Asparagus - what next

Sowed asparagus seed ages ago, nothing happened so today was going to empty the seed tray BUT it looks as if all the seed has terminated.

I'm assuming I pot them up individually but when will I be able to plant them out?  This year or next?

I've looked in all my books but they only talk about crowns.

That's the way I was thinking.  I'll post them up and give them some protection from slugs etc,  if I transplant September-ish the soul will still be warm so they can get established.

I did much the same as above, only planting them once they’d made it through the winter in the pots. They can grow quite strongly once they get going, I think mine ended up in 5/6” pots by autumn. It also gives you a bit more time to prepare the bed and get rid of weeds.

Squirrels maybe?  I have found the ones that frequent my garden digging in pots recently.  It is usually something they do over winter for food they have stashed, but spring and early summer can be a hungry time for them.