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Vegetable Gardening

Another question about asparagus

14 years ago

I have done ALOT of research on the cultivation of asparagus so this question is rather strange, I purchased 2 year crowns (mary washington) and I do not have my planting bed ready, I opened the package ( because like a little kid I had to see what they looked like) and they had already started to sprout about 4 or 5 sprouts that are 3 or 4 inches long, since my beds are not ready should I just throw them away? or pot them in a peatpot that will degrade when they can be put out later? Any input would be appreciated. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE and goodluck with all your planting adventures and I hope you have bumpercrops. Thanks. Deanna :o)

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Comments (4)

obrionusa
14 years ago
I would try to keep them in as dark of an area as possible. Then contact who you bought them off and tell them what happened. Surely they would do whatever it took to make it right. I doubt you are going to talk to anyone until Monday now.
Happy New Year!
digdirt2
14 years ago
Depends on how long it is going to take you to get the bed ready. A few days? No problem, just pack some lightly damp potting mix around the roots and keep them in shelter out of the direct sun.

If you are talking weeks until bed is ready then they are going to have to be potted up individually and it will take fairly large pots to contain all the roots. Plant them with the top of the crown just below the soil surface and keep them only lightly damp.

If you use peat pots (I wouldn't as peat pots have chronic problems you can read about here)) then be sure to strip away most all of the pot when ready to plant them in the bed.

Dave
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Just as with animals, a plant is either male, XY chromosomes, or female, XX chromosomes. You won't be able to tell the difference until at least the 2nd summer, possibly the 3rd, when the plants bloom. Female plants bear round, pea-like berries which turn bright reddish-orange when ripe. My personal opinion of this "all-male" asparagus business is that it's a bunch of bunk. While the marginially higher yield of all-male plants probably does make a difference for a commercial grower, who probably operates on a pretty slim profit margin anyway, it doesn't make much difference in a home garden situation. IF asparagus self-sowed as vigorously as something like amarath or Sweet Annie, I could understand not wanting to fight a lot of volunteers. But, in my garden, from 100 mature plants, I will find maybe 6 or 8 little seedling volunteers each year. These I just dig up with one scoop of a small hand trowel, and relocate back into the main bed. I consider them a delightful bonus, not a problem to be "dealt with." Asparagus is perfectly happy at one foot spacing. Any more is just wasting valuable planting space, IMO.
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I agree Ali, last year was the first year on my first bed. I planted 2 year old crowns and in the Fall it was really hard leaving all those spears to become ferns. I confess I sneaked 6 of them into the house and boy were they yummy! I chewed as slow as possible to savor ever spear. LOL This is my first full harvest, I go out every day looking for little tips that might be poking through. I don't get enough leaves in my yard to mulch with so I use straw, it worked great against weeds, i like using it, just was not sure if it should come off. I am taking Ed's advice and getting bagged manure tomorrow and putting it in the bed. Today I planted my third gus bed, so now I have 35 crowns planted. Thanks for responding to my question. Susan
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I grew asparagus at our first house. It was in a flower bed and very attractive! I think that yes you would need to compact your soil a bit, especially after tilling and adding compost etc. You can always count on whatever you plant to sink a little, unless you press down some on the soil before hand. With trees, I use my full body weight and press down around the root ball with my feet. But with asparagus, which I never got to see through to harvesting time, I would just use my hands to firm the soil. Especially since you should make little mounds in order to plant the crowns. If you don't firm it up, then you are right. They will eventually sink lower than they should be. Just like any other plant, especially mounded plants or plants in pots. imho that is what you should do with any plant or seed. Freshly tilled earthe needs to be pressed down in order to assure that the seeds or plants do not sink lower than wanted. Good luck with your asparagus. Yum Yum!! My favorite because it tastes so good and because it is a perennial. I love the idea of perennial vegetables.
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I don't know how far asparagus will grow to get to the surface, but I'd say quite a way for established plants. If you want to lift them, fill in and replant you wouldn't have to wait 3 years. If they're already harvestable, all that will happen is that you'll set them back a bit. Just harvest fewer spears this coming season. By next season they'll be back to their old selves. It would be the perfect opportunity to dump a whole load of manure in before you top up the bed and replant. The asparagus will thank for it.
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brookw_gw
14 years ago
Asparagus roots USUALLY are quite tough. Put them in a paper bag and keep them a cool, dark, place. Don't worry about sprouts. In fact, break them off. I think they take energy from the root. They're most likely to break off anyway when you plant them. They should keep for several weeks. They will even get moldy and survive. I wouldn't even consider the peat pot idea.

Since you're looking at a long term commitment to these plants, bed preparation is the single most important step to consider. Have well-dug trenches and use A LOT of lime. For the first year's needs, also put in some super phosphate. Plant the roots deep in the trench and backfill as the plant grows. If you don't, the asp will blow over too easily. Once the trench is finally filled in, you're done forever.

In the future, you might consider the all-male varieties. You get much better spears from them.

Good luck,

Brook
eyesofthewolf
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks everyone The bed is the most important part and it will take me several weeks to get a raised bed (walls built in limestone its super abundant here) I also am going to get Jersey Supreme Hybrid, I think in the long run they will be a better choice. I will just bite the bullet and not worry about the Mary Washingtons even so I HATE wasting money, Thanks for the input it helped me decide. :o) Deanna

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