Asparagus is a member of the Lily family of long-lived, storage-rooted perennial. Says The Trusty Gardener, "When you stop harvesting the spears – which are the growing stems – the plants continue to send up new spears that grow and spread out into this wonderful, fluffy fern. You must allow the fern to collect sun and make sugars by photosynthesis to send down to the roots so the plant will have lots of energy to make lots more delicious spears for next year." Grows well with tomatoes.