Asparagus Pea

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldGreat, French MarigoldGreat and BuglossGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Asparagus Pea outdoors around your last frost date, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 14 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 70 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Brown Mustard
  

  Brown MustardExcellent pair

  • ❧Brown Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Asparagus Pea
  • ❧Asparagus Pea fixes nitrogen in the soil that Brown Mustard feeds on
  • ❧Asparagus Pea draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
• 
  Buchii Lavender
  

  Buchii LavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧Buchii Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Asparagus Pea
  • ❧Asparagus Pea fixes nitrogen in the soil that Buchii Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Asparagus Pea draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
• 
  round leaf lavender
  

  round leaf lavenderExcellent pair

  • ❧round leaf lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Asparagus Pea
  • ❧Asparagus Pea fixes nitrogen in the soil that round leaf lavender feeds on
  • ❧Asparagus Pea draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both

How to grow Asparagus Pea

1. Sow0 weeks from frost
2. Germinates14 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~70 days

Water: Medium · Height: 40 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile