Victorian Asparagus
During the early 1900’s the first commercial asparagus plantings in the state of Victoria were grown by Thomas Roxburgh - a shipping agent by trade - on a 300 acre farm in the town of Vervale. By the 1930’s the major commercial asparagus production area in Victoria was the nearby Koo Wee Rup and Dalmore area. Soon after, this area was to become the largest asparagus producing area in Australia.
Victoria has a range of soils and climates suitable for asparagus production, including those in Koo Wee Rup, East Gippsland and Lindenow in southern Victoria, Rochester and Myrtleford in north-east Victoria, and in the Mildura and Swan Hill districts of north-west Victoria.
As a result, Victoria has a longer growing season for asparagus than most other production areas in the world. The asparagus season in Victoria also complements that of other states of Australia and helps provide a continuous supply of product. Much of the plantings in Australia are of the California hybrid UC157 because it produces a premium spear of uniform size, length and overall appearance. However, additional varieties are grown in specific regions, such as Mary Washington in southern Victoria and Ida Lea in North-West Victoria.
Victoria is the leading state in Australia for the production and export of fresh asparagus, producing 95% of the national asparagus crop with a Gross Value of 95% of $41.42 m (ABS: Agriculture 2007-08).
