Asparagus

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KWPDW 11 April 2012 First Asparagus

Only one plant has produced shoots so far. This is about a month earlier than last year. I ate the one shoot raw. It sure has a nice juicy flavour. This is Guelph Millennium. There are ten plants and this is the fourth year, since the bed was planted.

[demi]

oh grate your groing asparagus! im just about the sow some seeds in a seed tray. any tips? iv never grown asparagus before.

question: on the second year i understand that you are supposed to cut only 1 stem per plant ( after leaving it alone the first year) , from your pictures it looks like it has a main stem and side shoots. do you cut from the main or the side shoots?

[oldjerry]

The one stem thing in the second year applies to 2\3 yr crowns rather than sown seed.That's going to take a tad longer,but will be a great deal cheaper.I've not grown from seed,never had the patience,but if I remember right MMM has.

[Durgan]

When harvesting, I take all shoots for about a month. They have to be cut almost daily since they grow tall quickly, almost like bamboo in the tropics. After about a month I let the ferns grow to give food for next year's crop. I didn't know it could be grown from seed until recently from the forums.

Asparagus is grown commercially in my area. There is a crew of slaves cutting for about six weeks, from the Caribbean, descendants of the African slaves (little has changed). The fields in size are around 30 to 60 acres.

Most of the local asparagus is shipped to the USA. Our supermarket supply comes form the USA, since it is about a month ahead in growth. When finished in the USA our crops are sent there and everybody makes money.

[Zech]

Hi Demi,

I'm growing asparagus from seed, too. I sowed the seeds directly into the ground (after preparing beds well - I'm feeding them seaweed) in mid-March last year and had tiny seedlings by the end of April. I had loads of seeds, so planted them at about 1 inch spacing - far too close for the final plants - with the idea that I'll thin them out this year and eat the thinnings Next year I'll take just one spear from each plant (assuming they look strong and healthy this year) then the following year I'll finally be able to harvest them properly! (I hope I've got that right - I thought crowns were one year old, so I just added a year to the guidelines).

If you're not sowing directly in the ground, I'd suggest something a bit deeper than a seed tray, so you don't have to disturb the roots too many times before planting. The roots of mine are currently 2-3 inches long (as I discovered when weeding ) Come to think of it, that's quite a lot smaller than the crowns you'd buy to plant...

[kit-e-kate]

Its nice to see Ginny helping out as usual!

[demi]

thanks for the tips!

iv just planted my seeds.
there was only 10 in the packet and they are big seeds so after soaking the seeds in water for a couple of hours i just planted 1 in each pot so i dont have to transplant them from a seed tray. iv stuck them on the window in the living room where were still burning the fire as its gotten clod again here. im running out of space on my windowsills with all the seeds! we really need to make a heated conservatory for the seedlings and over wintering plants.
anyway, ill see what happens. iv read that they can last for 10-15 years! lets hope! iv got the variety 'Marte' . what kind have you got?

[Stickweaver]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KWPDW 11 April 2012 First Asparagus

Only one plant has produced shoots so far.

I planted 9 crowns about 3 years ago. The first year I had very thin straggly shoots, which I left. The second year I let the bed go to rack, ruin and weed (too busy to garden ). I weeded the bed in January and I notice three plants have sent out finger thick shoots. I don't know if the other crowns are still alive and are yet to send out shoots or whether they have given up the ghost. Are you hopeful that your other crowns will shoot?

[Zech]

what kind have you got?

If I was more organized, I'd know. I bought crowns about four years ago (or was it five? I've lost count), and saved seeds from one of those plants (only one produced berries - presumably the only female plant), but I didn't keep a note of what variety - sorry!

[Zech]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KWPDW 11 April 2012 First Asparagus

Only one plant has produced shoots so far.

I planted 9 crowns about 3 years ago. The first year I had very thin straggly shoots, which I left. The second year I let the bed go to rack, ruin and weed (too busy to garden ). I weeded the bed in January and I notice three plants have sent out finger thick shoots. I don't know if the other crowns are still alive and are yet to send out shoots or whether they have given up the ghost. Are you hopeful that your other crowns will shoot?

I had a plant in my garden (last house but one) for years before I realised what it was. I totally neglected it, but when I finally rediscovered it, it was great My guess is that your other crowns are still under there somewhere, ready to put out shoots. It's still pretty early yet (though not quite so early in Kent as in Wales, if you know what I mean).

[Millymollymandy]

All but one of mine have put up a shoot already - most are good sized but a couple of the plants which didn't grow so well last year and had a fairly poor root system have only put up shoots no bigger than last year (the first year).

Demi I didn't use any heat for my seeds - don't know what it says on the packet as I didn't get the seeds from a packet. I sowed them into pots in the autumn and put them in my cold frame and they all germinated suddenly in the spring. That was last year.

It's fun watching them grow - they get so tall so quickly!

[TT18m]

I'm growing asparagus from seed, too. I sowed the seeds directly into the ground (after preparing beds well - I'm feeding them seaweed) in mid-March last year and had tiny seedlings by the end of April. I had loads of seeds, so planted them at about 1 inch spacing - far too close for the final plants - with the idea that I'll thin them out this year and eat the thinnings Next year I'll take just one spear from each plant (assuming they look strong and healthy this year) then the following year I'll finally be able to harvest them properly!

I would suggest don't do any thinning this year, leave every plant where they are and transplant them to final position next autumn. In a long run you get more plants later.

I've been growing aaragus for over 30 years, planted once, harvest for ever!

[Zech]

I would suggest don't do any thinning this year, leave every plant where they are and transplant them to final position next autumn. In a long run you get more plants later.

Thanks, but they're already in their final position. Tempting though it is to go for more plants, I think I've got well over a hundred seedlings (I'll find out in a few weeks...) and even I can't eat that much asparagus!

[demi]

I would suggest don't do any thinning this year, leave every plant where they are and transplant them to final position next autumn. In a long run you get more plants later.

Thanks, but they're already in their final position. Tempting though it is to go for more plants, I think I've got well over a hundred seedlings (I'll find out in a few weeks...) and even I can't eat that much asparagus!

you can always sell the surplus and make a wee bit of money

[Zech]

I would suggest don't do any thinning this year, leave every plant where they are and transplant them to final position next autumn. In a long run you get more plants later.

Thanks, but they're already in their final position. Tempting though it is to go for more plants, I think I've got well over a hundred seedlings (I'll find out in a few weeks...) and even I can't eat that much asparagus!

you can always sell the surplus and make a wee bit of money

If I can find space for them, perhaps I will