Inherited asparagus bed. Help please!

[knbsallotment]

I have taken on yet another plot next to my existing ones. That makes 4! The lady I've taken over from told me a particular bed is full of well established asparagus. My problem is that the lady has now moved, and I know NOTHING about asparagus, except that it is tasty! The bed is covered in weeds, and I'm thinking I shouldn't dig it, as I may disturb the asparagus. As I grow organically, therefore won't use weedkillers, is it a case of pulling each weed by hand? Also, what do they young shoots look like? As I don't want to pull them up, and when, roughly, should they be breaking through the soil?

[knbsallotment]

[grotbag]

hi,i always weed by hand,you should be getting shoots aboutt now,ive been cutting mine for 2 weeks.when they come through you cant mistake em for weeds.good luck

[Jeannine]

Don't dig it, you are right you will disturb the roots of the aparagus. I would watch it carefully, the shoots of asparagus poke though the soil and quite quickly reach harvestable  height  I would wait until you see where the roots are before weeding for this year. If you were to leave a shoot it would grow to about 4 feet tall but it would open like a fern.The shoots you want are those starting to grow.If you can visually see nettles, dandlelion etc you can carefully remove them by hand for this year. Cut your aspargus for only about 6 weeks and  don't take any  that are thinner than your thumb, it is also important that you don't take it all as the plant has to collect food reserves from the ferns.At the end of the season let the ferns die down, don't cut them until dry and obviusly had it. Then you can clear you bed of any surplus weeds as you will know were the roots are.

You are very lucky to inherit this,and with care it will bounce back they live 20 years or more. If the shoots are pencil thin don't take them, the root is weak and needs to replenish itself.

Good Luck, oh and you should be seeing them now!!

XX Jeannine

[knbsallotment]

Thanks for the advice. Was panicing slightly! Jeannine - I have to say you are amazing! You know a little bit about everything!

[Jeannine]

No I don't you know , I know very little about  about brassicas, I  simply can't grow onions  or celery, my main crop spuds are always too small ,swedes and turnips never amount to anything for me. I do happen to have a large asparagus bed though which I have put a lot of work in and I have had one most of my life in various parts of the world. XX Jeannine

[grotbag]

whenever you start cutting you should stop sometime in june,i stop in mid june.to allow it to grow and fern up.