Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: betula on June 23, 2011, 22:10:59
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On my new Allotment I have decided I want to have an Asparagus bed.
I know I will not have a short term crop but it is something I often thought about in the past but never got around to doing.
I know you have to drape them over a mound but I am pretty clueless on what to do to get a healthy crop really.
Step by step advice would be most welcome.
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Would that be in the ground level..or raised bed?
Not that it makes huge difference but the ground preparation is more forgiving in raised bed.
I'll have a sleep overnight first..and I'll get back to this once I know more about your plan.. ;)..unless others fill you in first..
Nighty night..
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Well I had hoped a flat bed.........but if you think a raised bed better I could do that.
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Morning..my brain is back on function..I hope..slept and all that.. ;D
Ok..raised bed is not better as such, but as good drainage is important with asparagus, with raised bed that comes naturally without needing to add lot of grit and/or sand into soil. But if your soil is already on sandy side then creating raised bed is more work..
What is your soil like? I realise you haven't had much chance to work in your NEW lottie yet..but first impressions?
We'll have to plan this slow...well thought job is job half done and there is no regrets and need to return for corrections.. ;)
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My advice it to have a look at the weeds on the plot and the plants/weeds in the hedgerows. These will give you a good indication of the soil types.
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Did you not say that the soil is sandy? If so I would add dome manure/ other organic stuff first. That, in itself should raise the level. As Goodlife says - drainage is really important. Also asparagus will be there for a long time so it's worth putting in the effort to get the soil right. Shame I'm not nearer - I've got some seedling asparagus coming up to replace the ones that got hammered last winter.Guelph Millennium.
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Thanks Goodlife and all,well yes the soil is a sandy loam and I predict the biggest problem on there will be grass but I will look around more carefully at the weed situation.Also quite an exposed plot so will have to think about some wind barriers.
I will pick a spot and start to prepare the soil.I want loads of the little darlings so how many shall I put in when the great moment arrives............I am rushing it here LOL
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I've tried twice and falied both times, due to winter waterlogging. I'm thinking of trying again with a raised bed, but unless you've got drainage problems or a bad back, it's just a load of unnecessary work.
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Sandy loam..perfect.. ;D
Step 1. How big is the bed..so we know how many plants.
Step 2. Grow something else on that bed during summer and keep it really well weeded. Green manure would be ideal..then you can improve the soil same time and add goodness in. Weeding perennial weeds out of asparagus bed is nightmare..so preparation, preparation.
Step3. Start looking what variety(s) you would like...and source the supplier..
How's that to start with..? ;D ;)
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If you are planting crowns there are some you can plant in the autumn or if you prefer you can plant in the spring (probably safer).
If you are prepared to wait an xtra year you can sow seed.
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grawac
You mentioned that you had seedlings from your asparagus, I have been pulling them up as they have seeded themselves quite profusely. I was led to understand that these were no good. How long before these seedling become viable. I will treat them with more respect in future.
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Good life..........how big do you think the bed should be........?
I think I would prefer crowns.
So weed free and plenty of muck ??
Good drainage important.
Thanks Anne, and Robert think you should try again.
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Queenbee I have seedlings that I have grown from a packet of seed. I believe (I know nothing) that all male asparagus is said to produce better spears and it is therefore advisable to remove the female (berry producing) plants. If you have seedlings, however, I see no reason why you can't grow them on. It will be a year longer till cropping than if you plant crowns, i.e. 3 years from crowns, 4 years from seed.
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Good thread this. I have had a large bed for some 20 years & it was getting tired (plus a knock back from aminopyralid contaminated manure).
I bought 10 new 1 year old organic plants/trenched/(uncontamined) mucked/laid on a domed layer of compost & filled in & watered in. The ground was in a different area to the original & had been well rotovated beforehand.
After weeks went by the plants died off & I'm left with only 5 which are growing strongly.
Betula, the only reason I can give for the loss is not planting shallow to start with & gradually filling the trench as the plants progressed. Additional comments would be welcome.
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Telboy........meant to reply to you sooner.......when you say plant shallow....how shallow?
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I think the muck in the trench would cause problems with crowns..it holds too much moisture and it standing against roots can rot the crown..particularly when the crowns are just trying to establish.
It is always better use manure as mulch on top..
Betula..as your soil is quite free draining..for planting advise..I would make trench with domed bottom and lay the crowns on top the dome, so that the actual roots are sloping downwards from the growing points. Mix some compost and bit BFB meal on top soil that your use for filling up the trench and fill up so that you've got 2-3" covering..if you have too much soil left..leave it to side and once your crowns have started growing you can then add some more on..
