Growing asparagus in huge bags

[shushkin!]

I have seen them selling those woven bags and growing asparagus in them
as apart from the usual potatoes. I have grown potatoes successfully in these
bags but not sure about a long haul crop like asparagus.

Has anyone done this and how did they get on?

CHeers

[veggiechicken]

I've been wondering the same thing! There is an offer on this month's GYO mag for a "free" Asparagus growing kit. Three asparagus "Pacific 2000" crowns, a planter bag and 3 packets of veg seeds (worth £15.75 - pay £4.90 postage). Its 2 years until there is a crop and they'll crop for 3 years afterwards.
However, the article about growing asparagus say the plants crop for up to 20 years.
Are we being encouraged to regard the crowns as disposable after 5 years in the bags?
Could they be transplanted then or are they exhausted.
I've never grown asparagus so haven't a clue!

[snuffer]

Asparagus should crop for 20 years and sometimes beyond that. I wouldn't have thought the bags would last that long. I suppose crown could be transplanted to another bag once the initial one started to look a bit tatty.

If you can find room for a few asparagus plants they are well worth growing. There's nothing quite like asparagus straight from the garden and into a pan. Delicious.

[Kaiya]

I've ordered those asparagus, I plan to plant them out and use the bag for something else. Potatoes maybe! I would expect these crowns to last 20 years or so as the variety is sold for normal growing also. I would assume that repotting them every 3 years would set them back?

[solway cropper]

I'm growing asparagus in large containers. Some I've started from seed and some is bought in crowns. The idea is that you crop them for three or four years until the plants become exhausted then simply replace them. If you have a succession of sowings/plantings you should always have asparagus.

Starting off from seed is much cheaper but a longer time before you get a crop.

[SarrissUK]

If you start taking spears in the first two years you'll soon exhaust the plant, maybe that's why they say the plant won't last long. I read up on asparagus before buying mine, and that is the only reason I can see for exhausting a plant that quick. Every site I've read claims a plant can produce for 15-20 years if it's fed and looked after, i.e. stop cutting spears in June and leave the plant to recuperate for the rest of the summer but not take any spear at all until the plant is two - three years old, and then only sparingly.

[Kaiya]

I recieved mine yesterday. The info you get with it is the bog standard T&M veg advice leaflet, no reference to bag growing at all. I shall be putting mine in the ground with the other crowns I have, leaving them for the required 2 years or so, and putting potatoes in this bag.