asparagus

[grotbag]

Hi everyone I am new to this site but have looking in for last year or so have had an allotment for 3yrs now and really enjoy it its only 2mins walk away so i go nearly everyday.Anyhow my question is do i pick the berries of my asparagus and if so when at the moment they are white about size of redcurrant.

[grotbag]

[Icyberjunkie]

Hi grotbag, welcome aboard.  I found this forum quite recently myself having only got my lottie this year and have stayed for everyone is very helpful and friendly.

Ref. the berries.  I inherited a 30' asparagus bed and was given two bits of advice on the berries...
1.  If you leave the berries it encourages Asparagus beetles for the larvae live in them.  This can increase numbers the next season and so more tip damage and later foliage damage weakening the plants
2.  Picking the berries stops seed formation and you should avoid self seeding for the resulting plants are weak and not much good.

I haven't heard or come across anything about picking for consumption but hope that helps.

Iain

[jennym]

You can pick the berries when red if you want to save the seed. I don't think you can eat them.
I have grown asparagus from seed successfully and enlarged my asparagus bed (but it takes 3-4 years).

[john_miller]

If you have these:
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1235048
then you do not need to pick the berries off as the larvae feed exclusively on the stems and foliage. It is most likely that these are what you do have although the ones I have seen tend to be more blue/grey than the picture indicates.
If you have these, and I'm not even sure they are present in the U.K.:
http://www.faunistik.net/DETINVERT/COLEOPTERA/CHRYSOMELIDAE/CRIOCERIS/crioceris_duodecimpunctata_ad01.html
then you will need to remove the berries as the larvae do feed on them.
Many fruits of plants in family Liliaceae contain high levels of toxins. I would not advise eating the berries.

[Icyberjunkie]

Thanks for that John,  I wasn't aware there were two types of these beetles and thankfully have the first.   Should I still be trying to remove them though or is it not worth all the effort?   Iain

[john_miller]

Not worth the effort. The most important cultural control for asparagus beetle is to remove the foliage of the crop plants in the autumn as this reduces the amount of overwintering sites for the adults. You should also completely remove volunteers.
The heaviest crops now come from F₁ hybrids, a 3:1 yield advantage is claimed. When you need to replace your bed you may want to source these types- they don't produce seeds either!

[Icyberjunkie]

Excellent. Thanks for that John and just the answer I was hoping for!!!!  Iain