[candygold1]

hi ive just been told that i will have a council allotment very soon and will need to move some asparagus from the private one im at  now, they are only 3 years old so is it possible without damaging them and when is the best time to do so.

[Hamani]

If you absolutley have to I would do it asap before they start to grow again ... but its probably too late for that. Try to keep as much of a root ball as possible too.

TBH from what I've heard its really not worth moving them. They take too much damage.

- Gary.

[gavinjconway]

Leave them as long as you can - if possible into early Spring. Then dig and plant out when you have to and move it. They move very easily - dont worry.

[Trillium]

I agree with Gavin. At 3 years old they're not so big and a little root loss won't hurt them provided they're kept a bit damp and planted asap after moving.

[JayG]

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=101023.msg1136690#msg1136690

You will see from the picture DD posted in the above thread that asparagus roots spread wide as well as deep, but the majority of the all-important feeder roots are relatively near the surface.

As long as you start digging a prudent distance away from the crown and with care you should get most of it out without too much damage because, as has already been mentioned, at 3 years old they won't be fully grown.

For those who really want to know all there is to know about asparagus roots there's a very learned article here, first published in 1927 and featuring real line drawings! 

[candygold1]

thanks very much for all the replies, the wife will be happy knowing that we can move them quite easily, they were the only thing she requested when we got the allotment.

[crh75]

Also I would treat them as 1 year old crowns after you transplant them, ie no picking for a year or two.  Hard I know!

I transplanted some quite old ones when I first got my allotment, most survived.  As yours are quite young I would expect a higher success rate, but be prepared to lose one or two.  Mark the spots where nothing comes up so you know where to put replacements.

[Silkworm]

I would agree with Gavin & Trillium,
I had same problem, had to move allotment and after reading up on this site was dreading digging them out (with story's of 3 foot root balls) to my supprise they were only about 1 foot in diam root ball and managed (with a lot of sweat  ) to dig them all out .
l would give it a go you have nothing to lose.


Silky