Author Topic: Asparagus Bed (Read 4751 times)

bellebouche · « **on:** March 22, 2006, 08:32:05 »

Right, the passing of the risk of frost and a few warm days was enough to get out and get my asparagus bed planted up.

I had set aside a bed of 6mx4m for the asparagus plot and half of it was double-dug and very well manured from last years Borlotti, Flageolet & Fava beans.. this made the dig/weeding relatively easy and all that i had to deal with was a light surface smattering of chickweed.

We found very few bindweed roots in the dig so it should be easy to deal with for long term management - this was a relief as we've had extensive infestations of this elsewhere.

I bought 20x 2 year old crowns of 'white' French style asparaugus and 10x 1 year crowns of the thinner green/purple tipped English style. I thought a mixture might cover our options a little and help spread out the season a little.

The French asparagus required a deep 50cm trench that I filled with an 8cm layer of well rotted compost and a sprinkling of soil to form a small 'mound' to sit the crowns on, they they got covered with a 20 cm layer of soil and are now sat in a small 20 cm trench. The growing instructions we have indicate that we should gradually backfill this trench over the next couple of growing seasons to ultimately leave us with a raised bed that the spears will poke out through.

The Green/English asparagus only need a much smaller 20cm trench and this was level filled to the surface of the plot after the crowns went in.

It seems like a while to have to wait for them to start producing but the economics of it all should see the crowns paid for with our first years crop... from there on in it's all 'free'. The asparagus crowns were cheap here.... I paid just €18 for the 30 plants that I've just put in.

I did take some pics as all this work was underway - I'll post back later with some snaps...

... and now... on with vine pruning!

Adrian

Curryandchips · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2006, 08:54:05 »

Indeed cheap !!! You sound like you enjoy asparagus to put 30 plants in ... that makes my 7 plants seem pitiful, although they were donated so I am very grateful. Perennial weeds are indeed a problem, I have the docks (easy, just pull), bindweed (the roots go on and on) marestail (ditto), thistles (as per dock), and couch (arghh). Other than that, my plot is weed free :)

You are right, the cost of the investment will be multiplied manyfold once cropping starts ...

David R · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2006, 11:52:36 »

crickey, my asparaus are about a foot down, and i get superb crops, wonder if they could be even better? I planted so deep following advice in a book.

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2006, 18:40:42 »

I juast got 15 un-named 'white asparagus' plants from Wilkinson's on my way home from school. Last time I tried the stuff, nothing ever came up; I don't know whether that was down to a very dry spring or what. This time I'm going to put them in pots in a cold frame and mollycoddle them till they get going.

bellebouche · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2006, 05:23:40 »

Keep the crowns moist until you're ready to plant them, I kept mine in a large poly box on top of a bed of damp seed compost.. I also laid a damp spud-sack on top. I had my crowns for nearly a fortnight before I was able to plant them... and in that time half of them started actually chucking up tiny little white spears.

I'm not sure that planting them in pots will do the trick... they're going to need at least a season to get established in-situ... and that means planting them out at the right depth in their final position in soil that's well prepared (well dug, good drainage, right pH, right dressing) otherwise I suspect you might be on the road for another failure.

Curryandchips · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2006, 09:36:39 »

Arghh, this sounds like I may not succeed then, I kept my one year crowns over the winter in slightly damp compost in pots in the greenhouse, then just planted them about 6 inches deep in their final beds a few weeks ago, with a sprinkling of BF & B on the surface of the soil. Having said all that, the roots did look healthy when I planted them ...

caroline7758 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2006, 13:58:14 »

If anyone's interested, I just got an e-mail from T&M offering 25 asparagus crowns for £19.99, this week only. Here's the link:

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/tm-newsletters/p-sl-60323

ann hunter · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2006, 14:18:57 »

???
Am new too all this about asparagus. I love the stuff but havent a clue where to start. Have a patch down the lotty that might be ok to start. Any advice?

bupster · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2006, 14:57:30 »

Me too. Interested in the T& M offer. I put off asparagus last year because I'm clearing a bed then planting, and there's a mountain of seed packets at my back. Afraid of sticking asparagus in bed that hasn't been perfectly cleared then discovering it's in the wrong place!

ann hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2006, 15:00:07 »

::) Gi that sounds kinky. Story of my life puting things in the wrong place, however part of the fun is findingwhat works - as long as its not tooooooo expensive a mistake.

