Asparagus in a raised bed..Advice needed please

[JimS]

Having decided to, finally, make room for Asparagus, I'd like to put up a raised bed for it.

I have had a look at, perhaps, using the 'Square Foot' method but, to me it seems too close for the bed to produce over the longer term. I know that Asparagus like to spread out a bit over time.

Has anyone tried it at all?

The information out there is quite confusing to say the least. Everyone it seems has a different idea on spacing required.

My thoughts are to put up a 2ft deep bed, spacing the plants a foot apart and 18" between the rows.

For 30 crowns, that should give me a bed 6' by 10'

I'd appreciate any advice or feedback or ideas even..

Jim

[Kristen]

I have a lazy raised bed (no wooden sides, just sloping shoulders). Heavy clay here, so even raised a few inches helps drainage. I planted the crowns on a bed of sand too. I have a double-row in my raised bed which is 4' wide (in practice the rows are about 18" apart, but on the "outside" the plants clearly have the whole width of the path to themselves too).

Asparagus are big plants, nothing is going to grow near them ...

Joy Larkcom says single or double row (12" apart) with at least 3' between rows with 12"-15" between plants.

Some pictures of planting etc. on my blog in case of interest:
http://kgarden.wordpress.com/project...table-patch/3/

[Mark Lottie]

great blog Kristen, i'll be planting a load of asparagus seed this year too, franchi packs have about 250 seeds in each one.

If you put more than one seed in a pot did you thin them out ?

cheers

[JimS]

Hi Kristen,

Thanks for that. It's always interesting to see how others implement their ideas. It looks like your bed is very productive. How have you been able to cope with weeds and such?

I like the idea of a lazy bed like yours, but am constricted by the size and position of my 1/2 plot.

Moles are a big problem in the beds, as it is situated next to open land that is not worked. I shall probably end up having to put chicken wire on the bottom of the bed to stop the little so and so's from thinking they are in Mole heaven..


Jim

[Bacchus]

Some pictures of planting etc. on my blog in case of interest:
http://kgarden.wordpress.com/project...table-patch/3/

It's a fantastic blog - It should be a sticky on this site somewhere for inspiration!

[Kristen]

It's a fantastic blog - It should be a sticky on this site somewhere for inspiration!

you are too kind

If you put more than one seed in a pot did you thin them out ?

I sowed them in a small seed tray / container, pricked them out, potted on to 9cm, 1L and finally 2L, and then left them outside for the winter (I was advised that they would be fine even if the pots froze, it was a cold winter and all survived, so I guess the advice was OK!) and planted the following Spring.

How have you been able to cope with weeds and such?

Weeds are a pain in asparagus beds. Not really possible to hoe as the roots are very shallow, so only hand weeding. I don't have any pernicious weeds in my bed, thankfully, so its only what gets blown & sown there ... which is a surprising amount, sadly.

I have covered the bed with Mypex for the Winter, which will stay on until the spears appear in early Spring, which will help give the weeds a hard time - I hope! - and I'm also contemplating putting a (permanent) narrow strip of Mypex down the middle of the double-row (clear of where the spears come up) to reduce the weeding.