You would probably get more answers to that question in the Southern Gardening forum, since asparagus has its own special set of cultivation rules and local climate is one of the biggest factors.

I would be very interested in knowing how you have gotten your bed so productive.

I live in a much harsher climate and have had only marginal success with my asparagus bed which is 4X5.

Gail

Moabgail, All I did was dig deep when I planted it and put in lots of organic material. Cow manure, etc. I did not pick it for 4 years but I let it grow and when it dies back, I cut it off just below the soil. I add fertalize and soil amendments each year. I don't think asparagus likes the warm climate here or so I've been told but it is so good. Keeping the bed weed-free and mulching helps.

It sounds like what I need is a little more of that rare commodity, patience. My bed will only be three years old this spring and suffered severe neglect last summer when I was unable to garden.

Yes, asparagus is so good, it is worth waiting for and fussing over.

Jersey asparagus is reputed to be only male plants. Female asparagus doesn't produce spears. That is why so many folks prefer Jersey. One cannot identify female asparagus until the plant leafs out and begins to put out small green berries. The females should be pulled out of the garden without being allowed to drop berries. Gardeners don't want their plots overrun with non-producing plants, so it isn't wise to let the berries germinate.

Asparagus doesn't produce much for four (undisturbed) years. One isn't supposed to pick spears earlier than three years. I don't know the reason behind that rule of thumb.

I had to start all over with my asparagus crop thanks to raiding dogs. My dogs dug up, and ate, all of my asparagus. I had to put a sturdy fence around the asparagus bed, when I replanted.

Lorna

I was taught that asparagus needs a really deep bed. (Much deeper than most anything SFG tends to.) I notice when I have plants in shallower or smaller beds than they really like, I tend to get a low yield.

pj, my asparagus beds do not have a bottom. They are dug deep and the supplimented with compost, etc. Asparagus can grow to China if they can get past customs.

i have an older gentleman friend and he just dug up some asparagus this past spring in the field, put them in an old tub and the tubs were filled with cow/mule manuer. they did awesome, apparently they picked so much and froze so much this past fall that it was overflowing and had to give some away. hmmmm....where was i??? LOL but i just had to tell ya'll that.

alan8;
This will be my first time planting asparagus in a SF gardening bed. The package says to space 12-18" apart but in rows 2-3' apart. Does this mean I can only get 4 plants per 4x4 raised bed? I certainly needed to plant more but it'll take 6 more beds at that rate. :(

If this is the case then instead of planting one per 12" square then I'll plant my 4 then plant tomatoes in the middle. HELP!

ejagno, S F Gardeners can usually get away with closer planting. The package recommendations are made for reg. gardens, farmers, etc. I think you could probably do 6 plants in a 4X4 space. Especialy if you have good soil and tend to them well. Just my 2 cents.

I planted 30 or so crowns of Jersey Knight in a 2' x 16' raised bed last year. I planted them to the outside of the bed(at zero and 2') and about 2' apart. I trenched down around 12 inches, lay them in and filled throughout the season. At the end of last season I filled the beds up to the top which puts them about 14-16 inches deep. The plants were huge. About 4' tall and tangled.

I have no idea how it will turn out this year or next, but I cheated the specs, so......

I'm most excited to see the kind of spears they throw off this year. Should they do great again, I would say that this works. Of course, none of this is useful because I'll need to speak with you in 2009. :)

Well Face...it is 2009 and how are things? I have very much enjoyed this thread.

It was so expensive to plant crowns that I tried to grow asparagus from seed-and expected nothing. We get all we can handle right now during the late spring for our family. My box of asparagus is 6X2, and its Mary Washington, or something like that. This will give you a taste(no pun intended)of what it looked like after the second year of planting. And the best thing of all is that it only cost me $1.99! The box is now jammed full of asparagus...

