Asparagus advice please

[poppysocks]

I have tried to grow asparagus on several occasions without success. Initially I chose an area which could get very wet in the winter and have since learned this is not ideal. I changed location to a well drained area but this can get very dry. I would like to give it one final shot and would welcome any advice as to where to plant and what type. Thank you.

[quanglewangle]

Ours is on well drained sandy soil. We get a lot of rain but ground dries out quickly. We mulch with seaweed and washed sand (it doesn't mind a bit of salt but didn't want to overdo it). We also feed it 8.8.8, which we get in big bags and use on more or less everything.
Edit - and wood ash from our stove - end edit

Weeding with tweezers is pain!
Edit Wood ash may be a mistake - see my followup to Snadger's post below

[Muddy_Boots]

I have two rows of Asparagus and will shortly be adding another row when the crowns arrive. Both rows are in soil that drains well and are raised slightly higher that the rest of the plot to also help drainage. I top dress both rows each spring with old compost from tubs and hanging baskets with an addition of growmore fert to add anything that may be missing after weeding both rows. I have a good crop of spears after the first 2 years when I didn't harvest anything as you have to let them create a good root system underground.

[RedRuth]

I have 4 rows at my allotment, Ariane and Mondeo from T&M. Both varieties have done well over the 4 years I've had them. I have good soil on the plot, not too claylike and not sandy but I picked the poorest corner to plant in because it's the most sheltered and I mulch with manure every year, I also give them some growmore in summer after the harvest so they put on some growth - I stop picking after about 6 weeks and let everything grow.
The only problems I've had are with Asparagus beetle (I crush them by hand which is a pretty gross job but I don't want to use pesticide) and last Spring was hot and dry here which damaged some of the spears. I think feeding them and making sure they're reasonably well drained are the key points to get right.

[Snadger]

Ours is on well drained sandy soil. We get a lot of rain but ground dries out quickly. We mulch with seaweed and washed sand (it doesn't mind a bit of salt but didn't want to overdo it). We also feed it 8.8.8, which we get in big bags and use on more or less everything.
Edit - and wood ash from our stove - end edit

Weeding with tweezers is pain!

I have acid soil and I notice you add wood ash which has an alkalising effect. I only have three plants in a herbaceous border, more for the foliage than any thing else and have woodash if needed. Do you use the woodash to add potassium or change the pH?

[quanglewangle]

I have acid soil and I notice you add wood ash which has an alkalising effect. I only have three plants in a herbaceous border, more for the foliage than any thing else and have woodash if needed. Do you use the woodash to add potassium or change the pH?

Oops! Just checked in Guide to Cultivated Plants by Elzebroek and Wind published by CABI - my goto resource on these matters and they say pH 5.9 - 6.5 so wood ash may be making it a bit alkaline. They do OK so I can only assume that the combination of loads of organic mulch and the flushing effect of high rainfall is saving me. Ready, fire, aim, as my boss used to say...

Elzebroek and Wind also say that the ground should be cultivated to 1 meter depth!

[It never rains..it pours]

It should have been ok on dry area in NE England after first year as has roots that go deep. Where they crowns you planted and if so were they from a good source ? Did the crowns die ie not come up or they did and then died the following winter ?

[Mark_Riga]

RHS advie here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-y...bles/asparagus
"It is not fussy about the soil type as long as it is well drained. A pH of 6.5-7.5 is ideal, so more acidic soils may need liming."

So the well drained area may be best but might need a mulch adding each year to conserve water. And when planting incorporate as much organic matter as you can. Also, in the first couple of years that it is getting established, be prepared to water as necessary as well as not harvesting any. I think that asparagus is actually quite shallow rooted which is why hand weeding rather than hoeing is needed.