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Asparagus – Horticulture 82 Midwest Veg Guide 2022 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 orange- fleshed 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-vegetables- asian "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 "Asian Vegetables," Purdue University Center for New Crops and Plants Products, http://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1- 387.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.