I used my Christmas gift cards to go on a Home Depot shopping spree, and came home with (among other things) a bunch of asparagus crowns. This is what they look like:
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| Image credit: Territorial Seed.com |
I cleared the area of straw and started digging. And digging. And digging. You get the picture. I found some squirmy worms along the way that let me know my soil is good and healthy though!
After what seemed like an excruciating amount of digging, I had a nice deep trench.
With a healthy layer of homemade compost to lay the crowns into and some dirt on top, I was done. I covered up the fresh, soft dirt with netting and sticks to keep Neighbor Kitty away, and I waited.
Good thing I covered it up, because Neighbor Kitty just loves luxuriating by the asparagus bed. Note the extra sticks and PVC pipe to keep him out of trouble.
By mid-March, other gardeners started reporting on their asparagus successes. I figured it was time to go check on my crop and bask in the glory of my hard work. It was too soon to harvest, but at least I could brag.
Do you have a magnifying glass handy? Here, I'll put a big red arrow in the picture to help you out. That's my crop! It's a little thicker than a pencil lead.
I only grew one similar to yours. I think the freeze sessions got my others and the last one in march got the one produce.
ReplyDeleteLast year I planted 6 asparagus crowns. Five came up. Three came back this year. I'm not quite giving up, though it's a bummer that at this point I have to wait an entire year to add more crowns.
ReplyDeleteI say - try again!
Venus and I put in about 20-25 crowns. I would say a third to half of them have come up -- very thin and pencil-like -- just like yours. I'm hopeful that others will start to come up later this spring, although I've talked to some people who experienced total crop failure with crowns. They don't always take. But once you do establish it? You've got asparagus for life.
ReplyDeleteWe've had good luck with our 30 crowns in a raised bed here in NC. The bed is in it's 4 year, and we've already had 2 meals with them, and I have about 50 spears in the fridge right now for tonight and tomorrow with more on the way. They were from a bag of Mary Washington (I think) from a Box store. We only picked a few spears the first 2 years, and let the rest go to fern stalks. "They" say this puts more energy back into the crowns. Last year, we picked even more, and still had a mini-forest of fern stalks in the fall. We didn't do anything special during the winter, and we had nights down in single digits. Maybe it's possible that you got a bad set of crowns? I will say, patience is definitely a virtue when growing them, but as Bill said, once you got 'em, you've got 'em. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe were also told to put a bone in the bottom of each hole below the crown to release longterm phosphorous.
ReplyDeleteYou may have gotten a bad batch. At the big box stores they are usually pretty dried out. I ordered from either Peaceful Valley Farm Supply or Territorial (can't remember -- would trust both places) last spring and this year the patch is huge. Like another commenter...we follow the 'year one: take none. Year two: take a few' plan. Year three: you are home free! The do seem to need a lot of water while getting established here in Arkansas. My first patch (now year three) is in a raised bed and we've eaten a lot from it. The second patch is in the ground...but we are on a fast-draining hilltop. I've heard they will rot if waterlogged in winter... Try again!! Start with crowns you can trust! Good luck and thanks for the great post.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are so inspiring--thanks for the tips and encouragement. I think it's time for BrownThumbPapa to build me (yet another) raised bed. And next year's crowns are coming from a REAL garden supplier, not the big box!
ReplyDelete