I have a 13 yr old row of about 2 dozen Larac. They are a great tender variety. But with good care the ferns do get over 5 feet tall and will shade out other plants. IMHO gus are plants that do well without companion. The female plants seeds are fertile and these can become your worst weed problem if not controlled. That's why when I went to a large bed I went with mainly male Jersey Knights. I started the Larac in Jiffy Pellets, the type without the netting. They take lots of attention so they don't dry out but make the actual transplanting the least traumatic to the seedlings. With my Jersey Knights I get about .4 to .6 pounds per crown when planted 12" apart in rows that are 5 feet apart. Tom

My sympathies...that's a lotta work. I had to go to Colorado Springs a few years ago (from PA), and a week's neglect can produce a pretty nasty welcome home. To answer your question, I would move your "controls" back from the 'gus bed....at least 6 inches MORE on both sides. You need all the growth you can muster this season, and you never know where the next spear will try to appear. Best wishes! Hal in PA

Looking for some asparagus seed, commercial only. Something that will grow well in zone 5. Looking for green and purple variety. Trade list updated.

There's a thread about this, and a really good answer there: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1402312/how-deep-do-asparagus-roots-go-down It's written better there, but happy asparagus can get roots 10-15' deep once they are goodly established. Maybe asparagus won't work too well for your concrete yard, even with planters a few feet deep. But you might want to consider alternatives that you can grow in planters on concrete. Some broccolis are supposed to be a good flavor sub- I'm afraid I can't tell you what varieties since I haven't tried this, but I would imagine some of the more sprouting/flowering kinds meant to be picked tender might work. Beans, particularly the pole bean known as asparagus beans are surprisingly asparagus like in taste to me, more asparagus than bean sometimes. Asparagus beans are from the Asian yard long beans, and are more noted for their asparagus taste than other yard long beans. Yes, the beans do grow very long as their name suggests. They don't replace asparagus exactly, but can really work nicely if you don't have asparagus. Also kind of nice in later summer when fresh picked asparagus is months gone.