I ordered 2 year old crowns from the Asparagus Gardener.com and they should arrive in two weeks from Tennessee. We made a 2 foot deep raised bed filled with sand and lots of compost. I plan to plant 1 crown per sf and I have space for 36 crowns. Hopefully they will do well in Georgia. Check out her website at www.asparagus gardener.com. She has been very helpful answering my questions.

I'm in my 3rd an 4th year with my asparagus beds. They are doing great an wanted to encourage you bettyinga to plant away. Your a tad farther up the zone than I am, so your getting more chill time than I do an I think that is the key to success with them. I have 22 plants an all are doing wonderfully.

That is great news trudyjean! We finished filling the bed today so we are ready to plant as soon as the crowns arrive next week!

Wow, I started this thread in Dec. 07. Was suprised to see it still active. My expanded bed is starting to come up now. I added some homemade compost on the top and put some 13-13-13 fertalizer on it back in Feb. Will see how it produces this year. South Alabama is a tough place to grow Asparagus. I don't know why, maybe the weather?

First off, Snibb, you've given me a case of asparagus envy. What a lovely patch!

Next, a point of confusion: I have Ted Bartholomew's book (second edition) and he talks about either one or four aparagus plants per square foot, no explanation. I'm putting in a patch and wonder if any of you good folk have any thoughts?

Thanks,
sweet_annie

Sweet...if I can do it, anybody can! I think I put 4 seeds per square foot-it took me a little longer to get really good asparagus, but, if you are a real miser, you dont have to go out and buy expensive crowns.

I bought the roots (I don't know if that's crowns or whatever) and planted 4 per square foot. I did what Mel recommended in the book and built a small mound in the bottom of the box and draped the roots over. That was like 2 weeks ago, so I don't expect anything for at least another month, maybe 2.

Will putting chicken wire in the bottom of the bed be detrimental to the asparagus. I have gophers and while we do dispatch them, I want to keep the apsaragus safe in case some are missed.

No, chicken wire should be fine. I would put a weed barrier over the wire, so that it doesn't rub against the roots, but you don't have to.

I think I would skip the weed barrier. I have read that asparagus roots tend to go deep (like 10' deep IIRC). I just planted my first asparagus bed a few weeks ago, so I can not speak from personal experience (yet).

I have no experience with asparagus either, greenbean. That's just what I would do. I don't know if it would even make a difference to have the barrier. I would lay it down just so there aren't any weeds, but that probably wouldn't be a problem.

Scratch my idea :)

Just a curious thought... asparagus will sprout and grow from seed, which will be self sown shallow in the soil, so why exactly do asparagus crowns need to be plant so deeply?

Resurrecting...

How is everyone's aspargus doing this year.

I am confused as to how many to plant. Do I do the 4 per square foot?

And why is the choice 1 or 4 per sf in the book?

Thank you

I have not grown asparagus myself, but here is what I have read ...

from dan staley ... I've installed ~ 1/2 dz beds for myself, friends and clients, and the closer the spacing, the sooner the crowding. Some catalogs state min 8" spacing, others 12". The real issue is whether you want to wait another year for full coverage. They'll fill in all the space eventually, and why rush the work of root/plant thinning? You don't really get more in the long run with more crowns planted. You just get filled space sooner.

from kathmcd7 ... Mel's website suggests 1 per sqf and if you can afford it, four per sqf.

I am about to plant my first raised asparagus bed and with three small children weed cloth is my best friend! Will it be ok to use the weed cloth over my asparagus bed? The part of my yard where I'm planting has very rich soil and great drainage, but is also where weeds and such grow the thickest. Is there an alernative that I can use that will keep weeds from taking over? Thanks for any advice!

Help us understand how the asparagus would grow through the cloth.

Dan

Malugasmom, instead of weed cloth, maybe consider an organic mulch. The asparagus won't be able to grow through the cloth, but it would be able to push through a mulch. You'll have to weed the bed until the spears are a few inches high and then mulch.

