Author Topic: Asparagus? (Read 1340 times)

Hit or Miss · « **on:** March 04, 2011, 03:10:54 AM »

I have two bags of asparagus crowns to plant and know nothing about the process! What is your recommended method of starting a bed? We have pretty nice black dirt that grows plentiful gardens with a little help from compost and mulch. I'll be breaking some buffalo grass sod to plant the bed too.

bobg · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2011, 03:48:17 AM »

Lots of good info on line. I never had much luck with asparagus. Planted four rows and only one grew.
Hope you have better luck than i did. I did get a lot out of the one 10 foot row though.

Ranger J · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2011, 05:35:40 AM »

I'll be faced with making a bed soon I guess. My father in law has ordered a couple pf pear trees and some asparagus sets for me for my birthday. It has been a long time since I messed with asparagus. I seem to remember they have to be planted fairly deep and usually don't get big enough to stand a picking until the third year. Guess I will have to get one of my gardening books down. Father in law lives about 80 miles south of me and last night he said he was already planting onions, lettuce, beets and potatoes. My soil isn't dry enough to work yet although we have had three nice days. Supposed to rain this afternoon.

The orange and live trees I have in my basement are blooming their little heads off though! I have to take a small paint brush and go around pollinating them if I want any fruit.

RJ

longwinters · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2011, 11:32:02 AM »

I tried to start a bed 2 years ago. Read up on the process, talked to an asparagus farmer etc....1st year 3 out of 20 crowns came up. It was a cold wet spring and i think they drowned in the trenches. Last year I planted another 15 and about 4 came up. This year I ordered another 25 and hope that maybe 10 will come up.

People around here say it is hard to get a bed started but when you do....if you do.....it is well worth it for years to come. I hope this is the year!

Maybe some here will have pointers.

Long

Drilling Man · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2011, 09:05:29 AM »

You find it growing wild all over in the fields around here, from the birds dropping the seeds. What i did, was to put a stake by the plants, and in the spring i went out and dug up a bunch of plants moveing them into my patch. I planted them at about the same distance they were when i dug them up, and that was about a foot deep. They have done pretty well, considering i don't take care of the patch.

DM

Buckskin · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2011, 09:13:00 AM »

I planted 12 sets last spring and followed the directions on the package. All but 2 came up. We'll see how they are this year, I assume I won't be able to pick this year. And am planning on planting another batch this spring. My mother planted about 20 sets, probably 10 years ago and she has it coming out of her ears every year...

chefjeff · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2011, 04:39:56 PM »

Check gurneys or burpee for some 3 year old crowns if you want a head start. Make yourself a raised bed and put good soil in it . Plant 'em like in a trench. Cut back the fronds a little this year. Next year,don't harvest anything less than pencil size. Cut them slightly below ground level. You can get varieties that are mostly male which is what you want for the spears.The beauty is that they come back year after year. Get some purple ones(they cook green),one of my favorite vegetables.They are so versatile. Try chopped raw in salads. Learn to prepare hollandaise sauce.Bon Appetit.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #7 on:** March 12, 2011, 03:11:42 AM »

They love well rotted horse manure and 10-10-10 fertilizer. And keep out the weeds.
My old asparagus bed is 25+ years old and still producing. My newer beds are the Miller-Certified SuperMale Asparagus ( Miller Nurseries in NY ). These are great plants and do very well in VT.
Can't wait for fresh picked asparagus on toast for breakfast in the morning, but first have to wait for the 3 foot of snow to go away.

Hit or Miss · « **Reply #8 on:** March 13, 2011, 03:51:42 PM »

Do you plant the crowns a foot deep? Sorry to be slow on the uptake.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #9 on:** March 14, 2011, 02:26:40 AM »

My other post wouldn't go through. So here is a short version. Yes, 1 foot is plenty.
If you need more info IM me.

keith44 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2011, 10:05:14 PM »

This past March I planted 12 crowns (two bags purchased from Rural King) of Mary Washington Asparagus. Todays date is 4-15-11, and 4 are up and doing well. I am curious what the rest have planted, and what little detail makes the difference between sucess, and failure. About one week after planting the trench flooded in a 2" rain. I used a garden fork to loosen the soil around the trench enough for the water to drain easily.

