I love asparagus and I don't grow it here. A former neighbour we had in a more inland community has some success growing it.
I thought I’d take some early bird pictures of what’s been doing pretty well around here. We’re about to have the hottest weather so far this year this weekend at 80° or so. Likely to get the hose with the sprinkler end on it in the big square here, give it a good soak at night. Water has been plentiful here so I may want to hold back for the next couple days to promote the roots more. The green onions you see are doing well but I would expect them to get bigger if they were from seed but I’m growing from the root cutoff, plant and water, easy. Soon it will be time for a barrier around here. Birds got to my raspberries so fast last year, only one fruit at a time. I’m looking forward to this year for sure since what was in a pot is now in the ground. The Salad Bowl. Best spinach I’ve ever had, romaine in there. I’m not a Borage user yet, (corner purple flowers) I thought of it as an interesting plant but the sweetie said chickens love it so might as well let them eat a bit of it. Supposed to be culinary flower, but I don’t know what application of which to use it for.
I try something new every year. One year it was borage FatBoy85. The pollinators love it. The leaves and flowers taste a bit like cucumber. I never had a mind to plant the seed again, but it comes back as volunteers every year anyways. I like to leave a few here and there for interest, and the bees.
I bought some roots this year but need to plant them to let them work for next year. I’m wondering if you can dig a spot that would get a good rain run off without being in the way? The place I bought them at were just a local garden spot but you might get them online. Dig a hole and the roots go in, keep a small part on the top and let em grow they said. They’ll apparently be really sparse but grow a lot then the following year will be appropriate for harvests.
You want to bury the roots so that the crown is well underground at least 3-4". Some burry them up to 8". Others add a good dose of compost to the bottom of the hole prior to planting. In my experience you want them in a spot that is not wet. The roots of asparagus can go as deep as 20' to find water and nutrients, so I have read. The second year spears of established crown should not be harvested much, if at all. Then you should be good to go for years three and beyond - for decades. They do spread by re-seeding themselves from the small red berries the female ferns produce. I have new asparagus plants growing randomly here and there throughout my garden. The seed that ended up in one of my strawberry beds did really well. That plant is producing some nice sized spears now after 3-4 years.
If you have reasonably good soil, it seems to grow well with companions. For example in one of my dedicated asparagus raised beds I grow lettuce, spinach and radishes. By the time the ferns shade them out, I am done picking them. Then I add a copious layer of my homemade compost around all the crowns until the bed is about over flowing. I have read they don't do well with onions and garlic, but not sure because before I considered that, I have had onions growing with them and they both did fine. I know for sure they do well with strawberries as well. But I wouldn't do too many because they would certainly shade them and weaken the strawberry crowns for the next year. I don't have weed problems since moving to no till operation with ample compost and leaf mulching year round. But I do know that asparagus grows wild in ditches across the mid-west where it does fine with all kind of weeds around it.
Thank you! Wealth of Knowledge here no doubt! The good thing is I have plenty of supplies for garden boxes. The downside is everyone is gardening now so its hard to find dirt. I have to think about putting these where the crops need to take time for them to grow viable fruits. I also like to set em and forget them if they are that kind of plant. Strawberries or any berries might work. The soil here is decent depending on where you live. The history is different so what was there before will determine it indeed.
Another thing to consider is that the fern grow in very thick and up to 6' tall. If supported in a row they provide a nice natural hedge, but plant them north of anything you to want to get ample sun.
Asparagus ferns will eventually grow over the top and fall over if you use the store bought tomato rings. In my mind those are only good for pepper plants and maybe some determinate tomato varieties. I make my own concrete wire mesh tomato cages that are 5' high, and even then my indeterminate tomato vines grow well over the top. For my asparagus beds I use four sturdy 6' stakes; one in each corner, with courses of plastic coated wire used to surround the entire bed. This system keeps the ferns up and out of my paths. For individual asparagus plants in various places in the garden I use a couple stakes per plant and tie them up. I leave the ferns until the following spring for cover for the birds, and visual interest in garden until accumulations of snow push them all down. But that space between the ferns and the ground, covered with snow is what protects the crowns from severe cold when it gets well below -20f. They are beautiful plants. Many people don't know it, but while working out in the garden you can snack on the fronds/branches emerging from each spear before they fully open to a wispy fern.
The ferns are what feeds the roots to produce spears the following year. You need to fertilize them during the summer to help the roots. I grew all mine from seed. They were supposed to be all male plants which doesn't produce berries and makes a thicker fatter spear. Depending on how vigorous your ferns are the first year you can pick for 2 weeks the second year. After that you can pick till the stalks start to get thinner. I usually pick 5-6 weeks. I've only picked about 50 lbs so far this year due to the cooler temps. The only 2 pests are slugs and asparagus beetles. I've had my patch for 23 years.
Question. Planting onion seeds? How do you do it? They are so small. I had the idea to maybe mixing them with some corn meal and shaking them from a small opening into a furrow.
About 35 years ago I worked with an old guy that said to put some 12-12-12 fertilizer in the hole with 2 corn seeds. Anyone heard of this? I can't remember if he put the fertilizer on top or under the seeds and how much. He grew Iowa Chief and always had great corn.
I direct seed onions outdoors by carefully placing a seed or two every few inches into a furrow. It is painstaking. Most people start groups of seeds in pots indoors during late winter/early spring then separate individual plants before putting them in the garden. When your seeds come up and are easier to see, you can thin the rows to a plant every 4" or so. I also plant sets for green onions and fresh eating, but they don't get as big or keep as well for storage as when starting from plants.
My suggestion is to spread your fertilizer in the row and rake/till in and then plant your seeds. Less chance of the fert burning emerging corn. Plant 1 seed about 6-10 inches apart 1" deep. What flavor are you planting?
So with my seedlings started, and doing well, and finally the threat of frost/ freeze looks to be gone until Fall. I'm ready to start getting the the plants acclimated to being outside. I think the best way is to put them out to get some partial sun/ cloudy filtered sun and different temps for a few minutes at a time, say 15-30 minutes? It's 47° out now, but supposed to get to 68 today. If it gets that warm, I'll start getting the seedlings outside under the front porch overhang. That way they'll get more natural light, but be shielded from intense sun, and any gusts.
I wasn't going to grow any corn at all, but I found a 1/2lb bag left over from last year. What the heck I might as well put them in the ground. Won't take much to work up some more ground. Variety is called Incredible. Don't know much about them. Bought them at the end of the planting season. Not many choices at that time.
