When to plant asparagus crowns - spring or autumn?

[starr]

Hi all
I was given some asparagus crowns recently and the pack says you can plant them in spring or autumn but doesn't give any indication whether one season is better than the other. Should I plant them now or wait until autumn? I've never grown asparagus before but I love the stuff so I want it to do as well as possible!

[TonyF]

Put them in now as you wont be able to keep them too well until autumn. And be patient Grasshopper, remember it may be 2 or 3 years before you get a decent crop from them, asparagus is a long term investment in time and patience.

[mps055]

On the topic of planting crowns, I bought 10 crowns at the end of April and planted them according to package directions. Yesterday I still had no signs of life so I dug down a little bit and see that the crowns are still lifeless as the day I put them in. Are they dead? Should I expect anything or is it time to pull them out and see if I can locate some new ones (which isn't likely in this area)? I'm a tad ripped off that I got dud crowns.

[Paulottie]

One problem with asparagus crowns is their tendency to dry out, if there is any delay between arrival and planting - they should be packed in damp peat in a plastic bag. Don't be leaving them baking in the sun when planting; put them in a bucket of water. Generally I'd avoid using the packs you get in garden centres (that can stay on the shelves too long). Much better to order from a supplier.

Being prepared in advance is really important with asparagus. you want well drained, well manured and WEEDFREE land.

As Tony says you must be patiet glasshopper...invest in doing the job right in the first two years and there is 20 fairly hassle free years of harvesting.

[starr]

Hmm...the bag I have looks pretty dry and claims it's good until autumn 2010! I'll remain cautiously optimistic but not get my hopes up too much that the asparagus will come up...

[Paulottie]

Nothing wrong with hoping. You've every chance of success...just don't hang around.

[TonyF]

mps005, just leave them alone, the end of April until now is just a few weeks, for goodness sake, just let them do their own thing, don't try to fiddle with them.