Bugflipper · « **Reply #11 on:** April 15, 2011, 02:16:10 AM »

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html
My soil is sandy loam. The area here is high rainfall. That is usually the key with asparagus, you don't want them to drown. If you have clay soil it probably needs sand mixed in with it. If it stays flooded maybe even rock down beneath the roots to promote drainage. Raised beds are also good if you have a clay layer just beneath the topsoil.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5889926_make-sandy-loam-soil.html

keith44 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 21, 2011, 11:11:48 PM »

As of today good friday 2011, I have 10 out of 12 up and growing. My soil is classified as a med/heavy clay loam. Rainfall since 1-14-11 is 16.3 inches.

Hit or Miss · « **Reply #13 on:** April 24, 2011, 05:21:36 PM »

I got it planted finally! Nothing much to show for it yet though, although its only been about two weeks since planting. It is some kind of hybrid, supposed to be able to cut some next year for a short period.

keith44 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 24, 2011, 07:49:17 PM »

best advice I've had on asparagus is to forget it for weeks at a time, just make occasional observations for the first two years.

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2011, 08:05:42 AM »

Once established they should be hardy, I know in the spring lots of knowing folks flock out to the haymeddows/pastures and sectionlines to pick wild asparagus, since the new shoots are small folks go where they historicly been growing, latter on in June watch the plants you missed after they go to seed. and mark it to check next season

In spring while fixing fence to let out cattle, we'd find Morrels when the winter was condusive for morrel growth, also the asparagus and seen other folks go for the puffballs too.

longwinters · « **Reply #16 on:** May 06, 2011, 03:12:57 PM »

I just got some from a buddy that used to be an asparagus farmer. The ones he sent me were entirely different looking than what I have gotten the past 3 years from Gurney. While smaller they were definitely healthier and actually look like they want to grow. The ones I've gotten from Gurneys etc... basically looked flat and dead when I received them.

So I dug out the old ones and put in these new ones. covered them with about 4" of soil and now I'll wait and see.....finally I have hope for growing asparagus.

Long

keith44 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 06, 2011, 08:20:26 PM »

Best of luck with it. I am looking forward to harvesting my own instead of getting some of Dad's or having to buy it

Ranger J · « **Reply #18 on:** May 07, 2011, 12:56:04 PM »

I planted ten crowns this spring. So far I have eight sprouts.Some of the crowns had more than one bud so don't know how many I will eventually get. With all the rain we have been getting they look like tiny snorkels sticking above the mud.

RJ

keith44 · « **Reply #19 on:** May 07, 2011, 07:09:59 PM »

mine too, hope I didn't have any get drowned out, but the rains eroded mud into the trench and three of the smaller ones are now buried. waiting to see...

Hit or Miss · « **Reply #20 on:** May 17, 2011, 03:57:50 PM »

One month and two days later I have sprouts coming up! I was about to give up on it!

keith44 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 17, 2011, 08:47:52 PM »

Quote from: Hit or Miss on May 17, 2011, 03:57:50 PM

One month and two days later I have sprouts coming up! I was about to give up on it!

like I said forget it for weeks at a time

Glad it's coming up for you, last time I looked I had 9 out of 12 sprouting.

JBlk · « **Reply #22 on:** May 27, 2011, 03:40:55 AM »

I read an article written by a master Gardener who stated that he planted two asparagus patches.The first patch he used the deep dig method with the crowns.The second patch was lightly cultivated and planted in seeds.He stated that within three years the patch from seeds was out producing the conventional patch and he highly recommended this method.At the cost and work associated in planting the crowns it might be worth a try.

Ranger J · « **Reply #23 on:** May 27, 2011, 05:30:18 AM »

I planted 10 crowns about 4 inches deep and then the rains came. The garden still looks like a swamp but all ten crowns came up with multiple sprouts per crown. They may be tiny and scrawny looking but they did come up. I just hope in a few years they will look as good as the wild ones growing just down the road in a fence row.

RJ