FIRST YEAR ASPARAGUS

[Jokerman]

Just wondering if anyone has some pics of 1st year asparagus, mine doesn't look too great... i know you can't pick for 3 years but don't wanna wait that long to find out it's no good... :)

[Jokerman]

[gwynnethmary]

I planted 6 crowns in March, and had almost given up on ever seeing anything emerge.  However, during the last couple of weeks skinny spears have popped up one by one.  They're growing taller (tallest about 12" now and are starting to look fern-like.  They look healthy, although are spindly.  I'll take a photo and put it on this thread to compare with yours.

[nilly71]

It's not a very clear picture as croped the giant pumpkin picture.




There's 3 or 4 spears out of each of the 10 crowns i planted and they are about 3'-4' high. I've used bamboo  canes to make a simple frame to support them.

Neil

[gwynnethmary]

Three or four!  I only have one from each one (well, one of them has two!)

[Trevor_D]

Sorry, no pictures - but it is a LONG-term crop. Don't expect anything exciting this year or next, because it's building up enough strength to produce spears for 30-plus years before it starts a gradual decline in cropping!

[Jokerman]

how do you upload pics?  ???

been on here for about 2 years and still don't know...... I must be thick!!!

[jennym]

I grew my asparagus from seed, it took 3 or 4 years for a crop. They are so tiny and fragile looking when they start!
I don't see the need for canes to support them, but would definitely use canes as markers by each plant, because when they die down in winter, they disappear and its so easy to forget where they are when you're maybe attacking some weeds in the winter months.

[nilly71]

Jenny,
I used vertical canes at the end's and middle then tied them together with horizontal canes, just to stop them from being blown over on my wind plot. You can see what an angle they are at in picture two.

Neil

[gwynnethmary]

how do you upload pics?  ???

been on here for about 2 years and still don't know...... I must be thick!!!

http://tinypic.com/?t=postupload

This is how I do it.

[macmac]

We sometimes "rope ours off"but it's not really support.
Patience is the key ours are a few years old ,last year was a fantastic crop ,this year not so good .Next year ....
Beware the beetle !Pick em off ans squish em  ;)

[jennym]

Oh crumbs Neil, if it's that windy there then can understand why you do it. Don't seem to get affected so much here, occasionally the older ones, when they get very tall flop over a bit but theres of many of them now I don't do anything with them.
One thing I meant to say is the dreaded asparagus beetle is about now here, picking them off and squishing them will control them (put a white cloth on the ground below the plants cos the beggars drop to avoid capture) and the larvae need squishing too, also the eggs which look like small black dots of dust up the stems. They can really nibble away at the foliage seriously if uncontrolled.

[nilly71]

One thing I meant to say is the dreaded asparagus beetle is about now here, picking them off and squishing them will control them (put a white cloth on the ground below the plants cos the beggars drop to avoid capture) and the larvae need squishing too, also the eggs which look like small black dots of dust up the stems. They can really nibble away at the foliage seriously if uncontrolled.

I thought it was my eyes playing tricks when the sudenly disapeared when i tried to squash them. I'll look for the black eggs.
Thanks for the info.
Neil

[Jokerman]

[Jokerman]

Got it to work..... :)

many thanks, Gwynethmary..........

I put in ten crowns... any idea how much I can expect off those when they start cropping?  ;D

[jennym]

... ten crowns... any idea how much I can expect off those when they start cropping? 

Lots of sources say between half and one kg per plant. But asparagus spears are pretty light, so thats a fair few spears. You only crop for about 8 weeks, but I get enough to eat fresh a couple fo times a week, but also I freeze a fair bit for future use, usually enough to completely fill one freezer drawer full by the time I finish picking (soon) and thats from an area roughly 10ft x 12ft, not sure how many plants are in there.