Only add these inputs if they are needed according to the soil test. Add the fertilizer alongside the row of plants and scratch it in lightly. Do not allow the tool to penetrate the soil more than an inch deep, to avoid harming the underground portions of the plants.
Avoid adding unnecessary amounts of phosphorus to the soil beyond what the soil tests recommend. Continuous use of high phosphorus fertilizer such as or , or high rates of manure or compost can result in phosphorus buildup in the soil that impacts soil and plant health over time. Do not use any fertilizer containing an herbicide i. A planting of asparagus can last 15 years or more, so choose the spot for an asparagus bed carefully.
Late spring frosts can kill emerged spears, so find an area that is not low-lying or exposed to frost. Asparagus plants have deep root systems. Avoid areas with shallow soils, or soils prone to water-saturation. If the asparagus bed is to be part of a larger vegetable garden, the best place is at the north end of the garden, so that the tall ferns do not shade the other crops.
Following correct planting methods for asparagus is important for this long-lived perennial crop. In Minnesota, asparagus is planted between early May and early June. When ordering crowns online, select a delivery date close to when you hope to plant, and refrigerate the crowns until planting.
Prepare the planting area as described above. Then, dig a inch deep furrow trench for the crowns to be planted into. In heavy clay soils, make the furrows more shallow inches and deeper inches for very sandy soil. As the soil is removed from the trench, set it directly to the side. It will be returned to the trench several weeks later as the ferns grow.
The length of the trench should be as long as the number of crowns being planted. For example, if you have 10 crowns, dig a foot long trench.
If planting multiple rows, space the furrows at least 3 feet apart, because the plants will spread as they age. Some very old publications and online gardening blogs may say to spread out the roots of the crowns like an octopus during planting, but this is an outdated, unnecessary practice. Adding a fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium to the furrows at the time of planting will help make sure the plants can access adequate nutrients as they grow.
Next, cover the crowns with inches of the soil that was removed from the furrow previously. The rest of the remaining soil will be added to the trench a few weeks later, once the ferns have emerged and grown.
Do not let the crowns dry out between placing them in the furrows and covering them with soil. Water immediately after planting. After planting, there should still be plenty of soil along the sides of the furrows, which will be used later in the season to continue back-filling the furrows as the ferns grow.
Small, narrow spears will start to emerge from the soil within weeks of planting, depending on precipitation, temperature and amount of soil cover. Once the spears are sturdy and several inches tall, several more inches of soil can be back-filled into the furrow.
Use caution with this step, as large clods of dry soil can break the brittle spears. Asparagus is typically planted as crowns, rather than seeds. However, gardeners wishing to try starting asparagus from seed may follow these recommendations:.
Choose an area of the garden as a nursery bed. Young asparagus plants will grow here for their first year. The site for the asparagus nursery should be level and have sandy soil.
Plant seed in spring, about one inch deep, spaced two to three inches apart, within rows that are a foot apart. Seeds can take three weeks to germinate. Keep the nursery bed free from weeds, as the asparagus seedlings will not be able to compete with strong weed growth. Mulch the nursery bed with four to six inches of straw in late October to keep it warm during winter. In early April, before the plants start to grow, dig up the crowns with as much of the root system as you can, and move them to their permanent location, following the method described below for planting crowns.
Soil moisture is important for good root and fern growth in asparagus. Even though asparagus ferns rarely exhibit obvious signs of drought stress, they need consistent soil moisture in order to stay healthy for the next year.
Watering during the harvest season may also increase yields in very dry years. Asparagus patches should receive at least one inch of water every week. If they have not received an inch of rain in the last week, soak the soil with water. Asparagus growing in sandy soil should be watered more than once per week in the absence of rain, and heavy clay soils may not need to be watered as often.
Additionally, soils covered in mulch will retain more water. An inch of water will wet a sandy soil to a depth of ten inches, and wet a heavy clay soil to six inches. Weeds compete with asparagus for soil nutrients, water, and light, so managing weeds will help support a more bountiful yield of spears. Removing weeds by hand is still one of the most effective methods, especially in smaller asparagus beds. Additional methods include well-timed hoeing, flame-weeding, cover crops, and careful use of select herbicides.
Perennial weeds like Canada thistle and quack grass thrive in asparagus because it is a perennial crop that is rarely cultivated or tilled. In larger asparagus gardens with multiple rows, managing weeds between the rows is relatively easy compared to managing weeds in the asparagus rows themselves.
Cultivation hoeing and tilling : Cultivation is an effective weed management tool for vegetable gardens in general, but be cautious when using it in asparagus.
We live in zone 6b St. Louis, MO. If you know of any resources to address this question, I would be so appreciative. I'm on year 2 of growing my asparagus and I have shoots coming up. I'm not going to harvest but do I just let them grow and die off, then trim back in the Fall?
Just want to be sure:. Yes, precisely! Their job is to absorb as much energy as possible during the warm part of the year. The snow melted and some of my crowns have been exposed including the roots.