That should do in first year..once your plants are established..you can then mulch with much/compost with BFB..ideally late winter/early spring. That will keep some moist down in the soil without damageing the roots and and provide enough feed for strong growth later on...and you only need to do this once a year.
Asparagus do like moisture but it doesn't like wet things agaist its 'bits'.
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Oh..and..
Unless your soil is dry when planting..don't water (much) as there should be enough moisture in soil to encourage the growth into action. As the crowns are in dormant stage..they don't take much water at all...and if there should be rain that will provide enough.
Once the first growth comes through..if the soil is on dry side..then give good dollop of water.
Like Telboy experienced..it is getting the crowns to grow after planting that is bit fiddly..but once you get them over that bit..its doddle..they more and less look after themselves...other than weeding,,,and weeding... ::) ;D
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I grew mine from seed, 99p packet from ebay. THey'bve been fairly msitreated since then, in pots, not watered enough.... ridiculous numbers survived, I've given tons away and planted 20 for myself.... My soil is pretty gritty though overlying clay so I've built the bed upa bit with soil from areas where I was taking it out.... One thing about growing from seed in pots, it's a cheap way to get the bed.... I could have had three times as many (ie 60 plants) from that packet.... apart from normal seed compost mixed with a bit of sand to start they've bene in my local dirt mixed with a bit of MPC.... I doubt the whole lot owes me 5 quid.... I fyou want a big bed then be prepared to wait the extra year and do it from seed, you'll save a fortune....
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yes..I did sow some from seed as well..I never realised how easy they are.. ::) And yes..I did give lots away too..
For some reason I thought they would be tricky to germinate..and I sowed plenty to 'give myself a chance' for enough plants... ::)..little did I know.. :-X ;D And they grow quite quickly too..
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betula,
back to your original point, I planted with the growing points showing but a few of the points were broken as they are rather frail!
Hence perhaps the chances of the plants being too deep to survive?
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I planted an asparagus bed 3 years ago. Its a raised bed and its had muck and compost.Asparagus is a sea side plant and likes seaweed but mine makes do with seaweed meal. I had 10 crowns glinjim I think and have eaten masses this year and expect more next. Weeding and a clean bed are essential and I leave the fern as long as possible before cutting back. I'll also probably throw some chicken pellets on it at some point. Biggest prob is bl##dy cats who like asparagus beds as litters trays.. You have been warned! ::)
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My current bed is 10 Backlim ("Late season, heavy yield with thick, good quality, smooth spears") and 10 Gijnlim ("Dutch bred. Early season, high yield, medium thick spears.Excellent quality. Good Botrytis resistance") and I have excellent results. All of them are male plants.
I have grown asparagus for about 40 years, various varieties in different gardens, also tried them from seed, and in my opinion these are the best. I was influenced by an RHS trial reported in their journal in October 2001, when these two cultivars won the "yield and quality test".
As they say: "A taste evaluation was also carried out, but this unfortunately produced no conclusive results". And: "It was recommended that gardeners choose Backlim".
At the time they cost about £1 per crown, so I don't think you "save a fortune" by sowing seeds. They last for decades, the crowns getting ever bigger and more productive. I have had to move my pathways, because digging out dandelions from the original paths damaged their spreading roots. Looking online, I see one year male crowns sold in a bundle of 10 for, eg, £12.95 Another site has 15 for £40, which is admittedly more extortionate.
Also the spears now pop up some distance from the original centre of the crowns; I don't exactly know how to imagine these crowns underground, but the centre, from which the spears spring, must fatten up a lot more than I thought.
Therefore I strongly recommend buying named cultivars from a reliable nursery for a bed which is going to be amazingly productive (or possibly not) for the rest of your lifetime.
I would no longer sow seeds, wait for three years, then discover that the spears were woefully small and non-succulent.
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By all means go ahead and try it.
I know full well you wont take advice because you never do.
The preparation, to do it properly costs a fortune (fine for a commercial grower who gets a huge area to cover so can buy at a bulk price).
The upkeep is horrendous because it needs intense weeding
AND cropping, you get those little growths daily. Leave them and they go over.
A small aspagus bed is not worth the trouble.
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By all means go ahead and try it.
I know full well you wont take advice because you never do.
The preparation, to do it properly costs a fortune (fine for a commercial grower who gets a huge area to cover so can buy at a bulk price).
The upkeep is horrendous because it needs intense weeding
AND cropping, you get those little growths daily. Leave them and they go over.
A small aspagus bed is not worth the trouble
Who said I never take advice?????????????????
You are not my Mother in disguise are you LOL??? ;D
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The preparation, to do it properly costs a fortune (fine for a commercial grower who gets a huge area to cover so can buy at a bulk price).
