Molly Franco, age 13, of Greenville, Miss., for her question:

HOW DOES ASPARAGUS GROW?

Would you believe that the asparagus is a member of the lily family of plants? Well, it is. There are about 150 species of this vegetable grown in most of the temperate parts of the world but only one of them is eaten: the asparagus officinalis.

Asparagus grows best in loose, rich, sandy soil. The plants must be from two to four years old before they are ready for cutting. After that they continue to grow and produce new shoots annually for 15 to 20 years. Seeds for new plants are sown early in the spring.

The young stems of asparagus plants are used for food. They are cut when the leaves of the plant are small buds and the stems or spears are tender and less than 10 inches high.

The young spears are cut each day for six to eight weeks. After that time the stems begin to get tough and woody as they branch and start to blossom. Each autumn the old stalks of the garden variety are cut down.

Asparagus has been a popular food since Greek and Roman times. It is most often cooked in water and eaten hot, but it is also used to make soup or chilled and served in salads.