There are roots deeper down in the dirt I suppose but the top little cluster is exposed. If I place more soil on it, do you think it will continue to grow? I looked closely and there are tiny finger like parts close to the center but surrounding the center of the crown that looks pretty fresh.
Thank you. Asparagus roots can reach as deep as six feet, so the plants have a strong foothold. A few inches of compost should be fine. I planted an asparagus bed about 30 years ago. It is still producing spears but not enough. I want to plant 2 year old crowns this year.
Would it be OK to plant them in the same location as the original plants? One source suggests that an old asparagus bed should not be replanted for three years.
Before you try something else you might try to rejuvenate your existing plants. Asparagus is a heavy feeder; it likes and needs rich compost and aged manure, as well as proper pH 6,0 to 8. I am so pleased I planted a new raised asparagus bed with about 15 crowns about 7 years ago north of Denver, CO so I could resemble the bed my grandparents had in upstate NY. As a result, I have plenty of composted manure on hand for winter top dressing after the dead stalks and ferns are cut back and before the new shoots appear.
I always look forward to those first harbingers of spring and indulge in fresh asparagus for dinner. I have been able to successfully freeze asparagus to use year round in a variety of egg recipes. Quiche makes a terrific meal and is a great way to use up eggs and clean out the freezer to be ready for the new harvest. My chickens adore hiding between the stalks in the summer and help cultivate between the plants when the new top layer is added.
The added benefit is they scratch up the ground thereby eliminating weeds, cutworms, and leave their droppings which only aids in fertilizing the ground and has contributed to the bed becoming crowded it is 5' by 15'. My question is, should asparagus be divided or should I harvest more? To your question, no; do not try to divide it. Roots could be 6 feet or morel long.
The plants might be closer in your bed, but if they are producing, enjoy it. I live in Henderson Nevada. At the end of December I trimmed the brown ferns leaving the stocks approximately two inches above ground and covered them with mulch. To my amazement I have spears that are now growing well beyond the mulch they were covered with. One spear shot up to approximately inches the others are inches tall. Is this normal for the spears to continue to grow and can you eat them? I thought cutting them back and mulching for winter causes them to go into dormancy.
Your advise is appreciated. Suburban gardener, I planted 11 feet of Mary Washington, and same of Purple Passion boring color when cooked about 17 years ago. It makes me VERY happy!!! Just me to feed, so occasionally my neighbors get some. I was just wondering how long I must wait until I fold down the ferns, but you've given me the answer: I can CUT is short I don;t know why my habit has been simply to fold it down and use it for mulch after I put down the compost I have planned for it.
Thank you for THAT tidbit! Problem with straw is that it never rots Many thanks. Your outline and suggestions above are better presented and clearer.
I am so sorry for the multiple submissions. I didn't think my question was being "saved. I'm wondering if these ferny growths currently around inches high are new future asparagus plants and if I should allow them to continue growing.
Perhaps they are just weeds. Some have emerged on the pathway side of the crowns, so I have removed those. However, some of these little fern-like "things" are growing two feet on the other side of the crowns. I have not removed those yet. I have thirteen crowns in their third year. This is our first year harvesting. We have been pleased with production so far and have enjoyed asparagus side dishes at meals for about 5 weeks.
I'm thinking it might be time to stop harvesting. A few stalks got ahead of me and are already 4 feet high and getting the expected ferny foliage. They may be future stalks; let them be. You could lay on some mulch and prepare to set stake poles and string around the bed like a simple fence so that when the ferns become top heavy they do not fall to the ground.
I have a wonderful asparagus bed that is years old. I have little fern like things coming up around each crown. Separate and very different than the spears of asparagus. Are they weeds or part of the plants? I have a half dozen plants in my garden they are doing well and we were able to harvest some this is the third year. My issues is the ferns, they are so tall they fall over and cover the path and what is growing the next row over.
Can I trim them back some? You would do well to leave them. Run string around the poles and around the asparagus bed not the plants at about four feet high or higher, there is no magic formula to keep the ferns off the ground.
When you cut the ferns later in the year, put away the poles and string for next year. It is early. Planted in early spring, asparagus grows rapidly right away and returns every year. They were delicious!
Since then, the crowns have produced large crops year after year. Besides the food they provide, these are really beautiful plants.
Some years mine grow over 6-feet tall, forming a lovely privacy barrier in the back of the garden. Asparagus crowns the root system of a young asparagus plant used to start new plants can be ordered by mail in late winter. Garden nurseries will ship them when the time is right to plant them in your area. You need to have a full-sun garden bed all ready. I started my asparagus at the same time as cold-loving spring crops like peas. I ordered ten Jersey Giant crowns by mail and planted them at the end of April into a new raised bed.
This is around the time of our last frost each spring. This lists organic seed and plant mail-order companies in the United States and Canada. You may want to contact one local to you and enquire about crowns. I found some contradictory planting instructions welcome to the world of gardening!
You plant them over a little mound of soil with all those little pieces aiming down, like a wig of long hair over a head.
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