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2006, 17:41:09 »

Thanks for the advice. I've added some anonymous green asparagus; a decent row of each, if I can just get it started this time, will do us fine! I got globe artichoke and horseradish as well while I was about it.

jennym · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2006, 19:06:54 »

Just for info, here is a pic of an asparagus plant, still dormant, dug up accidentally recently - the plant was grown from seed sown during 2002 - note that the roots would be longer if I hadn't ripped it out! Just in case anyone wonders why I was digging in that area, I strongly advise that raspberries NEVER be planted nearby - I think I have finally got rid of them from the asparagus bed...

grawrc · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2006, 20:44:12 »

I planted a few crowns last year and was so impressed that I'm now planting 30.

Meticulous soil preparation to ensure soil is completely free of perennial weeds. Once the asparagus roots get growing the weeds are impossible to get rid of.

Plenty of well-rotted manure: they're going to be there for up to 20 years.

IF you have light sandy soil dig a trench with a "hump" in the middle, straddle the hump with the crowns in staggered rows about 18 inches apart and cover them as they grow.

In heavy soils it is probably better to plant in raised beds though the same basic planting plan holds.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #13 on:** March 24, 2006, 09:39:37 »

I have 10 crowns I think, but they aren't in the best location - in dappled shade - and of course, with no water on site, apart from a top dressing of compost, they get little help. However, as I am the only one in the family to eat it (which is a common situation) my crowns produce plenty for me. The lady in the next plot has a asparagus bed and it looks like a freshly dug grave! :o Every year she heaps a very thick layer of rotted manure on the top, and every year she picks bucket fulls of the stuff! I think if you like these unusual or hard to come by seasonal veg, then it is well worth growing them, even if you only grow a few. If you have never tasted freshly picked and instantly cooked asparagas then you have missed a real treat...in the same way picking and cooking corn on the cob in minutes is the sweetest corn you will ever enjoy....or that ripe red tomato, that you can smell is ripe without even looking at it.....you get the picture ;D

sallylockhart · « **Reply #14 on:** March 24, 2006, 09:48:06 »

Hello,

I have a couple of asparagus plants languishing in a flower bed.

What can I do to encourage them? I have no idea how old they are or how deep they have been planted (I only know they are asparagus because it says so on the label - thank you to previous house owners - very organised :), and I recognise the ferny leaf skeletons)

Also, can I move them? and if so, when and how should I do it?

cheers

sl

amanda21 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 24, 2006, 09:48:45 »

I've got 10 crowns turning up any day soon and haven't even started their bed. I have another area dug over for something else I suppose I can use if need be.

I am slightly confused so can I clarify - dig a trench a spit deep - with a little mound - plant about 18" apart (can they go closer if I have 2 rows of 5 staggered?) and just cover with soil? Do I keep covering as it grows for the first year until the soil is back upto ground level? Don't cut for first year and leave to fern (how long do I keep the fern?) Cut only a few the following year.

I love the stuff (same in our family EJ - just me!) and can't wait. I've had a few spears self-seed in our garden but I never see them until the fern comes out the top of a holly bush! They can't be so fussy!

supersprout · « **Reply #16 on:** March 24, 2006, 10:26:45 »

This is what I did my first time:
Selected north side of plot, as I read that's best place for 'em
Hacked out a trench about 3/4 spit deep along the middle of a 1m wide bed, as I read that shallower planting encourages higher yield (and hauled out raspberry roots lol)
Threw in some BF&B and well rotted manure (think this should have been sand, WHOOPS)
Put in the crowns and spread out the arms as if they were octopi, 18" apart
Covered with an inch of soil, as I read you should incrementally fill up with soil to ground level as amanda says, as the tips show through
Covered with thick layer of leaves to protect from frost
Plan to feed lots when the fern are high, as I read they are greedy feeders.

I also read that there's no need to spread the arms out, and that you can just plant them in a furrow. You pays your money, and only Time will Tell :D

fbgrifter · « **Reply #17 on:** March 24, 2006, 10:27:57 »

asparagus doesn't like to be moved

amanda21 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 24, 2006, 11:06:42 »

Thanks - I don't have any well rotted manure yet and the compost is still in early stages - I have a quarter bag of old potting compost I was going to put in along with some BF&B - will this be enough?

While we are on BF&B can this go in the ground at the time of planting or does it hurt the roots - should I dig some in a week or so before?

supersprout · « **Reply #19 on:** March 24, 2006, 11:15:37 »

Well I HOPE some mixed in will be OK as it's slow release stuff. Time will Tell again ;)
Just remembered, re spacing, I read that 6 ft should be allowed between the rows to allow for prolific growth of fern. You can tell I did a lot of reading.
Re shallowness, someone with a lovely Green Man avatar posted that they'd planted very deep and got loads of crop!
ssxx

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Author Topic: Asparagus Bed (Read 4751 times)