Beginner Gardening: 2nd year asparagus, I'm so confused!, 1 by scarletbean

scarletbean wrote:
Gardadore, you are the best! Thanks for the great advice. I had to make a joke about pouring milk on the asparagus, since they needed calcium! Lol!

So, I have not been feeding my 3rdyear plants, but do mulch in fall with homemadecompost and leaves. last year I had nice plump asparagus spears and lots of them the 1st week of May. I stopped harvesting at the middle of may and let them grow. They did get 4-5 feet tall and ferny,and flopped over. I use those funeral wreath holders to stake them and they seemed very happy and healthy. I was disappointed that what came up this year is so sparse and skinny. Not even worth snapping and eating. I will use the links you provided and read up.
I say these are 3 yrs old because I planted them 3 years ago. The crowns said they were 1 year old. So really they are 4yrs right? I still waited the extra year to harvest,(even though the package said I could lightly harvest that following spring) so they would get some growing energy and experience. this pic is from the 1st spring after fall planting. I was so excited! I passed the supermarket asparagus up with a smug little smile, thinking.."next year I will have my own asparagus and won't pay these exorbitant prices." Perhaps my thready spears this year are teaching me humility. haha : P