Is there any such thing as a slightly simpler way to plant asparagus than the traditional "dig a trench 18 inches deep, add six inches of compost, then six inches of top soil. Plant the crowns and cover with a few inches of soil. As the plant grows continue to fill in the trench. . ." I wouldn't whine, but, my husband just deployed with the Red Cross to the flooded areas of the northeast, leaving me with a new garden and no less than 40 asparagus crowns. That's a lot of ditch digging. I'd appreciate any options. . .
Is planting asparagas really such a chore?
I dearly wish I could help you but one would think some one out there could at least say yes or no to your question or is there no one of all DG members that does grows asperugus?
This message was edited Apr 22, 2007 9:38 PM
I think all of the stress with planting that you described is because it is going to be a more permanent bed. This bed needs to be able to produce for years, so it might be worth the effort to plant it in the correct manner. I apologize as I don't know of an easier way to plant it though.
Agree. It's a pain, but worth doing right when you consider how long it'll be around. This is my asparagus bed getting prepped last spring. I had a little help.
crzymom, some years back Rodale did some research on whether or not it was necessary to "dig deep and wide" for planting asparagus. The end result was that the plants did just fine when planted as little as 4 inches deep as long as they were well fed yearly.
Asparagus roots really did downward in an ongoing search for water (as well as outwards). However, in the process of growing wider each year they also tend to grow upwards; this means that you should add approximately an inch of compost, soil/whatever each year on your plants to allow that upward growth to not be hindered. In the process of doing this you also create a great well-drained area for them to continue growing (asparagus really suffers from too much wetness as they are very susceptible to root rot and crown fungus if there is too much standing water).
I, like many others, planted mine in deep trenches (I had a tractor to do the hard work!). However, my Daughter's Godmother planted hers shallowly and I see no difference in our two crops each year.
They are fairly heavy feeders but prefer a balanced plant food as the root growth must grow at a rate to keep up with the top growth. A bit of nitrogen along with some potassium will do them justice. Good compost will give you both those ingredients. As as you probably already know, as much sun as possible will make them happy.
Happy Growing to you. And God bless that hubby of yours and his Red Cross partners! Glad they are there to help out those folks.
Shoe
edited to say:
Zeppy! Great pic!! Love it!!! :>) It makes me smile after a very long, tiresome day!
This message was edited Apr 22, 2007 9:46 PM
that's a lot of asparagus! south of kansas city where i live the stuff grows like a weed
it will also spread and take over your whole garden if you let it go to seed. the oldtimers here hunt it and the wild onions. i have a plant at my place and a neighbor
just stopped by earlier to see if had recovered from the frost we had a week or so ago. it grows by a fence post where i dont mow, thats why it is still alive. personally
I'd just dig a small hole stick it in the ground and let it go! be sure and check it every day, cause that stuff grows fast and you want to get it when it's tender. otherwise its
about like a small tree or shrub. I would guess conditions would be similiar in IN,
when i was a kid my dad had an aparagus patch about 40mi from here, we had 6 in our family and all loved asparagus but we couldn't keep up with it. if you decide to do all that pampering, I'd suggest that you quit your day job, cut it every 4 hrs and can it or sell it to green giant or something!ha!
Shoe, glad to see your post for the lady, and zeppy and Jess too, upset me no one came to the rescue.
Howdy, Maria...
Sometimes it takes me a while to get around to the various forums these days. Have been busier than a cow's tail in fly season here; when I finally take time to sit in front of the computer I seem to space out from time to time. :>0
Hope all is well your way and that Spring is in the air (or at least a peek at it coming!).
Happy growing, everyone!
Shoe
When I planted mine, I think I did everything wrong. I just made a raised bed box about 4' x 4' and burried them. They have done quite well, surprisingly.
I only planted 9 crowns and this is the 3rd year, I am getting enough for DH and & I , with a few to freeze.
