Millenium is an all-male variety (almost), but you can occasionally get female plants, which I remove, because they are not as productive as male plants. I haven’t figured out how to differentiate the male blossoms from the female ones; but, if you wait a while, the male blossoms will drop off, while the female blossoms will turn into small green fruits.
I don’t remember if my plants had flowers the first year, but they definitely did the second year.
My wife informed me the other day that some of our martha washingtion patch is already in seed. We are in zone 7A. I dont know anything useful about the newer varieties of asparagus and if they are sterile or not or will reproduce true to seed. Our martha washington asparagus is a old heirloom variety. I let it do its thing, it drops seeds and sprouts new asparagus plants. It seems like the right way to establish a bed to me.
Ferns grow to be about 5 to 6 feet tall. If you cut them down or mow it before it dies back in the fall, you have sucessfuly killed your asparagus patch. Leave the ferns be and it will come back the following spring. Mow only after the ferns have died back in fall, by their own accord.
Ok I’ll be watching for the fruit, thank you.
That’s a good point about hybrids. I am now also wondering what kind of offspring they’d produce. Probably not true to type, but still asparagus, and perhaps worth growing.
Thank you! I was just musing about this, it’s like you read my mind. I was initially thinking it would be cut back in the fall, glad to have this info.
Oh your welcome 
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The only reason I know this, is by experience. My my late father in law had alzheimer’s. He asked me if he could weed the asparagus bed. I showed him how and showed him how to not pull the ferns. A couple hours later he was done and the entire asparagus bed was leveled, ferns and all. It was a 5 year old productive established bed, it never came back.
No way I could have got upset him, it wasn’t something he did intentionally, it was alzheimer’s. I still miss my father in law, he was a fantastic man.
Thanks for bringing back fond memories of my father in law.
These memories are precious. Thanks for sharing
Anytime, we are humans afterall 
mine have returned as tiny like matchsticks. however I realized that the bed where all but one of them are, I planted garlic in it- not smart. I’m slowly moving my strawberries among the asparagus in the sun, and once that garlic is pulled I might put another crown or two in that bed to help it along and NOT plant alliums there ever just the strawberries and asparagus
I’m letting them all go to ferns this year just in case- except one or two that I ate immediately on sight because I have no self control
there were a few more green than purple. the other patch is similarly puny spears on year 3, I’ll let it be ferns again I guess.
Asparagus growers- any winter care? Leave the ferns alone? Cut back in early spring? Never touch?
I cut back once the ferns have turned yellow/brittle. Here in the south we probably have another month or so.
Cut back the ferns when they turn brittle, and remove from the area. Asparagus beetle (not desired) overwinters in the stalks.
I think they’re right. I don’t think it’s mold, but can’t remember what the places have told me it is. They grow fine.
Oh it smells of mold, hopefully it grows fine though, cause theyre not sending me replacements
