Asparagus question...

[kippers garden]

I am thinking ahead to next year....I want to buy some asparagus crowns and i don't know where to start.  I have heard that either male or female are best to buy, but i can't remember which.

I have seen the Asparagus Crowns Green Collection in the dobies catalog but don't know if it would be a good buy or not:   

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Vegetable+Plants/Asparagus+Crowns+Green+Collection+440098.htm

As it's expensive i don't want to make a mistake.  Can anyone help me?

Thanks for any replies

[kippers garden]

[Robert_Brenchley]

Try these people.

http://www.asparagus-in-kent.co.uk/

[sawfish]

yes, definitely asparagus in Kent!

[chriscross1966]

If you can wait an extra year or two then grow your own from seed... they can live in pots for a couploe of years by which time you'll have discovered which are the males and which are the females. You want mostly males with the odd female. The males grow a bit faster and bigger cos they put no effort intpo making berries.... but keep a female or two so that you have your own source of seeds. The spare females can either be given away (or swapped) or else forced for an early crop in the third year while your bed is establishing...

chrisc

[kippers garden]

Are they easy to grow from seed?

[chriscross1966]

Are they easy to grow from seed?

Sowed 100 seeds (99p), got 75 plants of which 68 (after much neglect) survived the winter (outdoors in small pots didn't get watered for months)..... I've certainly found them easy to grow from seed.......
IIRC the variety was UC-72, Premier Seeds do it on ebay (and they've doubled the number of seeds in a pack by the looks of things.....)

chrisc