On a farm near Katherine in the Northern Territory, there is an asparagus crop that is growing so quickly, the owners need to harvest it twice a day.

Key points: The asparagus has to be harvested before it goes to fern

The asparagus has to be harvested before it goes to fern The asparagus grows more than 20cm per day

The asparagus grows more than 20cm per day At this time of year, Katherine-grown asparagus is one of very few Australian-grown products in the domestic market.

It is the NT's only commercial asparagus farm and owner Andrew Dalglish said harvest time was hectic.

"The cutting is a relentless job," he said.

"We have one team which cuts at 6 o'clock at night and then we run the second team through at 4 o'clock in the morning.

"The reason for that, is that if you don't cut it twice a day up here in the Top End the crop will go to fern.

"We need to keep an asparagus spear shorter than 250 millimetres in length, and if we don't cut it in that early morning section, by the time we cut at night it will have grown through that length and turned back to fern again.

"So [it is growing] more than 20 centimetres in one day."

Ideal growing conditions

It generally takes about three years for asparagus to reach first production in southern Australia, but in the tropics the first spears can be harvested within 18 months.

Mr Dalglish said the conditions around Katherine seemed ideal for the crop.

"It loves the sunshine, it loves the weather, it loves water," he said.

"So if we can provide what it needs, it'll grow well here. We're very fortunate with the climate we have."

The asparagus crop before it is slashed and the spears harvested. ( ABC Rural: Carmen Brown )

While growing the crop has been a process of trial and error for the Dalglish family, it looks increasingly likely asparagus will be a viable option for the farm over the long-term.

Mr Dalglish is planning to expand his plantings in the coming years.

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"We're gaining confidence that we can expand and will plant another 5 hectares in the next few weeks, and providing we can get them through the wet season and build-up we'll look to do more again next year," he said.

At this time of year the Katherine asparagus is basically the only Australian-grown asparagus entering the domestic market.

Just last week, Australia put in place a mandatory requirement for all fresh asparagus imported from Mexico and Peru to undergo pre-shipment fumigation with methyl bromide to prevent the possible movement of thrips.

It is a decision welcomed by Mr Dalglish, who hopes it will further protect the Australian industry.