And, here is some info from Ohio Sate University Extension:
Traditional asparagus varieties are dioecious, meaning that they have male and female reproductive structures on different plants. Female plants produce spears and also produce seed when the plant is in the fern stage. The production of seed diverts photosynthetic energy from spear production and reduces the yield of spears. The seeds fall to the ground and germinate, creating an undesirable asparagus-seedling weed problem in the field (Figure 1). Male plants yield more asparagus with no seeds produced while in the fern stage of growth.
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