[VioletSky]

I'm completely new to allotments, so please go easy with me!

I want to plant an asparagus bed in front of my sitting area. Reading up, it sounds like there are only a few months of asparagus harvesting, then nothing. I know this sounds silly but I don't want an ugly bed looking like it's just waiting for winter, because it'll be the most prominent feature in my view.

Also I don't like the big thick spears and would prefer lots of smaller spears. I read somewhere that planting them closer might result in smaller spears.

So my 2 questions are:

1. Can I plant begonias at the edges of the bed just to brighten it up, or will that upset the asparagus?

2. The bed is 4' wide. Can I plant 2 asparagus along the 4' width, so they'll be 16" in, with a 16" gap between each other?

Thanks in advance!

[gillie]

After you finish cutting your asparagus you have to allow the spears to grow up to their full height, so during the summer an asparagus bed looks like a ferny hedge, perhaps three feet high.  This then dies down, going a lovely golden colour, in the autumn. 

Do not plant anything in the bed which will cause root disturbance to the asparagus which has big thick roots, so no digging holes, but I don't think a few hardy annuals sown in situ would do any harm.

Your spacings sound about right.  I think the thickness of the spears depends on the variety and how well fed the bed is.  Quite frankly I would worry about spears being too thick if it should happen!  The spears get thinner as the season wears on.

[Salmo]

You should stop cutting the spears in mid June. Expect the ferms to grow to 5/6 ft high. Cut them off when they turn brown in the Winter.

The ferns will blow over when they get tall which is untidy and can also damage the crowns. Support them with a post at each end and a wire.

[savbo]

That's interesting Salmo, hadn't come across the post and wire suggestion while I've been researching my new asp bed. Do you tie all the fronds to the cane or run a string around the lot? My bed will have a double row so there will be a good 3' width of fronds...

Got the bed finally dug over for the 2nd time yesterday, only a handful of horsetail out this time so hopefully on top of the worst of it, and can keep on top of any more that pop up... and it's dressed with manure to see if any weeds germinate from the dung before I dig it in...then wait til the Kings order arrives...

MS

[harry]

I've inherited an asparagus bed, and when i took over it was a mass of green fern which i recently cut down. My predecessor told me to feed it with growmore and put sea salt on it, but stop harvesting the spears on midsummers day.

[JayG]

Support: I use a cane each end of the row with a string either side of your ferns; you may need more than one level of stringing if your site is windy, particularly if your prevailing winds blow down the length of the rows which can tend to produce a "domino" effect.

As to when to stop cutting spears, what you don't want to do is find out that you've harvested the last spear the plant has got the energy to produce that year, leaving nothing to grow on into ferns. Be guided by how fast the spears are still being produced, if you are down to one spear every 3 or 4 days (per plant) it is time to stop whatever the date is!