Topic: how to choose rhubarb and asparagus crowns!

[OliveOil]

After checking my rhubarb and asparagus today i reckon they are dead. There is no life in them whatsoever though no less than when i bought them in autumn.  They were in the taylors packets from downtown and i'm really annoyed!

So any advice on selecting these crowns?

[bennettsleg]

As far as I can tell from research, Aparagus should be ordered with a delivery time of March-ish.  Ideally, the trench needs to be all ready to go before delivery time and they need to be planted as soon as they arrive (as is practicable). Plant out one crown at a time - without removing the others from the packagin and cover it up before getting the next one out.

As for selection, unless you can pick over the selection - which probably will be unlikely - I don't know what to look for, sorry. The planting method should mean that you chances of survival should increase dramatically.

Rhubarb - having recevied a few of late as gifts (and on A4A)  they're all sprouting like mad even after being temporarily homed for a few weeks in a pot and moved to the plot last weekend. Saw some at Asda today that I would't touch as they were bone dry and gawd knows how long they've been in cold storage.

[Amazin]

I bought some asparagus crowns from Wilkos in January. I put some in pots, but not straight away. I didn't want to have them sprouting only to risk them keeling over when transplanted to the plot. However, some of them I've left in their packaging till I've prepared their patch. Although they're dry, I plan to give them a good long soak before planting them - I think that'll do the trick, as it worked before with... rhubarb!

[saddad]

I got some replacement Convers Collossal... potted them on today and we are away the next three weekends...
 ;D

[OliveOil]

I went and bought some more today but made sure i only got the ones that were sprouting!  So fingers crossed!

[Marymary]

I thought that when I bought a rhubarb crown from a local garden centre - I planted it & then we had a hard frost, the shoot went soggy now the whole thing seems to be rotting.  Not sure what the answer is other than not buying things in packets from big shops.  :)

[sweet-pea]

I bought some wild asparagus crowns from 'Seeds of Italy' which arrived in a parcel on 23rd Dec!  I was advised that if I stored them in some damp (but not wet) sand in a cool place, they would be ok for up to 4 months.  Although I haven't dug down to check on all of them, some of them have already started growing, so I'm hoping that they are all ok.  As I'm trying Biodynamics this year, I don't plan to plant them until the 24th March, which is apparently supposed to be a suitable day (I missed the last one that fell on a weekend!)

SP