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Post by homebeerbrewer on Apr 4, 2010 7:50:23 GMT -5
I searched for asparagus here, but came up with no results. Has anyone planted asparagus? If so, what do I need to know? Anything special that I need to do or watch out for?
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Post by plantsnobin on Apr 4, 2010 9:05:01 GMT -5
I am not an expert on asparagus at all, but here are a few basics. First, you want to thoroughly prepare the area. Remove all weeds, every tiny little scrap of root too. You want to plant it in a trench that is deep enough to accomodate the roots, which will be pretty long. You can manure the area pretty heavily. Plant them with the crown even with the ground, keep them watered and weeded till they are established. Don't pick from them the first year, maybe leave them the second year too. They will grow airy looking stems, cut those down in the fall. A great supplier is Nourse Farms. I have Purple Passion from them. I think the most important thing is preparing your ground in advance. They are a long term crop that will live for years in the same spot, so give it the proper attention and you will be glad you did.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 4, 2010 9:42:20 GMT -5
In the past, I've always purchased plants. Last year, I started some from seed. They did well throughout the growing season in 2009. I'm impatiently waiting for evidence that they overwintered? I certainly hope so. Much cheaper to start a patch from seed, however, it does have it's shortcomings. One of them being, it adds yet another year to the waiting time before being able to harvest. But I just know it will be worth the wait.
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Post by cornishwoman on Apr 5, 2010 12:35:38 GMT -5
I found a clump of asparagus growing up in the pasture quite a few years ago now.Dug the clump up and planted it in my flower bed as at the time I had no where else to stick it, big mistake ,it took over ,sending up little green solder's every where.We finally got sick of eating asparagus .Is there such a thing as wild asparagus,I often wonder how it got up in the middle of the pasture ,seed dispersal? I cant even look at the stuff now after all those years of eating so much of it .Hope yours comes up Blue.
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Post by mjc on Apr 5, 2010 18:17:50 GMT -5
True wild asparagus is a European thing...but there is 'feral' asparagus over here. It's been a farmstead/homestead plant since Colonial times, so the chances are very good, that at one time in the past 200 yrs or so, that area where you found it growing was a garden or one was close by. Yes, birds can spread the seeds, but often not all that far from where it was planted. (another very likely possibility was that there was a fence or tree that the birds hung out in...) As far as it goes, I don't think there is such a thing as too much asparagus....and if you want to get rid of some of it, I'll gladly take some off your hands... I've got one older bed that is in serious need of help and I'll be planting a new bed this spring.
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Post by homebeerbrewer on Apr 8, 2010 7:30:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I guess I better get out there and start preparing the bed. I have looked at Nourse Farms, they're not too far from me, and I'll most likely be buying from them. They also have Rhubarb, which is something else I'm thinking of adding.
I do have another question; How large of an area will I need? There are two places that I'm thinking of putting the bed, but one - which is where I prefer - will only allow for a 6'x6' bed. Will that be enough?
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Post by plantsnobin on Apr 8, 2010 9:10:14 GMT -5
I think that the Nourse website has info on recommended spacing and number of plants needed to feed x amount of people. I really love Nourse, I also got Rhubarb from them. I don't eat asparagus myself, but I gave some of my Purple to a chef and he said it was the best asparagus he had ever tasted.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 8, 2010 17:41:46 GMT -5
That's a great idea to put on a website, Karen. Sounds like they are a decent nursery who go the extra mile to assist their customers in planning a garden.
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Post by canadamike on Apr 8, 2010 20:23:58 GMT -5
Asparagus are really easy from seed. I like the old european (french) standby, PRÉCOCE D'ARGENTEUIL. It has fat spears and can give you some spears in year 2. In France, it is the classic heirloom asparagus and does very well here. In fact, I ate asparagus today from my small patch. I sowed 500 of them this week and have a few thousands to sow soon. The italian seed companies are the best place to buy them, Précoce d'Argenteuil ( Argenteuil's early) is their classic one, but they have another, a purple .
You get thousands of seeds for the same price that gives you 50-100 elsewhere... a no brainer. Guelph University in Ontario has created a hugely productive hybrid, called Guelph Millenium. It's production is something like 30% superior to others in Canada.
They say it prefers loose soil, but I have grown it very successfully on true potery clay, the kind a shovel cannot dig in. I used a pickaxe to prepare the bed.
It was well drained though, it was on a slight slope. I spaced them 3 feet apart, they tend to become huge root balls. Do not weed deeply between the plants, they have lots of ''explorers'', shallow roots travelling away from the main root mass.
Enjoy, they are a true wonder.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 8, 2010 22:00:19 GMT -5
The seed I was given is from a patch sown in 1989 from a Stokes Seeds variety, whatever that may have been? The woman who sent me the seed said last year was the first year that her plants have not produced abundant seed after 20 years in production. I was reading earlier that the new all male varieties being sold cannot be expected to produce for as many years as the older varieties. Actually, that was in the description of the varieties sold by Nourse. Michel, if the Stokes variety does not produce for me the way I am told it should, then I'll definitely be looking to buy this French variety of which you speak.
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Post by canadamike on Apr 8, 2010 23:48:56 GMT -5
I have been eating out of them for 20 years or so...
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Post by trixtrax on Apr 9, 2010 0:48:48 GMT -5
I have started some Connover's Colossal from seed, they are in their 3rd year and ready to plant. Though I am late I suppose. I have been collecting types that are growing wild along the Puget Sound here in Washington. I hope to let them "do the deed" and (hopefully) create an asparagus that does well up here in rainy Washington. As CanadaMike described with hard soils, I have seen asparagus coming up through incredibly hard packed seaside. Asparagus apparently likes a bit of salt (NaCl), so I provide mine with seaweeds, crushed seashells and the like. I enjoyed this video from "soilman" on planting asparagus: www.soilman.net/2009/asparagus/video-planting-asparagus/
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 9, 2010 6:12:41 GMT -5
My 3 year old asparagus patch, the one I was expecting to eat from for the first time this year, is producing nothing worth eating. The stalks are FINALLY springing up, but they are tiny slender things no bigger than the lead of a mechanical pencil. The 2 year patch is producing much heartier stalks. What's up?
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 9, 2010 8:15:51 GMT -5
Mmmmm, tender little skinny ones...mmmmmmmmmm
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