I am getting ready to put in an asparagus bed now. This thread has really helped me determine what to do with mine. After reading all these posts, I have decided to use the weed barrier on top of my soil, after the plants have sprouted so that I know where to cut holes in the barrier, then mulch over that.

I do have a further question though. Do I plant my crowns in a trench etc, and then slowly fill it in as they grow, or do I go ahead and put Mel's Mix (or something similar, without the spaghnum moss) on top and let them sprout up through that?

Just an interesting FYI, my folks moved to their current farm in 1972 and there was a bed of asparagus there when they moved in. That bed is STILL producing asparagus and has been mowed down, abused, and probably not fertilized or anything else in about the last 15 years!

Thanks!
Bari

This thread has really helped me determine what to do with mine. After reading all these posts, I have decided to use the weed barrier on top of my soil, after the plants have sprouted so that I know where to cut holes in the barrier, then mulch over that.

We have failed in this thread, despite the use of plain language stating cloth on top won't work. Ah, well. I guess we cannot be successful all the time.

Dan

OK, Dan, forgive me if I seem stupid to you, but I am new at gardneing and trying to figure it out.

My thought for using the cloth on top was that holes could be cut out for the asparagus to come up through while keeping the other stuff out.

I am the one who feels like I failed and am stupid. Sorry for asking dumb questions.

Bari

Correction on my last post as I didn't ask a question this time, but I sure did display my ignorance well! LOL

Bari

I planted 25 of 50 crowns on April 3rd...Took 2 weeks and they started to sprout and come up...Planted the last 25 on April 16th....I planted 2 to a square foot... I may have caused a problem as I think I planted a few a tad bit deeper than I should have, and I'm not certain as to how this will affect their root growth...But I'm pleased that what has grown has done so...

Had very heavy winds this last week end, and my 12 month old asparagus blew over. It is in a 10" raised bed. Should the plants be staked?
Or should I mound more soil around them. OR do something else to encourage them upright.

Started with six each jersey and martha washington plants. Glad to say, five each came up last month,
and now there are 3-5 stalks on each plant.
I nibbled one new shoot from each plant, my bad.

Bari,

Since nobody actually told you not to put cloth on top, or gave you a reason why, I will. Hopefully you'll check this thread again and won't be offended by Dan's rudeness.

The purpose for the weed barrier is to block anything from growing, obviously. Normally, you would place the cloth a few inches under the soil and plant over it, or right on top of the soil and cut holes for each plant/seed. With asparagus, you can't really do that because you'll block most of the spears. Instead, try using an organic mulch, like wood chips or straw. Something that the asparagus can push through, but weeds can't. I suggest weeding the bed until the spears pop through the soil, then applying the mulch.

Personally, I just weed it. I enjoy the time in the garden and don't mind pulling the weeds, but some people don't have the time for that. Hopefully my post helps you out and you know that we aren't all jerks on this forum.

Homer

Homer,

Thank you so much for the answer. That makes sense once it is explained. I am planning right now on just weeding it - even though it would be nice not to have to! I have the crowns planted and am waiting for signs of life now...

Thanks!

Bari

Shredded leaves is the best mulch for your beds. In most parts of the country, they are free, as are grass clippings & some lumber. Just drive thought any housing development.
*menontdo,* if you are out there, PLEASE start a thread on the asparagus in a container(foot tub) every one I know says it can not be done because the root go 10' deep & 15 away from the beds.***
To spot gophers, you will have to put wire under the crowns as posted & bury 2 foot of a 4 foot fence at a 45 degree angle away from the bed, all the way around the bed. You can make a gate above ground or step over the fence. Drive 2x2 or 2x4 post 36" long, 12" in the ground. Remember to include a foot path inside the fence. Mulch the bed & path with 6" of leave every fall.
As for how long this thread has been alive, it is one of 3 that was started in 2007, so you are not the only gus lover out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K0fQJAoq3E
Raised beds for gus.

Here is a link that might be useful: jon raised beds for gus