I'm a bit south of you here in So. Cal, but have a bed going for about 3 years now.

Definitely buy older crowns as they take awhile to spread to a useable bearing amount. If I had it to do over, I would buy only the larger Jersey types, as the Washington's are very skimpy and poor yielding.

Asparagus will benefit from lots of rich compost, good drainage, and full sun in the spring while bearing spears. Plant the crowns about a foot beneath the surface in a trench, and fill in with amended soil when they start to grow - all the way to the top.

Feed high nitrogen fertiizers and add a heavy layer of mulch in early spring before they begin to sprout. After the ferns have died down in fall, cut down and dispose of them to destroy any asparagus beetle eggs left on them.

There is some mention of adding salt to the bed, but I think that probably relates to soil that is highly acid. Most western soils are alkaline to begin with, and I haven't done this.

Bejay

Hi Elaine and Bejay,

I live in the same city as Elaine and am trying to start an asparagus bed this year. I just got my 25 one year old Jersey Supreme asparagus crowns from Johnny's Seeds on Friday. (Johnny's was one of the few suppliers I found online that would ship crowns to CA).

I'll be planting them in a 24" high raised bed filled with well composted greenwaste (suitable for veggie gardens) over clay soil. I think I basically know how to plant the crown (in furrows or trenches, etc.), but I was wondering if I should add some bone meal for phosphorus before I plant. My pH is good for asparagus, but not sure of the phosphorus content. Any recommendations on adding bone meal and if "yes" about how much?

Thanks!
Anne

After many years in zone 9, and now in somewhat cooler zone 8, my asparagus bed was harvested this morning, as it is every morning. 6 x 12 should produce almost enough for two people. Larger, older crowns cost more, but take just that much less time to produce harvestable spears. If your soil is a normal garden type, with compost and mulch, etc., you should not need to add any fertilizer, including nitrogen. High nitrogen applications will actually make your plants more susceptible to aphids, beetles, etc. Most California garden soils need little to no added phosphorus, or potassium for that matter, to grow asparagus.

Hi,

I planted my asparagus today using the method described in this article:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html

It was fast and quite a bit easier than some other methods I've seen described.

My bed's only 3x8 so I ended up going with a bit less than the 1' spacing recommended by John Jeavons in "Grow More Vegetables." Very close spacing, but might be OK - we'll see. I guess I can always transplant excess in the future when I can get around to building more beds.

Anne

UC 157 is the variety you are most likely to find at good local nurseries in the Central Valley. It is well-adapted here. See the "California asparagus seed and transplants" link at the bottom of the page below for more information on planting this and other varieties. You will want plants grown from F1 rather than F2 seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: UC Davis Asparagus page

Make sure you plant some purple asparagus. They are fantastic! No cooking is required, wonderful taste.

Hi,

Elaine asked if the area she has in mind would yield enough for her family. I've seen various tables (number of plants per person, etc.) posted to this forum and in books. As per Johnny's Seeds, the yield of an all male asparagus is 3x that of something like Mary Washington with male and female spears. So, I was wondering, do the charts typically refer to all male or to male+female plants? None of the charts I've seem have specified and it seems like it would make a big difference.

Anne

I always wonder about those "per person" recommendations. How much and how often is each person expected to be eating it? Does it include storage?

Thanks everyone for your input! And thanks carolync1 for that great link! Looks like I have a project for this summer to get ready for next year.

Elaine

Good luck with the asparagus bed.

Off-topic, some other veggies I've found to be well-adapted in the Valley include Contender bean for early, "beany" green bean fans (spring only - they get fibrous - not stringy - in cool fall weather). Maxibel is the best bush filet I've found for our climate. Romano Gold does surprisingly well for a yellow bean and for a Romano type, up until about the middle of June, with Romanette performing even better for a Romano in hot weather (though not as well as the most heat-tolerant bush varieties). Get it from Crosman Seed Co. Heat-tolerant Brio, Matador or Festina beans are generally good for harvest up to early July (Brio also performs well when planted in August for fall harvest - haven't tried the others then) and I like Black Valentine or Coco Rose de Prague as green or shelly beans in variable fall weather. Fortex pole bean is great when the weather cooperates. Plant some Fordhook 242 or pole limas for fall harvest. They grow well in hot weather, but don't set beans until fall. Much better as green shellies than dried. Cook until soft and add a little butter for luxurious flavor. Edamame soybeans do very well here, and can be "picked" in the hottest summer weather by whacking off whole stems and bringing them inside for preparation.

