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Post by mrsk on Apr 6, 2015 11:24:19 GMT -5
I would like a small plot of asparagus, remember I have a postage stamp garden.... well maybe a little bigger but The plot would be about 3 x 5 feet. Is it better to plant spring or fall? How many crowns for that area? I do know about the well rotted manure, that I will begin piling and mixing into that area fairly quickly as we have animals close by at this time of year. I do know about well rotted, and weed free, so that is my plan this summer, to mix this into the soil thickly, and then weed the heck out of it this summer. Do I plant in the fall, or do I wait for the spring 2016? One year old crowns or two year old crowns? Mrs K
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Post by tbird on Apr 6, 2015 12:04:36 GMT -5
two year old would get you to table quicker. I think the recommend spring, sending the crown in like Feb or march through the mail...but check and see if they are still available. If so, I'd get them and plant asap.
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Post by James on Apr 6, 2015 12:12:22 GMT -5
Plant some crowns now. Here they are available from local garden shops. Ask around locally. I put the crowns down about 6 inches deep. You do not cut them the year you plant them, but next year you can take some early cuttings. The second year you can cut them quite heavily, but at some point you have to let them grow up so they can store fuel for next year's harvest. They last for years. A plot 3x5? Hmm try 3 rows of 4 plants in a row.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 6, 2015 15:29:20 GMT -5
Definitely plant them now. I don't think that they are even available for purchase in the Fall.
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Post by oliverman on Apr 6, 2015 23:46:15 GMT -5
When I planted mine, I did so in mid or late March. Plowed a trench about a foot deep and 18" wide. Shoveled 4" of chicken manure in, straight from the henhouse, buried that with 4" of dirt, put the crowns on top, then covered them with 6" of dirt. I don't know if that is the proper way to start them, but they sure did fine.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Apr 7, 2015 10:07:58 GMT -5
What are the best varieties for thin asparagus? I like the spears thin and tasty; the larger ones get too woody and are too hard to eat.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 7, 2015 14:59:32 GMT -5
I don't think that there is a specific variety for thin spears. It may have to do with how they are grown.
I never would have believed this before I grew my own but I sometimes get some really thick spears that may be as big around as a man's thumb but they are still super tender and actually more flavorful than the really skinny ones. Pick up a bunch of home grown and you will see what I mean.
I grow Jersey Knight and am very happy with them.
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Post by lisaann on Apr 7, 2015 17:49:42 GMT -5
If you want to get asparagus started, right now is the perfect time at my house..............maybe yours too!
I am growing mary washington. (Heirloom)
I started mine from seeds 1/19/11. I transplanted them to their permanent bed 4/11/11.
They get fat spears and skinny spears on the same clump.
All of them are tender, whether they are fat or skinny.
I don't know why asparagus from the store is tough, except that maybe they wait toooooo long to harvest. Which would mean when they are about 12 inches long, but haven't opened their tips, but just about ready too in the next 10 minutes. Then they cut off the REALLY tough bottom and bundle them and sell them.
Might be that they were refridgerated too long till they got to the store shelf? Don't know.
Hubby HATED asparagus with a passion till I grew it in my yard. That's ALL I know REAL GOOD!
Weeds are supposed to be a problem..............I have been lucky so far. But I did notice some arum italicum inching it's way over. Must eridicate that this week sometime.
MrsK,
If your bed is 3 feet wide. I would do 2 rows, set 9 inches in from each the edge of the bed. Within the row I would set them about 15-18 inches apart.
That is just how I would do it, and is HOW I DID it. hahahahha
I hope all that made sense! Get Busy!
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Apr 7, 2015 18:03:39 GMT -5
Hmmmm.. Maybe the thick spears are because the stores bundle older spears with fresher ones? I've noticed they do that, including with the ones that are obviously paler and probably older. If size doesn't make a difference, then it must be something other than the variety.
Lisa, spacing them 15 - 18" apart - do they need a lot of space, water, or just don't like to be crowded?
Rexx, do you get both skinny and fatter spears in the same crop?
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Post by lisaann on Apr 7, 2015 18:09:03 GMT -5
That's about the size clump, a plant matures too. Space them right and no need to keep digging up and respacing, and delaying the crop each time.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 7, 2015 18:46:18 GMT -5
Rexx, do you get both skinny and fatter spears in the same crop?
Yes, I do. I have 25 crowns and all are the same variety - Jersey Knight. All of the crowns produce both fat and skinny spears and all through the season, not just at the end or the beginning or when it gets hot or dry or anything like that. They just produce different sizes.
I do agree that the store bought fat ones are awful. I hardly have to cut anything off of the bottom of mine and they are totally tender.
I have also bought really skinny ones at the store in the past, thinking that they would be super tender and young but they really do not have the depth of flavor that mine do, no matter how fat they are.
I wish I could share some with you Spring. They are so good and will be popping up any day now.
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Post by mrsk on Apr 7, 2015 20:25:22 GMT -5
all of you seem to be fine with rather fresh manure? Just mix it into the soil well? I do have some dry horse manure, but it is less than a couple of weeks old.
Ok, I will try it.
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Post by gakaren on Apr 7, 2015 22:05:12 GMT -5
I think most of it in the stores has been in transit so long and refrigerated so long that they are losing the flavor and start getting hard at the bottoms.
We used to get ours in in containers that didn't have any moisture in them...so they hadn't had a drink for several days. I used to trim a bit off the bottoms as I put them out so they could absorb some water that we sat them in. That did seem to help keep them shelf ready an extra day or two.
And all the other gals are correct...store bought is nothing like home grown! I some times have a hard time making it to the house with it...it's good raw right out of the patch too!
MrsK, what I did was dig my trench and I laid my crowns in and spread the roots....the spacing was so that the roots were just barely touching and rows a little over 1' wide. I didn't completely re-fill the trench, as they grew I filled it in til it was level with the rest of the ground. I like Oliver's idea a digging deeper and putting some manure down & then soil on top of it. Sounds like a good way to get those roots to go searching for that manure to give them a good start!
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Post by OregonRed on Apr 8, 2015 12:00:15 GMT -5
also, regarding the fresh manure, you wont be eating any of this food for over a year, yes? therefore the manure will get composted, am I thinking correctly here?
when I was 'growing my own soil' directly in the beds over the years, I put fresh manure in (with everything else) and the only thing I would plant in there the first year was flowers...
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Post by brownrexx on May 3, 2015 19:05:31 GMT -5
I saw my first asparagus beetle today! Grrr. I handpicked and squished 6 of them so I guess I will be doing that every day now.
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