quantities in April," says managing director Patrick Scharl. The soil must have a constant temperature of at least twelve degrees Celsius for the asparagus to grow well.
North Rhine-Westphalia: Early start with heated asparagus
In the district of Borken in Raesfeld, the first asparagus is already being harvested, well before the start of the season at the end of March or mid-April. In addition to the early summer temperatures, the Böckenhoff family has also used a booster to accelerate the rapid growth of the noble vegetable: with warm water from the neighboring biomass power plant, the asparagus gets its own "underfloor heating". The underground heating coils help to warm the soil in the asparagus tunnel to 12 degrees.
The asparagus farmers are optimistic about the new season. The winter was good for the asparagus, not too wet, not too dry. In recent years, the harvest was often smaller than in the previous year. Across North Rhine-Westphalia, there was a decline of around nine percent from 2023 to 2024.
Saxony: Season expected to start at Easter
According to the Ponickauer asparagus farmers, the vegetables will be on Saxon plates just in time for the Easter holidays. Experience shows that the start of the harvest is always around April 20. In this respect, the asparagus in the district of Meißen will make a precision landing this year. However, an earlier harvest - as is already expected in Brandenburg at the end of March - is not to be expected here.
Despite the thermal foils over the asparagus beds, nature cannot be outwitted on the Ponickau cultivation areas. While the sandy soils in Brandenburg, for example, would be much warmer, ground frosts are still to be expected in the Großenhainer Land from time to time.
Schleswig-Holstein: Easter as the first sales highlight?
Based on the current conditions, the asparagus season is expected to start in early to mid-April. So it is fairly certain that asparagus from Schleswig-Holstein will be available at Easter. Of course, this is also because Easter is relatively late this year. So this year's Easter could be the first sales highlight for asparagus producers in Schleswig-Holstein.
How early the first asparagus can actually be harvested depends mainly on how quickly the soil continues to dry and the sun warms the banks. Based on the conditions so far, good yields and quality can be expected. According to the statistics office in northern Germany, more than 1,700 metric tons of the vegetable was harvested from 382 hectares of asparagus crops in Schleswig-Holstein last year.
Saxony-Anhalt: Harvest to start in the last ten days of March
"We are optimistic that we will be able to start harvesting in the last ten days of March," affirms Jürgen Jakobs of the Beelitzer Spargelverein. However, whether the first asparagus can actually be harvested at the end of March depends on the weather. The more the sun shines, the earlier the first spears can be harvested.
Lower Saxony: Prices per kilo around 18 EUR/kg
The asparagus season has also already started in Lower Saxony. Thanks to underfloor heating, the turbo asparagus is available first. The prices for the first heated asparagus are around 18 EUR/kg.