Posted by steven on May 12, 19100 at 21:29:19:
In Reply to: Planting asparagas posted by Dawn on May 12, 19100 at 11:10:13:
: I would like good directions for planting an asparagas bed.
Dear Dawn,
Here are two sets of directions and some website links.
"Plant asparagus in full sun, prepare the soil deep, some say dig a trench 18" or so deep and amend the soil, etc. I have asparagus and not planted in the best soil and never watered and we get enough for table use from about 15 plants. Soil should be reasonably good, plant the crowns about 6" deep after turning the soil to a depth of 12", spread the roots out horizontally. Cover with about 2" of soil and let the new shoots grow,covering them every week of so until all the soil is returned over the plants. Fertilize with a high Nitrogen fertilizer and water well. Planting should be done as early as you can work the grown say April or so. Fertilize again in July and again in the fall about November and again in March. Each time with only moderate rates, not more that 1# of a 20% nitrogen fertilizer /100SF.
Use a premergence herbicide like Preen when planting and again in July. This should take care of most weeds. MVG Plant Dr. "
"Asparagus: These perennial vegetables require a big commitment of time, effort, and space to get started, and are not for the faint-hearted or impatient. Don't bother unless your yard is big enough for you to permanently consign about 10 sunny square feet of it to a long-lived asparagus stand. If you want to have a go, buy year-old roots at a garden center now. Dig a trench 1 foot deep and 11/2 feet wide. Fill the bottom 4 inches with compost (you can buy this in bags) and a scattering of lime and 10-10-10 fertilizer. Walk in the trench to firm the soil, then lay out the roots, each fanned out like an octopus and placed 2 feet apart. Cover them with 2 inches of good garden soil at first, gradually filling in the rest of the soil during the spring and summer as the asparagus continues to grow. Now here's the hard part: Wait two years to harvest your first few spears. But after that, asparagus is an effort-free plant, and you'll be able to harvest more spears each May. And since asparagus, like corn, loses flavor quickly after havesting, homegrown asparagus does taste better."
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/merchant.ihtml?pid=3536&step;=4 (Asparagus Production In California, Detailed, Four Pages, Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/easygardening/asparagus/asparagus.html (Texas Agriculture Extension Service Asparagus Factsheet)
http://ohioline.ag.ohio-state.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html (Ohio State University Extension Service Factsheet "Growing Asparagus In The Home Garden")