Topic: Who is patient enough to grow asparagus from seed?

[allaboutliverpool]

I have just planted my asparagus from seed that I sowed last year.
The 3 year wait merely intensifies the pleasure that I will get from seeing them grow.
Am I alone or are we all patient?

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_Vegetables_asparagus.html

This web page will take 3 years to write as well!

[jennym]

Grew mine from seed too, it's worth the wait and far cheaper than buying crowns. Has been cropping well for a few years now.

[saddad]

I grew Convers Collossal from Seed and had just got into production when I was very poorly and couch got into it. So I dug it up and cleaned out the crowns and replanted.. it is back in full swing again!
 :-[

[OliveOil]

Well not one of the crowns i bought and planted have come up.... I've dug them up and they are doing nothing, replanted and will wait a while longer.

I have some asp seed - can someone advise on sowing instructions please?

[David R]

Olive,

pe patient with them, they might not be up for a while yet depending on how deep they are. They are normally a May treat!

Remember these grow wild, and need very little assistance. Berries left on a female plant will drop off and germinate everywhere, therefore sowing instructions would be simply to sow where required, half inch deep or less. They look like grass at first, so weed carefully around the emerging seedling!

[grawrc]

Mine haven't started showing yet either, but I didn't really expect anything before MAy.

[tim]

First week in May with us.

[Jeannine]

Early this year I put a post on saying I had been tidying up my Gus bed and found round seed pods, I had opened them to reveal black shiny seeds,offered them here and I think it was Rosy Red who took some. The others I planted in single cell flats. They all grew,in fact I gave the tray of 40 away last week with 4 inch tall plants in. Those seeds had stayed out all winter in the bed.

I have no idea how they will grow or produce but they were easy to sow and get going,in fact some were starting to germinate when I took them from the Gus bed.

Maybe this is of some interest to someone XX Jeannine

[cambourne7]

OO i have seed as well i planted some last year and there little plants ( even a couple of shoots that look like mini asparagus!! Its very exciting.

I have 1 more bed to dig over before i get to the asparagus bed the general idea is that i am taking out at least two spades dept which i am going to back fill with 2 bags of bought well rotted manure shreaded paper and sand to sone spades dept and top it up with compost.

As my soil is heavy clay i am cheating and saving myself some digging by only digging down one spades dept and sticking a raised bed on top which will give me the extra height.

( the manure we get free is 2 fresh )

I am going to plant my sown asparagus in a staggered pattern and then sow the seed between the sown asparagus. Marking each planting with a coloured stick ( one colour for seed and one for sown ) and then i am going to forget about it for a couple of years. The colour coded sticks will allow me to know which plants to get a crop from.

The bed is 2ft by 10ft and i am worried about weeds so i am considering either planting some thing else in the plot for coverage or to put wood chips on not 100% what the best plan is.

cambourne7

[allaboutliverpool]

I await your progress with interest as you are in the same position as me.

I would be inclined to mulch and let the worms do the work. The spears look good emerging from a pile of mulch rather than competing with weeds. I was amazed how easy it was last time.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_Vegetables_asparagus.html

[cambourne7]

yep i might pick up a bag of bark chips when i get the manure

[jennym]

Early this year I put a post on saying I had been tidying up my Gus bed and found round seed pods, I had opened them to reveal black shiny seeds...

Not sure about the way you describe these, asparagus seeds are usually carried in red berries that are about the size of hawthorn berries, so I wonder if they are actually asparagus seeds? maybe someone else knows of a different sort, but I've only ever seen them looking like berries.

[jennym]

...I have some asp seed - can someone advise on sowing instructions please?

Here is the text of a message I sent to someone who wanted that info too, it's the way I did it:
Sow around now about 1/4 " deep in a large deep seed tray (6 seeds in one tray) or one seed in a small pot. Don't need to be protected or heated, but it may speed up germination - can take 2 -3 weeks or longer.
You will see tiny ferny leaves appear - they really look fragile and delicate. They won't grow very big, maybe 10 - 15 cm this summer. Leave the plants alone - just feed and water, but don't over water. They will die right back in winter, the leaves turn brown. Don't water hardly at all over winter - soil should never be wet. Don't let them freeze.
Next spring, when it warms up, and before the leaves come (probably mid/end March) plant them out - they have spidery roots, spread these out, and cover shallowly, say 3 cm deep and about 60 cm apart. They like light soil, mine is heavy clay and I dug in plenty of muck and also some sand. Put a stick in by each one or you will forget where they are! They will grow larger foliage that year. Mulch with extra soil and leaves, or some use sand, over winter to protect the crowns
The following year is when you may be able to pick your own asparagus spears - but don't pick after end of May, as they need to grow the ferns to feed the roots and build up a better plant. If you don't want to pick the spears for food - fine, let them grow in the flower garden, mid to back of border, and enjoy the attractive fine ferny foliage. You can plant closer than 60 cm if you just want them in the flower garden.

I would add that I put sticks in next to the baby plants as they are so very small it is easy to lose their location over the course of the year.