[adri]

Hi

I have 20 or so Gijnlim crowns to plant.  Some web pages suggest planting with the tip of the crown at soil level but others suggest burying the plant under 4" of soil.

Which is correct???

Thanks in advance.

Adri

[New shoot]

I'd suggest a combination of the two 

Seriously, if you have compost or manure to mulch with, I would put the crown tips at surface level and build up a couple of inches of mulch over them.  They need to feel the warmth of the sun to get going, so unless your soil is really sandy, I would not bury them as deep as 4 inches.

They are greedy feeders and need to bulk up over the first couple of years, hence suggesting replacing the soil covering with something a bit richer.  Any extra goodies offered pay dividends in my experience 

[Longshanks]

I just planted 12 crowns with their tips near the surface. I felt a bit sorry for them with this bout of colder weather hitting us, so I spread some compost over them to keep them warm. Probably rubbish, but made me feel better.

[Potterer]

Longshanks, I’ve just done exactly the same! Little bit anxious about my lovely new plants- they have to last a long time!

[sunshineband]

I'd suggest a combination of the two 

Seriously, if you have compost or manure to mulch with, I would put the crown tips at surface level and build up a couple of inches of mulch over them.  They need to feel the warmth of the sun to get going, so unless your soil is really sandy, I would not bury them as deep as 4 inches.

They are greedy feeders and need to bulk up over the first couple of years, hence suggesting replacing the soil covering with something a bit richer.  Any extra goodies offered pay dividends in my experience 

I made the mistake of planting too deeply when I made a bed some years ago and it was never a great success
 Older and wiser, I have take New Shoot's advice this time around (Her's is very productive!), so this is how I have planted mine a couple of weeks ago. The extra mulch over the top will gradually break down and I shall replace it each year with more when I empty the compost bins or have well rotted manure
I also dug in some sand to lighten the soil, which is fairly heavy clay here, and added some seaweed meal for them

[Snowpea]

I planted my asparagus well over 20 years ago but I do remember I covered the crowns so that the buds were just below the surface, almost breaking through. I also remember I used a soil/compost/old manure mix when I planted them.