Heavy frost sets back asparagus harvest

Ilona Csikos, an employee with Koteles Farms, works on bundling some of the asparagus that escaped the frost. The farming operation on New Road is one of few local asparagus growers with farmgate sales. Asparagus is available Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check kotelesfarms.ca for updates on product availability. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

The local asparagus crop took a hit after the frost last weekend.

Ashly Koteles of Koteles Farms on New Road said the season got off to a strong start with the first cut on April 29.

“We had a record-breaking first cut by a long shot,” she said. “However, over the weekend, we lost almost everything to the frost.”

“It was the sub-zero frost on Sunday morning that was the most significant hit in the past 10 years,” said Mike Chromczak, a Tillsonburg-area grower and chair of the Asparagus Farmers of Ontario.

He said some growers “lost every single spear,” while others lost about half and a few escaped any damage.

Koteles said she lost two nights cutting to the frost.

“The asparagus root it just shoots, shooting up more asparagus,” she said. “You’ll lose what’s above the ground.

For Koteles, it could be said this season is trial by fire. It’s her first season behind the family operation after her father Joe passed away unexpectedly last year. She hadn’t been working on the farm, but had spent a lot of time with her father.

“I knew more than I thought I did. It’s been easier than I thought it would be,” she reflected.

Koteles gave full credit to her father for the strong start of the crop before the frost.

“My father was really big on looking after the crop, and ensuring there are lots of nutrients in the soil like potassium and nitrogen,” she said. “My dad was a real farmer, and I hope to step into those shoes.”

Chromczak said frost in May is typical, but usually it’s followed by some warm weather that lets the crop recover quickly. The frost doesn’t kill the plant, but only the spears that are above the ground.

Asked about the impact on this year’s yield, Chromczak answered, “Today’s the eighth – most farmers are below their historical yield at this point. “

If the weather turns around, he is hopeful the crop can bounce back.

“Mother Nature can balance things out,” he said. “If we have a normal weather pattern, we can get a normal crop off. We’ve just lost a few days at the beginning of May.”

He said a worse situation would have been warm temperatures, hitting 25˚C for example, at the end of April, which would superactivate the crop, then frost hit. That would shock the crown and have a larger impact.

Since most growers weren’t in full production, he is hopeful the impact will be minimized.