[wellingtons]

... OK ... I'm going for it.

All thoughts, advice, do this, don't do that's gratefully received.

Also any thoughts on best varieties, number of plants ... thank you, please!!

[compostqueen]

So am I.  I have the spot in mind and am going to prepare with more than my usual slipshod effort    I love sparragrass so can't wait  

[crowndale]

I have two varieties, Gijnlim and crimson purple.  not actually tried them yet though coz only put them in this eyar!  But before you go ahead with this do what I didn't and make sure the bed is completely weed free!  I thought mine was but up popped the bind weed and every other perrenial kind of weed that lurks underground (except for mares tail don't have that one!).  its a reall bind now to weed coz I can't dig it over so will be battling weeds for the duration of the bed I suspect.

[compostqueen]

I know cos everyone says it     the patch I have in mind has been under sheet mulch for four years since I got my plot and will be the last bit to be unfurled, so it should be weed free by now

[Zak the Rabbit]

i planted 6 crowns in a 3x6ft raised bed, made from old pallet wood, two planks high. Filled with compost, muck, and whatever. The weeds get in like a shot, but because its fairly loose soil there quite easy to get out. The whole bed is covered now with asparagus 'ferns' about 3ft high!

it did take a long time for them to all come through though and i did think for a while they wouldnt. And there just cheapos from wilkos.

Question now though, do i leave the ferns as is, or do they need cutting down or anything?

[DD.]

Blimey, didn't realise that it could be that complicated.

I've got a bed of 39 crowns, grown from seed, which I stuck into unprepared soil in a panic, when the roots from the plantlets went through the bottom of the pots they were in & rooted into the tarmac drive they were standing on. So I can't really say the 'proper' way to do it.

The only thing I can say is to Zak - wait until the ferns go yellow & then chop them back.

[Zak the Rabbit]

The only thing I can say is to Zak - wait until the ferns go yellow & then chop them back.

cheers for that DD, all quite green at moment. Do i chop them right down to the ground, or above/below it?

[DD.]

About 1" - 2" above the ground.

[wellingtons]

... and advice.

39 crowns ... godfather's!!  You like asparagus then???  

How many years do you have to wait from planting seed to cutting?  An extra year or two I'm guessing.

[Hampshire Hog]

Wellingtons Bob Flowerdew suggests wide spacing for best results. He suggests a good stride apart -depends on your legs but that sounds like at least 2-3 foot to me. (says wider the better). He also says 3 years from planting for first crop. Says lots of varieties are good but cull/kill any plants that don't thrive to give room for others. I have two beds one planted in 2007 another in 2006 so I hope to get a crop next year. One watch out at first the spears seem very thin but then they really thicken up if you weed and provide muck. Thought one bed was barren but slowly took off now main problem is stopping the wind damage to large ferns.

Cheers HH

[DD.]

... and advice.

39 crowns ... godfather's!!  You like asparagus then???  

How many years do you have to wait from planting seed to cutting?  An extra year or two I'm guessing.

3 years, Wellies, long term project!

[Bombers]

Or buy 1yr old crowns, then only 2 years wait, for 20 years+ harvesting

[Sadgit]

had mine in since march last year and I haven't seen a thing from them.... are they dead? they were 1 year crowns

[senrab_nhoj]

had mine in since march last year and I haven't seen a thing from them.... are they dead? they were 1 year crowns

Mine went in this year in a trench and all sprouted at least one spear that became a fern so sounds like you may indeed have lost the lot

[Trillium]

give them until next spring to come up. They can be VERY slow to sprout even from crowns. If they aren't up by spring, then they likely didn't make it. I've had a few I thought were long gone only to suddenly find them growing.

HH, if you're having wind damage then place some tallish sticks all around the asparagus bed and run strong string between each of the sticks to basically fence in the fronds. This minimizes the breakage to fronds and keeps large ones from drooping over other plants.

Asaparagus likes lighter soil if possible - lots of sand and humus and they definitely like old manure but do add a bit of lime as asparagus likes slightly sweeter soil. I found that planting the crowns on top of a handful of mounded sand helped greatly with crown survival. They really do hate soggy soil and having their crowns sit in puddles. And yes, weeding regularly through the season is mandatory - they really can't cope with weeds.