Another difference is you harvest it first thing in the spring but then continue to care for the plants through the rest of the growing season (so it comes back the next).
Asparagus is an odd duck of garden vegetables, but that doesn't mean it's hard to grow. For one thing, it's a perennial, meaning you plant it once, and it comes back for as many as 15 years. Another difference is you harvest it first thing in the spring but then continue to care for the plants through the rest of the growing season (so it comes back the next).