Topic: Now I remember

[small]

Why I grow vegetables. Just eaten the first of the asparagus. Perhaps I won't grass it over after all,

[Obelixx]

We have a few spears shwoing thru and will have them with dinner tomorrow.   Now to decide what to cook to serve with them......

[Beersmith]

Good for you. 

My area has had a period of about two weeks mild but dry weather then a similar period of wet and cold.  The effect has been curious.  Trees and fruit bushes seem slightly behind but not a lot, but seed germination of early sowing has been incredibly slow. My asparagus is just breaking through.  A very long way from having any harvest!

[JanG]

None showing here in Lincolnshire yet. I would have thought we’d be similar to Derbyshire but clearly not. 🤔
I’ll keep looking and hoping!

[Paulh]

For me, rhubarb has the same kick start. It really signals spring has come. I'd love to have asparagus but we're cold, wet, heavy clay here.

[saddad]

You have done well Small, mine isn't even showing yet... Paulh try a shallow raised bed, about 8" is deep enough, the roots don't mind our clay, but the crowns won't stand being waterlogged.

[JanG]

I was wondering whether a raised bed, warming up faster perhaps, had brought Small’s asparagus on ahead of the game, but it sounds like yours, Saddad, in much the same part of the world, are also in a raised bed and yet to show.
Different strains perhaps? Half of mine were grown from seed and half bought in, so quite a mixed bunch.

[saddad]

The bed I already have isn't raised... but it is my best drained patch... but in the shadow of our toilet block so it doesn't warm up as quickly...

[small]

Mine are in a rather neglected end of the plot, heavy clay, next to a drainage ditch which fills to overflowing every winter. Heaven knows how they survive, I can only think I just struck lucky with them - raised from seed sown 38 years ago this week when we moved here! Oh, and the bed is infested with shamrock as well...

[saddad]

I'm still jealous though... the first home grown asparagus of the season is well worth waiting for!

[gray1720]

..closely followed by that first moment of concern about aromatic micturation before you remember it's asparagus season again!

[Beersmith]

How frost sensitive is asparagus? My asparagus shoots are mostly just one or two inches high at present.
 
The reason I ask is that just two weeks ago my kiwi vine was bursting into life, looking green and vibrant.  Some cold weather and sharp frost's later and all those green shoots are black and shriveled. Hopefully it will recover. But  how much cold can asparagus tolerate?

[saddad]

I have noticed that some initial spears on my new seedlings (technically one year olds) have wilted this last week or so, I put it down to slugs or something nibbling but have no sign of damage... perhaps that was the frost. Established plants are basically frost proof.

[gray1720]

Yes, new spears will be nipped by frost, but the crowns are hardy. My old ones survived -10 and below in 2010-11 (only to be dried off in 2018).

[small]

About half the shoots when I picked that first lot had been frosted,  not black but limp, that's the only downside of an early-cropping bed. A light frost doesn't seem to make a difference but we had some really cold nights last week.

[Vinlander]

People have said that asparagus will grow in shade - I was daft enough to believe them.

They sprout weeks later - though sun at noon is the key thing to counteract it by warming the bed - and without it heavy mulching just makes it worse (over a month behind).

I'm in the process of developing a new sunny patch - hopefully in another year the small late crop from the old bed will become a bonus.

Cheers.