growing asparagus
Here is some blah on how to grow asparagus from a book she has:
‘The Gourmet Garden - The Fruits of the Garden transported to the Table’ by Geraldene Holt.
(
My italics and … = where I have left some text out for brevity's sake)
... the vegetable will flourish in most soils provided that it is well-drained. In a region with heavy soil an asparagus bed is usually ‘raised’. This is simply done by digging a trench around the outside of the bed with the soil from it thrown into the centre to make it higher.
Professional asparagus-growers in the Vale of Evesham and Norfolk (
both loamy soils) grow the vegetable on long quick-draining ridges which warm up quickly in the spring.
The spring is the best time to plant an asparagus bed. There is a choice of plants – seedling asparagus grown in peat blocks and often sold as modules, or asparagus crowns.
Crowns, usually one- or two years old – are spider-like plants of fleshy rhizomes which need to be kept damp while they are out of the ground; their chief advantage is that you have less time to wait for your asparagus crop. (
A lot of nurseries sell 3 year old crowns for this very reason, but you should only crop lightly in the first year to give the plant time to establish). Both seedlings and crowns come in named varieties (See below).
… Asparagus is supposed to an aphrodisiac – however, any food or drink can be aphrodisiac if you are so inclined – … love begins in the mind, but passion requires a healthy body! ...
Recommended varieties:
Cito, Conovers Colossal, Franklin, Jersey Giant, Martha Washington and the highly productive all-male
Limbras varieties which can be raised from seed quite easily.
Good Luck – (Her - Oliver’s human).
Will send the whole story to you pm.