Manure costs me £27 a tonne. Only a small part of that goes for the asparagus bed (4m x 1.4m).
The upkeep is horrendous because it needs intense weeding
Maintenance is, at most, half an hour a month. Actually I would say it is the most low-maintenance thing on my plot.
AND cropping, you get those little growths daily. Leave them and they go over.
I have 12 asparagus plants. In season I can eat asparagus every day if I choose. At that time of year I am at my plot at least every second day anyway.
A small aspagus bed is not worth the trouble.
Totally disagree.
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reading this thread with interest as planning on a asparagus bed( in my new plot)how many plants would i need for one person plus itcy bitcy few to give my grown kids now and again ;) and what area would they take up i know April is planting time
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Well I have a 'small' asparagus bed with 11 crowns and it is 4 years old. Glinjim I believe. This year we had more spears than we could manage. I fixed the bed on my own. Manured and compost. I'm now 72 and have spine problems but I also enjoy my plot. I read up about it and have to say if I can do it and maintain such a bed then anyone can. Go for it, but do get it clean before you plant.
My only gripe is the local cats are incline to use it as a litter tray >:( so I keep it netted over winter..
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Well, I still think 20 good quality named crowns is reasonable. I eat a lot (my husband does not like it) and I have plenty to give away.
I can't think why "zigzig" is so against the plant. It is troublefree, productive, and once the ferns grow after the mystic date of 21st June (when you have to stop cutting) they outgrow any weeds.
You have to get on top of the asparagus beetle, not difficult. You have to weed and fertilise on a regular basis, like anything else. They don't need netting. Pointless watering, as they have deep roots.
What's to dislike?
Until the season finished, I enjoyed contributing this to several parties: very fresh asparagus tips lightly boiled, wrapped in thinly sliced smoked ham, sitting on cream cheese on top of home made brown bread. Fantastic.
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Really looking forward to getting going with these,maybe us Asparagus newbies should compare notes on our results.
I understand now how important the preparation of the bed is for good results.
Thanks for all your contributions,please keep them coming ;D
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...and...while your plants are stil young and establishing..there is ample room to grow salad stuff in between..that way you get maximum use of the space and hopefully you avoid new weed setting on too.. ;)
...or..how about few strawberry plants..those can then come out once the asparagus it starting grow bigger. Alpine ones would not be too big for the job..
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what is the planting distance between plants and i have some wild strawberry plants i could interplant with i will have watch for the visiting cat and where it does its dutys another quick question is wild strawberrys the same as alpine
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I plant mine good 2ft between the plants... last lot of mine was planted bit closer spacing and within few years they were grown together.
As for the wild strawberries..well..generally yes..alpine strawberries are form of wild ones..they are clump forming plants and don't produce runners..
Native wild strawberries (field strawberry)do produce runners and they are generally much more smaller plants.
But I think most of us think wild strawberrys as any small fruited ones..
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Out of the 6 Wilkinson's crowns I planted in the spring only 2 have shown any sign of life. Can I assume that the other 4 are not going to do anything at all, and would it be safe to dig up the two that have and move them out temporarily whilst I do better bed preparation for the next lot I try? The 6 I planted the previous year are all OK. They only had 1 spear each, which I left alone, but just this week have all started sprouting more. Next Spring, when hopefully they start to come up again, I shall cut the first spears from each plant, then leave any more that come up later on. Is that correct please?
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thanks for clearing that up dont think i will plant the native ones as they do throw runners i will see if i find plants or seeds for alpines time to ring my son hes shop floor manager of the local wye vale ;)which comes in handy
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Can I assume that the other 4 are not going to do anything at all :-\ Hmm..they should have shown signs of growth now..I would think them as gone.
As it is so dry now and and plants are under stress enough as it is..I would leave the 2 successful ones alone for now. Once the top growth is died down for the winter (late autumn)..then lift the crowns.
But..if you are going to move them..then I would not cut any spear next year yet...those 2 are like 'new' plants then..and need to estabish themselves into new position again.
As for others..if the spears look strong and thick enough for eating..yes, for next years harvest..but any on thin side, and if there is more than odd one, leave them be and ideally then I would leave the crown alone for another year.
Don't forget to give 'spring dressing' of general purpose fertilizer..like chicken pellets, before the growth start..that way your plants have energy to put good growth on.
For first harvest..yes,..just cut few and see how the plants perform..if they happen to push load of harvestable spears..do cut more than just few...but always leave odd one to develop to proper plant...that way you don't over do it and and you get better reward following years... ;)
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i will see if i find plants or seeds for alpines If you struggle..let me know..I can harvest some seeds from mine... ;)
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thanks for the offer i might take you up on it if my son does not come up trumps ta