Three Pound Coffee Can Asparagus

Seed Savers Exchange co-founders, Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy, brought this variety with them when they moved to Decorah, Iowa, in 1984. Diane recounts its origin in her memoir, Gathering: “A few years earlier, a gentleman had sent me a three-pound Folgers coffee can full of seed. He said the plants were always grown from seed and rivaled any commercial variety, but they came to me with no name. His claim was true. These plants were eventually transplanted to a patch in front of the barn at Heritage Farm and 20 years later have developed into a magnificent bed. One good thing about growing older: your asparagus patch gets better.”