[sonic]

I've got an eight year old bed of 48 crowns of asparagus on my allotment.  It's great this time of year when they are starting to come through but takes up alot of space for the rest of the year when I can't really do much with the land.  I'm thinking of reducing the bed by a third or a half.  Anybody got any thoughts on this?  I don't believe that I can give away the crowns that I dig up as they root really deeply.

[Rangerkris]

I was given some crowns when i first got the plot and passed them on to someone else, i really do wish i had kept them now.

[Pompey Spud]

Yep...u need shooting. 

 

[PennyS]

Personally, I'd kill for a 48-plant asparagus bed.  I've just put in a bed of 26 and I don't think it's going to be enough. 

It would be a real shame to destroy such an established bed (although I understand your viewpoint), is it worth asking other allotment holders who don't have asparagus, whether they'd like to have a share of your asparagus, in return for you having a bit of their plot?

 

[Trillium]

Or simply offer X amount of roots to whoever wants them and let them dig them up. If the roots don't survive, the people weren't out any money, only a bit of effort. Most gardeners are willing to take that chance.

[sonic]

Personally, I'd kill for a 48-plant asparagus bed.  I've just put in a bed of 26 and I don't think it's going to be enough. 

It would be a real shame to destroy such an established bed (although I understand your viewpoint), is it worth asking other allotment holders who don't have asparagus, whether they'd like to have a share of your asparagus, in return for you having a bit of their plot?

 

Thanks for your response PennyS.  Much appreciated.  This is the dilemma that's going through my mind at the moment that non-asparagus growers will not appreciate.  Twelve months of land tied up for a couple of month's pleasure tops.  I could turn over two or three seasonal crops on the same ground in that time.  However, I really can't see me working a bit of another plot in return for some fresh asparagus - it's a valid co-operative suggestion but unworkable in my allotment I feel.  Am I being mad cutting down my bed or thinking logically?

[Trillium]

Always remember the bottom line - it's what you need that matters. And right now you need other crops more importantly than asparagus so it's a no-brainer what has to go. As I mentioned before, offer it to others to dig out for you, and if there's not response, then get rid of it. As the old saying goes, a bargain isn't a bargain if you can't use it.

[JayG]

I agree with your logic and with Trillium's post; asparagus is a luxury crop which takes up a lot of space (especially 48 of them!) and in terms of weight of crop per square metre it's sadly got to be one of the least productive.

I have a sunken mint pot about a foot away from one of my asparagus plants which I lifted out the other day to repot. All around the hole were these huge asparagus roots on their way to Australia! Nothing like the diminutive little "spiders" you buy as 2-year old crowns and hard to think they would easily survive being dug up and transplanted!

 

[corynsboy]

My Plants have been in a year and I'm digging bits of shallow Asparagus root up over tree feet away from my beds. 

It's a tough one Sonic.  I’ve waited so long for my bed I couldn’t see me ever getting rid of any one on my 20 plants.  However, if they are getting in the way you can dig up half of that bed and still have more Asparagus than you can shake a stick at.  That land that you reclaim will be in pretty good shape too.  It will be full of those soft brown wiggly roots though.
Take a shot, dig them up, it's not like you can't grow some more.