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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 16, 2008 22:40:26 GMT -5
So... the overgrown garden plot I'm trying to reclaim has a small stand of asparagus. Not sure what kind, or what the male/female ratio is. Not even sure how much is there, since the garden hasn't recieved very much water over the last year.
The impatient me wants to just rip it out (it isn't in my first choice of location, anyway)
The cheapskate me says "Hey! Free plants!" and wants to leave the measly little patch alone.
What would you do?
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jason
gardener
Posts: 246
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Post by jason on Sept 16, 2008 22:47:48 GMT -5
Maybe try and move them to your first choice of location?
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 16, 2008 23:05:05 GMT -5
Can I move it in the fall, or do I have to wait til spring, do you think?
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Post by canadamike on Sept 16, 2008 23:45:29 GMT -5
You can move them when dormant, but it is not necessary in their case. They are tough as weeds. Beware though, the root mass can be large enough to almost fill a half barrel, you know, the kind people use in landscaping. If you do it, ask Andy's help. Although I am not as big as my huge son, I am solid. I have a weakness in my lower back since an accident, and let me tell you these asparagus can bring back memories of it  If your soil is clayish, possible since asparagus love clayish loam, get the ball as big as you can. The roots are solid, but they can snap in the clay when the ball is pried out. |
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Post by tomc on Sept 20, 2008 7:20:09 GMT -5
Why move them at all? Asparagus is the swine of the garden. A long neglected bed here in new england get a shot of limestone, rock posphate, a liberal load of manure and a mulch of carboard and leaves.
I would only move them if the bed did not get full sun.
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 20, 2008 18:08:00 GMT -5
I just wanted to move them because they're in a really inconvenient spot in the garden. I'm sure they'd do well there, but I would prefer them somewhere else. Whoever planted them put them right in the way of the obvious traffic path in the new garden.
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 20, 2008 18:48:41 GMT -5
That's the thing with perennial plants, they are great if they are where they make sense. On the other hand, you kind of hate to move them if they are growing well, even if you would have chosen a different spot. I think I would move them now if you have a place you want them. Do you think that you will find more plant surprises when the rains come and things come out of dormancy? My daughter bought our neighbors place, and there are plants coming up that have been mowed over for several years. It is amazing what plants can survive.
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 20, 2008 22:21:25 GMT -5
I get the impression that any amount of water is going to bring a bloom of surprises, that's for sure! The people who lived here before us did some really dumb things for this climate, like planting trees in containers... now I have a bunch of big clay pots with dead, dry, root bound trees in them. Upside? I have a bunch of big clay pots, right? Who puts a maple tree in a pot, really? Just silly.
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Post by flowerpower on Sept 22, 2008 6:26:09 GMT -5
I have to dig up a seed grown asparagus I found in the field. My neighbor says one owner had a huge patch in the 70's. We looked the first 3 yrs in the area he said, but I never saw anything come up.
I'm sure you'll find some use for those pots. lol
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Post by americangardener on Sept 22, 2008 15:53:22 GMT -5
Good luck trying to move it. I have asparagus that grows wild all around me. One year i had the bright idea to go dig some up and move it into the garden. Bad idea!! Those things were so deep i had to dig down 4 or 5 ft just to reach the crowns. By the time i was able to dig one out ya coulda placed my coffin back in the hole it was so deep. Now, i just pick em where they are.
Flower.. ya want to find those old roots again? Get yourself an earthmover and make some big mountains of soil.. those asparagus will be one of the first things to pop outta that mountain come spring. That's usually one of the best places for hunting wild asparagus around here.. is where they take those earth movers and pile up all the topsoil. Makes it easy to find em all in one place at least.
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Post by canadamike on Sept 22, 2008 17:45:40 GMT -5
See, Elzabeth?? When I said big, I meant it....
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Post by lavandulagirl on Sept 22, 2008 18:16:58 GMT -5
Gah! I don't want it to be where it is! I guess I'd better start on this, since it sounds like it's a real project. Do deer eat asparagus? If not, I'll move it out of the fenced garden all together.
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Post by flowerpower on Sept 23, 2008 6:19:57 GMT -5
The deer are walking right past the one I need to dig up. I don't think they eat it. Birds will eat the berries though. I dug one up from the field about 4 yrs ago and then moved it again. The crown wasn't that deep- 3in maybe? I guess cause its from seed, it's not as deep.
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Post by ohiorganic on Sept 24, 2008 14:45:27 GMT -5
Deer do eat asparagus but it is not their favorite food.
I have been harvesting asparagus the past 10 days. Not a lot, but some
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Post by MawkHawk on Sept 26, 2008 12:12:40 GMT -5
Would asparagus grow well in a raised bed, do you think?
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