I've just read, that if I plant my asparagus crowns now, that it will take up to 3 years before I can expect a crop. Is this true.
And how many spears can I expect from an asparagus crown.
Certainly three from seed... I thought two from crowns... I get three or four from each crown before I leave them alone... with two dozen crowns that is getting on for 100 good thick spears!
8)
So many differing opinions.
Read between the lines of -
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8002.html & the like.
It is said - somewhere - that you get 1/2 lb from a crown.
I've never counted how many I get from each crown (planted as bought one year olds five years ago), though I have noticed that some crowns do better than others - but I'm sure that between late April and mid June it is more than three or four. I'm guessing eight each from most of the 20 crowns.
The ones I planted were left alone in the summer of their first year, lightly "sampled" in their second year, lightly harvested their third year, and go berserk now.
I'm still letting mine build up roots as I had to transplant them...
::)
I have a raised bed under construction for my asparagus.
Its 2ft wide and 10ft long.
When i get 5 min i will dig out a spades dept and back fill with horse muck, its fresh and if i lthis eave it to the elements over winter i should be able to top the raised bed with compost and plant my Asparagus seed In the spring.
found this link helpful.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/asparagus1.html
As this bed is just asparagus i plan to plant marigolds ( will help fight asparagus beetle ) and i might pop some tomatoes as well as its a good companion plant.
Althouth its been sugested that planing comfry (comfry dies back as the asparagus comes to life) would be useful.
Cambourne7