Producer

Chuck English, a Montrose native, was involved in big field farming for years, before turning to specialty crop farming to grow asparagus. Chuck & his wife Jami started out with a 3.5 acre patch of asparagus officinalis, which is a perennial variety that can produce up 20 years worth of crops before the end of its life cycle. They continue to expand their operation with the help of family, grandkids and a dedicated team of harvesters.

The sandy loam soil of the mesa west of Montrose is well suited to grow asparagus. One of the nice benefits of a spring crop is that the asparagus can be grown naturally without use of pesticides or herbicides. Asparagus, like bamboo, is not harvested just once during its season. You can literally watch it grow! A 2-inch stalk one day, can grow to an 8-inch stalk by the next day, which allows for multiple harvests over a 6-week period. After the last cutting, they allow the plants to grow and flower, which drops more seeds to rebuild the crop for the next season.