This may be a little bit sad on my part to be so excited.......... but two years after planting my asapragus crowns I have just had my first crop, albeit three spears for my tea. And I have to say they were fat, sweet and very very good. Having eaten them though I think I should have immortalised them by taking a picture.
Okay I'll stop now as I am really getting to be a bit anoraky about the whole thing!
;D
don't worry, another anorak here...../ shades x
Hey I love em, and anoracks too XX Jeannine
Me too. Best veggie of all! (Apart from peas, perhaps?)
Four pickings so far. But Nick, with a plot further up, had half a carrier bag full the other day!
Suzanne, did you grow from seed or plants?
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments_Vegetables_asparagus.html
I grew from plants, put them in 2004. I was a little woried about taking a crop last year so restrained myself - just.
Since planting I have had yearly enquiry from neighbours who have been waiting for the first crop as well. As I planted 20 crowns I think they may be in luck!
Don't you like asparagus very much then, Suzanne? We've got 20 crowns as well - no-where near enough! I've already decided to put another 10 in the next bed and am eyeing up the one after that. Bet you don't have too many spears left over!
We're off to the PYO tomorrow morning - their asparagus season has just started. Three fields, each bigger than a football pitch! Sheer pornography!!! :) :) :)
suzanne i dont know if your plants were 1 or 2 year old crowns, but either way i wouldnt pick to many this year,by being prudent now you will reap the benefits in future years.
Looks like it's best to only lightly pick them this year then.....ah well, I'll stick to two or three spears from each crown.
I am not sure of the potential yields from 20 crowns, they are Grolim an all male type and I am sure the blurb said something like 15lbs - I was hoping for about 10 lbs at least when into full production. If not looks like I will be planting another bed up as well.
Mine are Grolim as well. Plant another bed (or 3!).
We had 12 crowns I think - 2 different types, one dutch I think and the other CC (can't recall at mo the rest of the names - reaches for catalogue! Connover's Colossal). The dutch type is either Grolim or Backlim.
Sorry to jump in but does the bed have to be kept weed free?
well i hand weed mine regularly
Took my first picking today, having been away for ten days, and got a heavy carrier bag from 20 plants put in 5 years ago, also Dutch all male plants. They were gigantic! Convulvulous has got into the bed, sadly, but it is fairly easy to keep on top of it as the soil is soft and crumbly (and rather dry, but no water available).
Ours is up and will be eaten for tea tomorrow! Try to keep as weed free as poss., got couch in mine when I was poorly and lost two years by having to dig them all out and re-establish...
:'(
Quote from: saddad on April 20, 2007, 23:35:23
... got couch in mine when I was poorly and lost two years by having to dig them all out and re-establish...
Couch - pah! kid's stuff - just don't let the raspberries get in! I heeled some in and forgot about them, and same as you had to dig up the entire bed and re-plant the asparagus.
Had first meal of mine tonight too.
I bought 3 crowns from wilkinsons in March (yep, that's all!!!). I planted them, each crown had a spear each. The spear has now withered away, is that what was supposed to happen?? Looks like I am going to need some more. How close can I plant them?
Re = weeding, best do it by hand because asparagus has fairly shallow roots.
Planted 6 last year and they got to about 18" high and this year they are gone :-[ ???
Andy,that is odd. They usually grow to 5 feet and bush out into huge ferns,so I suspect that they didn't grow large enough to have the nourishment in the greenery to feed the roots below for the following year. Did you by any chance pick the shoots?
XX Jeannine
No we didn`t pick any. Another plot holder said they will die back and return the following year but there is no sign of them.
Becky has just done some from seed so we will plant them out this year and hope.
Maybe the weeds got them? I may move the bed to a better part of plot and really dig out all weeds first.
Andy, they may just be slow,and yes they do die back and come back but they do need the nourishment from the tall plants to do so. I would wait,or very carefully scrape back the soil and take a look at the roots,I think you will see activity if they are OK. If no activity I would test to see if the root is green or shrivelled. Good Luck XX Jeannine
My row of Connovers is very patchy, some good strong spears , some very weedy and some come up and just die back. this is their second year in - I have been watering them as we have had no rain for weeks, but do you think a liquid feed would help? If so , which one?
spent ages last night digging my asparagus bed.
Half dug but this is the plan.....
Down a spades dept inside a mini rased bed ( 2ft by 10ft ) once its dug i plan to add a bag of sand and then 2 wheelbarrows of horse manure (fresh unfortunalty ) and then i have one 95 ltr bag of well rotted manure i am going to scatter over the fresh stuff, That should fill the spades dept of soil i have taken out.
Then i should be able to top off the raised bed with compost and leave for a week of two before planting in the 10 apspagus seedlets i have from last year and scatter in the asparagus seed.
Cambourne7
Andy I would wait a bit yet. Some of my mine are up now and others aren't. I'm actually amazed to have any this early. Normally it would be May rather than now.
mines just a bed of soil - nothing to be seen :'( :'( :'( :'(