Topic: Asparagus Bed

[sunflower76]

I planted a bed of Asparagus about 5 years ago and have let it go  >:( I knew not to pick for the first few years and I stupidly got bored of it and never kept it cleared. The asparagus still grows amongst the brambles / nettles and overgrown grass (it was about 5 foot tall when I chopped it back) but I'm wondering whether I'm able to salvage it. Would I be better to abandon all hopes of it ever coming good and starting again (risking the fact that I'd get bored again?) or is there a glimmer of hope that it can be sorted?

I have chopped everything down in the hope that I can save it but I don't hold out much hope at the moment - any ideas?

[caroline7758]

I have exactly the same problem and have asked a similar question in the past.Views seem to vary.Some say they have very long roots which are hard to disentanglefromthe weeds if you try to dig them up,so it's better to start again. I heard Bob Flowerdew suggesting burning off the weeds with a weed torch when the plants are dormant. Haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.

[asbean]

A friend on another site moved his asparagus from his plot to his daughter's; the asparagus root system is extensive, and he probably chopped off more roots than he moved.  They survived the move, though.  My point is that if you dig up the weeds etc and get a few asparagus roots up at the same time, chances are that you won't do too much damage to the plants.

Definitely worth a try, I'd say.