Dig holes or trenches about 8 inches deep and 10 inches wide. Spread the roots in the bottom of the hole or trench and cover the crown with about 2 inches of soil. As the young shoots continue to grow during the first summer, gradually fill in the hole with soil.
The tops of the crowns should be about 6 inches below the soil surface when the trenches are completely filled. This allows for cultivation by hoe or rototiller and also provides a sufficient depth of soil for new buds to develop on top of the crown. An alternative to using one-year-old crowns is to start asparagus transplants from seeds as you would start other vegetable transplants. About 6 to 8 weeks before planting, sow the seeds directly into pots.
Thin to one plant per pot and, after all danger of frost has passed, plant the young seedlings as described above for crowns. Do not cover the young shoots ferns with soil. Weeds are the most common problem in asparagus plantings, because they compete with the crop and reduce productivity. Do not plant asparagus or any vegetable in an area heavily infested with quackgrass or other weeds that spread by rhizomes.
If necessary, begin a year in advance to clean out the quackgrass, either by hand or mechanical cultivation or by spraying with an approved herbicide when the grass is 6 to 8 inches tall. If using herbicides, follow label directions precisely for safety and good weed control. In addition to planting in an area free of weeds, it can be helpful to maintain a tilled border around the asparagus planting, to prevent weeds from outside the patch from migrating into the planting. To manage annual weeds, mulch with straw, grass clippings, chopped leaves, or pine needles after the trenches have been filled in.
Hand-hoeing while weeds are small is also effective. The asparagus beetle is the most serious insect pest that affects asparagus. The larvae are dark and slug-like and are found on the ferns. There are two types of asparagus beetle; the common asparagus beetle Crioceris asparigi and the spotted asparagus beetle C. The adult spotted asparagus beetle is red with black spots, and the adult common asparagus beetle is metallic-colored with yellow spots.
At the end of fall, remove all of the dead ferns and crop debris that would otherwise shelter the adult beetles. If these practices do not control the pest, several insecticides are labeled for management of asparagus beetle.
Asparagus competes poorly with weeds. For asparagus to grow vigorously, weeds must be controlled in the first 1 to 2 years of its establishment. To suppress weeds, spread a 4- to 6-inch-thick layer of organic mulch, such as hay, stray, compost, wood chips, or grass clippings. Asparagus beds require little care after the first 2 years of establishment. Keep weeds pulled or hoed from the beds. To avoid damaging the spears, control weeds early before the spears emerge. Till the soil when fertilizer is applied early in the season before the spears begin growing Fig.
Figure 2. Till the soil early in the season before the spears emerge. At the end of the harvest season, control weeds by raking lightly or mulching. Apply fertilizer and till lightly 1 to 2 inches deep to kill weeds.
Cover the bed with a 3-inch layer of clean straw, compost, or other mulch material. Water it thoroughly, and allow the asparagus to grow the rest of the year. This helps ensure a good harvest the next year Fig. Figure 3. After the first hard frost or freeze of fall, cut off the fern tops at ground level and mulch the bed with manure.
Burn or compost the fern tops to eliminate sources of insect eggs or disease reinfestation. In southern areas, the fern may not be killed by a freeze, so it should be removed in late November when the ferns turn yellow. Any spears that sprout may be removed and eaten. A post emergent herbicide such as glyphosate could be used against weeds before asparagus growth begins in early spring. Harvest asparagus spears from established beds for about 8 weeks, depending on the area.
Do not harvest during the first 2 years after planting. This waiting period enables the underground crown to grow and store enough reserves for a strong harvest for many years to come. Harvest the spears when they are 4 to 10 inches long. To prevent the spears from becoming fibrous, harvest at least every other day. The fibrous condition is caused by over maturity or inadequate fertility. Spears with loose or opened heads are too mature.
To harvest, snap off the spears by hand at ground level. Healthy asparagus foliage is necessary for good root and spear production. Asparagus beetles, which chew on spears in spring and attack summer foliage, are the most prevalent problem. They lay dark eggs along the leaves, which hatch into light gray or brown larvae with black heads and feet. Control by hand picking; spray or dust seriously infested asparagus plants with an insecticidal soap. These methods also control the spotted asparagus beetle, which is reddish brown with six black spots on each wing cover.
Asparagus miner is another foliage-feeding pest; it makes zig-zag tunnels on the stalks. If your asparagus bed does become infected by disease organisms, your best option is to start a new bed in a distant part of the garden, using newly purchased or grown plants. If young spears turn brown and become soft or withered, they may have been injured by frost.
Cover spears with mulch or newspaper when freezing nights are predicted. Product Reviews. Home Ideas. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. The Rise of the Cleanfluencer. Getty Images. How to Grow Asparagus From Seed It takes patience to start your asparagus patch from seed, but there are advantages to gain from the extra wait.
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. If you added that much material you added days to the emergence calendar. I bet you will see spears within 10 days.
That being said, IMO, the time to add compost to the bed is fall, not spring. The Asparagus bed I have has plants of 2 and 3 years of age. We had a decent harvest last year but I felt they needed more soil.
So this spring around the 1st of April we added approximately 3 to 4 inches of soil mixed with compost and also added a heavy layer of straw. It is now the last day of April and I do not see any asparagus coming up.
What could I have done wrong? I recently planted asparagus crowns for the first time. The first spear to come up from any of them was brutalized by wind and frost and most likely my well-intentioned, but poorly executed insulating row cover. Now it's a pitiful bent thing. I tried to support it with twine and stakes which I've heard are recommended later in the season for ferns anyway , but it looks like it is beyond hope. For now, just support it with stakes and twine as best as you can.
The plant should send up more spears soon enough! Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Asparagus. By Catherine Boeckmann. When to Plant Asparagus Plant asparagus crowns in the early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. Many gardeners plant at about the same time as potatoes go in the ground.
Starting with asparagus crowns, however, eliminates the year of tedious weeding that comes with starting from seed, and will speed up production overall. Start seeds indoors in spring and set out the seedlings when they are 12 to 14 weeks old, just after your last spring frost. Soak seeds in water for up to 24 hours before sowing. Sow seeds in moistened peat or seed-starting soil in flats or peat cups.
Once plants reach 12 inches in height, harden them off outdoors for a week. After the last spring frost, transplant the young plants to a temporary garden bed. Once they mature in the fall, identify the berry-less male asparagus plants and transplant them to your permanent planting site, removing the less-productive female plants. Choose a site that gets full sun. Place the asparagus bed toward the edge of your garden, where it will not be disturbed by the activity of planting and re-planting other areas.
Ensure the bed will drain well and not pool water. Asparagus does not like to have its roots get too wet. If you do not have a site with good drainage available, consider growing asparagus in raised beds instead. Learn how to make a raised garden bed here. Asparagus thrives in neutral to slightly acidic soil pH of about 6. Eliminate all weeds from the planting site, digging it over and working in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost, aged manure, or soil mix.
Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. The soil should be loosened to 12 to 15 inches in depth to allow the asparagus crowns to root properly and not be disrupted by rocks or other obstacles. How to Plant Asparagus Plant crowns deeply to protect them from the cultivation needed for annual weed control. Dig a trench of about 12 to 18 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches deep.
If digging more than one trench, space the trenches at least 3 feet apart. Soak the crowns briefly in lukewarm water before planting. Make a 2-inch-high ridge of soil along the center of the trench and place the asparagus crowns on top of the mound, spreading their roots out evenly.
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