Asparagus - Grow Your Own Wants Your Advice!!

[Lesley Jay]

Grow Your Own is looking for your advice on growing asparagus. What are your top tips on growing and maintaining an asparagus bed and just how do you get a bumper crop from this short season vegetable? Which variety do you grow and are you happy with its flavour?

The best will be published in the March edition of Grow Your Own. So come on all you asparagus growers!! This will be a big plug for the Grapevine plus you might have your advice published.

[pigletwillie]

To grow the best asparagus there is only one watchword,

"preparation, preparation and more preparation"

It is essential that the bed these plants go in is totally clear of perenial weeds of all persuasion and preferably as many annual ones too. Bear in mind this is a crop that doesnt like competition, doesnt like having disturbance and will be in place for twenty years plus. If you prepare the ground by weeding and feeding with as much manure and compost as you can get, and then some more it really is a simple crop to grow.

Plants are best bought as 1 year old crowns and planted in staggered rows 18" between plants and rows, with the roots spread out over slight ridges and then back filled.

Do not cut any spears the first year, only have a taste the second and give it large in year three until the middle of June at the latest.

The old ferns that result fom unharvested spears should be cut down when they start to yellow in December and a good layer of manure or compost added as a top dressing.

[jlottie]

Nice one Piglet, think that just about covers everything. Wish I could remember which variety I planted though This is now year 4 and looking forward to the harvest.

[Mrs Dobby]

We were fortunate enough to find a full bed of asparagus underneath the weeds on the plot we took over last year, fortunately we were warned it was there, otherwise it may well have become a casualty of the clearing that we had to do!

Fortunately for us it's now been there for 3 years, so should be ready for a good crop, but when we got to the bed after clearing the rest of the site it was to find it very overgrown, so we have been weeding it carefully by hand, (a bit laborious when its a 12' by 6' bed, but hopefully worth it in the long run!) in the hopes of not disturbing it too much for the coming years! Once we finish clearing the bed and reinstating the covering on the ridges, then we are planning on mulching wiht some well rotted compost, and hopefully we'll have some sort of a crop this summer!

[NOG]

I agree with Piglett but would add cut them with a sharp knife just below the surface of the soil. Try not to disturb the roots as they are very fine.

[wellie]

And watch out for Slugs, who think Asparagus Spears are JUST as delicious as we do ! And keep an eye out for the Lily Beatle, who attack the spears. These pests should be picked off once noticed, and destroyed.
Wellie

[nick the grief]

The only thing I know about Asparagus is that it makes your pee smell

[Lesley Jay]

They aren't going to print that Nick!! - Guru indeed!!

[nick the grief]

They might if someone doesn't want smelly pee it's invaluable

[Lesley Jay]

Right - tell you what. I will send your advice to Craig and let's see if it is published!!

[nick the grief]

Suprise you if it was wouldn't it

[Helen Tudor]

consider it done-ha ha ha

[Lesley Jay]

Helen don't encourage him!!! Please!!

[Nicos]

Asparagus should not be cropped until their third year to encourage the plants to throw out plenty of roots. Taking the odd one from the strongest plants during their second year is probably more realistic for those of us who have less self control!
Spears can be cut just below soil level or twisted off, preferably in the mornings as sunlight affects the flavour slightly.
Cropping only until the longest day will give the plant time to recover for the following year.

PS - it makes your pee smell :O

[pigletwillie]

What, picking it?