Topic: Asparagus

[busy_lizzie]

Our neighbour two doors down at home, has a large Asparagus Plant (Possibly ornamental?) that has now produced red berries.  Can we collect some of the red berries and grow some from seed.  

This message is at the request of my husband - I said that I had every confidence some one would know. I am betting it could be EmmaJane as she seems to be able to grow most things!   Thank you thank you thank you ;D ;D busy_lizzie  

[Palustris]

Well I am not as photogenic as Emma-Jane, but we grew our Asparagus from seed AND one of the warnings given in the cultivation advice is to not to allow self sown poorer quality plants to swamp the plot I would guess that the answer is yes. Though how you go about it I am not sure. Dry off the berries and remove the seeds and sow in gentle heat in Spring. OR Sow outside now and leave over Winter or try both.

[busy_lizzie]

Thanks very much Eric - much appreciated!  Have passed your info onto my husband. Cheers busy_lizzie  :D

[Mrs Ava]

I have never grown asparagus!  :-/  I shall give it a go tho, altho, it is only me that likes it (like Broad beans!  What is wrong with my family!!)  therefore I would only want a couple of plants.  Now, my lottie neighbour has some and I think they have berries on....hmmmm busy lizzie, I might give it a go to, what have we got to loose!?!   ;D

[gavin]

Mmmm - go for it, Campanula!  Fresh asparagus straight from the plot - worth having the plot for that alone!

You'll have a crop a year earlier if you plant crowns rather than growing from seed - and even then you have to wait 2-3 years!

Good luck - Gavin

[busy_lizzie]

Hello Emmajane, Mike here. Are your asparagus seeds red? and how big have the plants grown? I,m currently into plants for free and fancy a bit of a challenge.

[tim]

EJ - just an opinion, but even for one, I truly believe you'll need more than that.

I mostly grow for my wife ( though I love it - 1/6d for a 10" bundle when I first got a taste) - the others have a bit on occasions - and I know that I don't grow it well - but we have about 15 plants and we only got about 15 generous helpings this year. And some will die or give up? We started with 30. - Tim

[Clivia]

I love asparagus, YUMMY.
Asparagus is very easy from seed, but it has male and female plants, and the female are not much use for the kitchen. They grow mean, thin looking spears. Crowns are usually all male when you buy them.
Grow the plants for a year, then weed out the female plants, usually smaller and they set seed.
Take one spear from each plant in the next year, just as a 'taster'. the following year you can harvest LIGHTLY, then after that the plants are mature and you can take quite a lot from each crown.
Earth your plants up in late winter for better spears.

[Mrs Ava]

Hi Mike, to be honest, the berries are large-ish and more of an orange than red, and I am no good at heights......they are kinda, that high!  :-/  I love growing things for free - especially if it is a challenge, however, it will be yonks before there is any asparagus worth picking.  I shall do it, but I think I shall invest or beg some also.

And Tim, I know, I know, lots of plants, and I guess if there was excess, I could give away wee asparagus parcels to neighbours!  When is the best time to purchase crowns and plant??

;D

[tim]

Dobies despatch their F1 hybrid in early to mid April - Tim

[campanula]

a number of seed catalogues are selling asparagus crowns - think i ordered 20 from edwin tucker. i will expect delivery round about april.
apparantly, somewhere in plot 2, there are some crowns but i have not discovered them yet.

[busy_lizzie]

Hi, Just wanted to say thanks to you all for advice and comments which have all been really helpful as usual.  Husband all fired up now to have a "go".  Will pass on any results when it happens.  LOL  :-* busy_lizzie