'Tourth of July' tomato is very early and sweetens during our hot summers when preventing sunscald on the big varieties is a challenge. 'Magda', a Lebanese-style zucchini from France performs extremely well. 'Summer Dance' cucumber from Pinetree stays sweet and productive in summer - never bitter - if grown on a fence. The Italian climbing summer squashes like Zucchetta Rampicante Tromboncino (C. moschata) grow fast enough for a summer shade structure - try growing with one of the Cucuzzi type edible gourds, good barely steamed when young, pared and stuffed when like a baseball bat. Flavors are different from zucchini. The Butternut family of winter squashes (C. moschata) are best adapted here. Try "Tahitian".

'Early Sugarshaw' melon is exceptional here, but you may no longer be able to find seed. Try another Crenshaw, though. Protect ripening melons from sunscald. Banana melon (the orange-fleshed type) is a fun novelty. Most melon varieties do well in the Valley, but watch the Charentais types for cracking - restrict water when ripening even more than for other melons. 'Extra Summer Sweet' is a great little Japanese melon. You might put some in your future asparagus bed this summer.

For fall, try pretty little Oasis, Hakeuri or White Lady turnips and big, ugly 'Just Right' for later harvest. All have sweet, flavorful roots and sweet hairless tops with a tough midrib. Turnips are planted commercially in the valley in September, but you could start planting the little "summer turnips" above in late August. 'Gilfeather' turnip/rutabaga is good for storage. Plant some kohlrabi in August or early September, too.

For winter harvest, Tatsoi and similar Asian greens are decorative. Tyfon is a sweet, edible cover crop. Also mild Savannah hybrid mustard, the only thing I have had passersby stop and ask to buy from my garden. Bolting of leftover greens and unharvested turnips in late January and February may attract bees to pollenize fruit trees.

Have fun gardening. Do you have some favorite Valley varieties? Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Extra Summer Sweet melon

Wow, thanks for all the recommendations, Carolyn! I'm trying the Moon and Stars watermelon, charentais, honey rock, netted gem melons this year. I tried the Ambrosia melon last year and was pleased with the outcome! Very tasty. So I'm encouraged to try more melons.

I'm also growing Early Sunglow sweet corn again this year. It did real well for me last year, so I've expanded my corn plot to 15 x 15.

Where are you located in the Central Valley? I enjoy hearing from someone nearby that knows the idiosyncrancies that we have here in the Valley.

Thanks for your input,
Elaine

I'm south of Hanford. We have salty soil, which is one reason I grow melons - they're a little more salt-tolerant than some crops, including watermelons. Asparagus is also salt-tolerant, though I don't have a very big patch.

The other reason I grow melons is that this is prime melon country, and there are not a lot of vegetables that do well here in July and August. I like to concentrate on melons other than "American" canteloupes because I think that the commercial growers nearby do a good job with them. I very much liked little Emerald Gem, though. The dark green-skinned melons are very susceptible to sunburn here, but I didn't have a problem with Emerald Gem. I am trying one "American" canteloupe this year - Sugar Queen.

I'm allergic to corn, so I don't grow it anymore. But I liked Early Sunglow when I could eat it. My family tends to go for the sweeter, more tender types, but I kind of like crisp corn, picked before it is fully ripe. I'll send you an E-mail.

Hi,

It's been a week since I planted my asparagus as described above (plus a little bone meal in the "trench"), and today, when I was out watering my raised beds, I spotted 3 little asparagus spears about 1" tall! I've never grown asparagus before and was somewhat unsure about the method as well as using 100% county compost - so I was very exited to see that it all worked! The little spears are SO cute!

Anne