I live in a much harsher climate and have had only marginal success with my asparagus bed which is 4X5.

Gail

Yes, asparagus is so good, it is worth waiting for and fussing over.

Asparagus doesn't produce much for four (undisturbed) years. One isn't supposed to pick spears earlier than three years. I don't know the reason behind that rule of thumb.

I had to start all over with my asparagus crop thanks to raiding dogs. My dogs dug up, and ate, all of my asparagus. I had to put a sturdy fence around the asparagus bed, when I replanted.

Lorna

If this is the case then instead of planting one per 12" square then I'll plant my 4 then plant tomatoes in the middle. HELP!

I have no idea how it will turn out this year or next, but I cheated the specs, so......

I'm most excited to see the kind of spears they throw off this year. Should they do great again, I would say that this works. Of course, none of this is useful because I'll need to speak with you in 2009. :)

Next, a point of confusion: I have Ted Bartholomew's book (second edition) and he talks about either one or four aparagus plants per square foot, no explanation. I'm putting in a patch and wonder if any of you good folk have any thoughts?

Thanks,
sweet_annie

Scratch my idea :)

How is everyone's aspargus doing this year.

I am confused as to how many to plant. Do I do the 4 per square foot?

And why is the choice 1 or 4 per sf in the book?

Thank you

from dan staley ... I've installed ~ 1/2 dz beds for myself, friends and clients, and the closer the spacing, the sooner the crowding. Some catalogs state min 8" spacing, others 12". The real issue is whether you want to wait another year for full coverage. They'll fill in all the space eventually, and why rush the work of root/plant thinning? You don't really get more in the long run with more crowns planted. You just get filled space sooner.

from kathmcd7 ... Mel's website suggests 1 per sqf and if you can afford it, four per sqf.

Dan

I do have a further question though. Do I plant my crowns in a trench etc, and then slowly fill it in as they grow, or do I go ahead and put Mel's Mix (or something similar, without the spaghnum moss) on top and let them sprout up through that?

Just an interesting FYI, my folks moved to their current farm in 1972 and there was a bed of asparagus there when they moved in. That bed is STILL producing asparagus and has been mowed down, abused, and probably not fertilized or anything else in about the last 15 years!

Thanks!
Bari

We have failed in this thread, despite the use of plain language stating cloth on top won't work. Ah, well. I guess we cannot be successful all the time.

Dan

My thought for using the cloth on top was that holes could be cut out for the asparagus to come up through while keeping the other stuff out.

I am the one who feels like I failed and am stupid. Sorry for asking dumb questions.

Bari

Bari

Started with six each jersey and martha washington plants. Glad to say, five each came up last month,
and now there are 3-5 stalks on each plant.
I nibbled one new shoot from each plant, my bad.

Since nobody actually told you not to put cloth on top, or gave you a reason why, I will. Hopefully you'll check this thread again and won't be offended by Dan's rudeness.

The purpose for the weed barrier is to block anything from growing, obviously. Normally, you would place the cloth a few inches under the soil and plant over it, or right on top of the soil and cut holes for each plant/seed. With asparagus, you can't really do that because you'll block most of the spears. Instead, try using an organic mulch, like wood chips or straw. Something that the asparagus can push through, but weeds can't. I suggest weeding the bed until the spears pop through the soil, then applying the mulch.

Personally, I just weed it. I enjoy the time in the garden and don't mind pulling the weeds, but some people don't have the time for that. Hopefully my post helps you out and you know that we aren't all jerks on this forum.

Homer

Thank you so much for the answer. That makes sense once it is explained. I am planning right now on just weeding it - even though it would be nice not to have to! I have the crowns planted and am waiting for signs of life now...

Thanks!

Bari