I do feed and water them regularly. They just seem to want to grow, regardless of me and my clumsey efforts. Can't be too hard.
Peggie, where'd you get yours? Mine came from Nourse Farms (with extensive instructions and this gel pack you soaked the roots in to make them retain moisture after planting) and they are coming up thick as a kids' marker. I agree, they've done much better than I expected.
Dreading that asparagus beetle, though.
Many thanks to all. . .I am quite a bit less overwhelmed with the whole asparagus thing, thanks to you. I know it sounds like a lot of asparagus, but, my family could eat it with every meal, and my husband, bless him, loves to cook it. I'm going to try the shallower planting and see what happens. . .I don't have chickens to help tho, darn it! crzymom
Zeppy~ I just have to comment on the photo you put in your post. I LOVE IT. I laughed so hard when I saw it. That is the cutest picture. I bet there was tons of dirt between those little toes at the end of the day. LOL I like to scrapbook and I am thinking of so many cute pages you could make. Thanks for sharing, it brightened my day!!
Thanks, Lissy. The poor baby couldn't understand why the hens wouldn't give back the worms they took from her hand. :)
thanks for all the good info. I'm starting a patch now with 10 plants or roots or whatever. I received them in the mail about a month ago and was going to throw them out because of too much work. Then I decided to try it. I put them in the frig a week or 2 ago. I just dug a spot and may get around to planting them in a few days. Think they will still grow? I guess we'll see, thanks again.
In the springtime a deep trench around here might be way too wet for the roots. So I opt for some shallower set. I have raised most of my plants from seed and I do not go real deep for the same reason.
Loved reading your posts here :-)
and LOVED the pic of the little angel and the chickens!!
My ex-MIL used to grow asparagus in a bed in Nebraska, though I wasn't around when she started it, and I don't have a clue what went on during growing season, etc. as we were in Texas.
My present (and LAST!) MIL planted some last year. I have no clue HOW she did it, because I wasn't here. However, based on my observance, it's unlikely she made ANY trenches anywhere here, nor anything deeper than 4 inches.
Now my question is this: If she planted them last year, from crowns, should we be harvesting THIS year? or next?
Because from where I'm sitting... it's fern-city out there. It's almost engulfed our whole garden in ferns. She swears we're not supposed to even THINK about harvesting this year. The whole thing is ferny and covered in berries (seeds). Beautiful, but thinking... if we COULD be harvesting, SHOULDN'T we be?
Weeelll, once they're ferning up you don't want to eat them anyway. Plus, they're making energy for a bigger crop next year. If you ate all the spears that came up, there wouldn't be anything to grow the next spring. I planted last spring, but didn't even harvest this year. Next spring I'll harvest for two or three weeks, then let the spears get ferny. The following year, I'll harvest for three or four weeks. Etc.
Those ferns are pretty, aren't they?
Cool. Thanks, Zeppy!
That makes total sense. I just have never grown them, and the MIL is kinda being secretive, if you know what I mean--lol!
So next year... hmmmmm still not sure WHEN we're to know it's time to harvest.
GREAT explanation, Zeppy!
Next year, in the spring, when the spears start to emerge, you can harvest a few. You eat them when they look like the spears you get at the supermarket. The tips should be tight and not opening up yet. The ones you don't harvest, open up into ferns. The stems get hard and woody. They're only good to eat when they are tender and young.
well duh... thanks, Jen.
Assuming now that these will all die back in the fall then?
And that we will we need to cut it all back when things look completely dead then?
Oh good grief... I'm sorry. But I DO love asparagus and would love to get to be a good asparagus grower...
thanks for your patience, all!
(and hoping my silly questions might help someone else too...)
Cajun2, yes, the ferns will brown up in the fall and you can cut them to the ground at that time. I add a layer of compost too. I love that asparagus is a perennial vegetable. It was my first veggie ready to eat this spring, what a treat! We love asparagus in my family and we would never have too much!