Growing asparagus in the south (what to do for winter?)

I have about 200' of purple asparagus I planted from bareroot this past spring which have sprouted out in bunches & are all about 6-10 feet tall ferns now and most are as round as a quarter or bigger. I didn't know they would sprout in bunches like that! I still have new shoots sprouting that are taller than me in a few days here and there although most have been around for months.

Anyways, I'm in zone 9, south Louisiana. We always get frosts & a couple light freezes, but rarely under 27 or 28. Will my asparagus die off at all? How do you make them dormant in the deep south so they will be ready to resprout and harvest in the spring?

Next spring I will have them in the ground for only a year, but they were 2-year old bareroots... should I be able to get a decent harvest next year since they are nice and fat - or should I leave them alone a whole 'nother year?

I'm confused as to when or if they will die back on their own at all and what to do with them over winter, it's especially hard to find info on them relating to growing them in the south.

I know what you mean about trying to find good growing info when we live in the south. Most of what I know I "learned by doing"

Anyways, here's what I do know:

Wait until the fronds have turned brown, then cut them down. As they die back, the green stalks feed the crowns for next year's asparagus.

Feed them in the early spring, if you don't you'll only get skinny stalks. Someone here in Daves Garden said they like Bone Meal.

Many of my asparagus died the first winter - either because they were not planted deep enough (I thought because they have "crowns" the crownes should not be below ground - I later found out that they need to be set 6" deep) - or, because the frost killed them.

This winter, after I cut back the brown fronds, I plan to pile leaves on the bed to protect them from frost.

Hopefully someone else will offer more advice - I know I need some, too :)

If it can be grown in zone 9, I surely want to know about it. I love it but never tried to grow it because I thought it was a northern crop.

twiggybuds - I didn't think asparagus could be grown in zone 9, either, but I know so little about growing it, that I could be wrong.

Head of LSU vegetable department suggested I grow a row a couple years ago. Most of the south has acid soil, while we have slightly alkaline soil which asparagus is a wierd plant and likes this. Definitely planted them deep enough... just wonder if they will stay dormant when we start warming up after frosts are if you need to put some kind of chemical on them down here in winter (looks like I heard something like that before.

I even got some yellow raspberries to grow down here, July and August were rough, but they made it & are like 10' tall needed new support right now!

You lucky thing! I just read about your location on the market forum and there's just no way I could ever get those conditions here. I have acidic sand loaded with nematodes. Asparagus sounds like a no-go for me.

What kind of raspberries you got? I surely need to check that out. I'm fixing to go on a spending spree for black berries, muscadines, persimmon, pomegranite and some of those new Evie strawberries. My plums and figs failed me this year and I'm not going to take it any more. I couldn't even get enough to make a batch of jam.

I got 1-year old "Anne" raspberries bareroots, a couple died, but 80% made it through 95-100 degrees all June with high humidity and are full of flowers again now. They are pale yellow, almost white, and the bugs totally leave them alone. I just restrung them to get out of the dirt as any little dust shows up alot on them though.

I bet that variety is something new and you'll sell all the berries you can make since raspberries are still rare so far south. I just got a satsuma named St. Anne that was developed by LSU. I think I'll check their site to see what's new since their recommendations work very well for me. They're doing some wonderful work with breeding and trialing stuff for market and home gardens.

If you're going to mulch your asparagus, why not use their own fronds? I like them as a winter mulch.

Do you really think they will require mulch? For the cold? To retain moisture?

In the northern climates they grow as a perennial. In MN there were patches growing wild and they received no additional mulch. Are the southern cultivars more tender? I would be afraid the mulch would retain too much moisture and cause root rot.

I have a bed of Purple Passion that is about 15 years old. Part is partial shade (not good...spindly shoots. The rest gets a fair amount of sun in the afternoon. I pick the shoots in early spring up until around the end of May. Sometimes I cut back the fronds in the winter, sometimes I throw a little fertilizer in the bed, sometimes I water. Mostly just neglected. Plan to do some weeding this winter. I have heard of old abandoned homesites where the only things left growing were old fashioned roses and asparagus.

I stopped cutting stalks around the end of May. A couple of weekends ago, I weeded the bed, and piled on some almost-finished compost. Once all the fronds have turned brown, I'll cut them down and cover the bed with leaves. The I'll tell them bye-bye until early spring, when I'll give them some fertilizer.

Asperagus grows here. We are frost free so they have to be forced into dormancy by withholding water. They don't need cold, they need a dormant period.

I want to try raspberries here but haven't had any luck finding someone to ship during our planting season(fall/winter).

http://www.willisorchards.com/product/Anne+Yellow+Raspberry+Plant

They start shipping these in Nov. I was looking at this site last year and they ran out of some of my wants by January so I don't have any experience ordering from them. The Anne raspberry is rated for zone 8 and I"m in 8b. I've learned over the years to not order stuff unless it's rated for zone 9 or higher because most of them stretch the truth. I'm really very tempted and might try a couple. They have good prices on most of their stuff and a good selection. I need to check them in the Watchdog.

Their GWD rating is terrible. I found that company back in the summer because they shipped raspberries and strawberries in the fall. I was afraid to order, even though their prices seem pretty good.

So, I suppose I should get some visqueen and cover 'em when it rains after I cut 'em back until spring??????

I think I got the raspberry from gurney's & planted it in Feb.? My only concern since they've made it through the heat & are still producing is if it needs so many cold hours this winter for next year & got that before they were shipped to me bareroot - could I end up with raspberries this year & nothing but vines next???

That Willis Orchard site I linked above says Anne works for zone 9 which is why I wanted them. LSU says raspberries aren't recommended for LA and that means me too. I'm hoping for once they got it wrong. I haven't ordered from Gurney in years and will have to check them out.

Texas A & M said that they will grow in south Texas with lots of mulch for summer time but were iffy for us in the Rio Grande Valley.