Topic: Asparagus Advice Please

[Strawberrygirl]

I put an aspargus crown in a pot last year, i got 1 spindly spear that i let go to seed.  This year I have 1 very nice looking spear, which is now 16" tall!  But just the one.  Is it correct that i have to leave it again this year?  When will it start to produce more than one spear and when can we eat them?  Also, should i leave it in the pot again this year, or transfer into my plot at the end of the season?

[chriscross1966]

It needs to be in the ground to get bigger..... they do take a few years to get going though....

[tonybloke]

get it in the ground NOW

[green lily]

Give it a really nice spot without weeds and plenty of feed. being a seaside plant I also give mine seaweed meal along with manure and chicken pellets.. Its now 3 years since I planted 10 crowns and we ate a bit last year.
I cannot believe the amount of spears this year-we've has 3 or 4 meals already ;D. Be patient, feed your  crown [in the ground] and if you can find room find it some mates. One won't give much of a meal...

[queenbee]

I put my asparagus in about six years ago, left it for two years without picking and had a couple of pickings in the third year. Last year was better and this year I have had two meals from it. It has never been earlier than this and I really thought with such a cold winter I would have been in luck if it survived as I live in the North of
England. You have to be patient with asparagus but it well worth the effort. I also agree that you must buy more.
Slugs can play havoc at this time of year as the soil warms up so use slug pellets or your own favourite slug catching strategy.







 

[gwynnethmary]

I planted six crowns last year and they did sprout but only produced thin ferny stuff.  Nothing has appeared at all yet this spring.  Should I be concerned?

[gwynnethmary]

I planted six crowns last year and they did sprout but only produced thin ferny stuff.  Nothing has appeared at all yet this spring.  Should I be concerned?

Am asking this again!

[Strawberrygirl]

Ok have now replanted the "spear" which is now about 20" in height, I also can see another one just about through the soil, looking very healthy, i might even try that one as it's the second year.  I have also planted 3 more crowns (upside down the first time lol) .

We live in the South so have had some very warm temperatures this past week so i am sure that is why my asparagus is growing well, i did think it was quite early so that is maybe why?

GwynnetheMary, mine was only thin ferny stuff last year, so hopefully you'll see some signs soon :)

[gwynnethmary]

GwynnetheMary, mine was only thin ferny stuff last year, so hopefully you'll see some signs soon :)

Thanks Strawberrygirl!

[aquilegia]

Gwyneth - me too. Nothing so far this year. I only had 3 crowns and a fox dug up one of them, so I know that's dead now anyway. The two that are left are doing absolutely nothing. I'm a lot further south than you too.

Worried now!

[saddad]

We cut and ate our first yesterday!  :)

[Melbourne12]

I planted six crowns last year and they did sprout but only produced thin ferny stuff.  Nothing has appeared at all yet this spring.  Should I be concerned?

We too started an asparagus bed last year, with similar results.  Of the 14 crowns, 10 seem to have survived, so there's a bit of an attrition rate over the first winter.  But the survivors are now showing shoots at least 3 inches high.  A neigbouring plot with a well established bed is also well up.

I'm not sure whether the variety has anything to do with the time at which it starts to show, but I think I would be getting concerned if we'd seen nothing at all yet.