This is my third year with asparagus. I have been patient (& its been hard!). I want to know when I may be able to harvest my asparagus. I have attached 2 pictures so you can see where it is now. Its taller and not as thick so it doesn't like any videos I have watched on this topic. Please help!
Asparagus harvesting
- Thread starter kawalsh13
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There is something wrong here. Did you plant from crowns or seeds. Even if from seeds you should have more than a couple of stalks. Have you been fertilizing and if so with what? All you can do is just wait.
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I'll try to explain a little about asparagus. An asparagus crown is nothing more than some asparagus roots. When planted and fertilized these roots send up shoots. The shoots are what you cut off when of sufficient size to eat. If you let them grow they produce seed which in turn fall to the ground and possibly sprout. In the meantime while this shoot is growing tall it is helping the underground rhizomes (roots) grow and this enables the roots to send up more shoots next year. But you have to fertilize the roots and the growing shoots. As it looks from the picture you only planted one crown and you didn't feed it so it only sent up a couple of shoots. Each newely established crown should send up a minimum of 6-8 shoots the first year. You don't harvest these, you let them grow, to establish more roots so that next year each of these roots will send up 6-8 shoots. By the third year with ample fertilization all of these roots will send up 6-8 shoots from all of the roots giving you enough to harvest a few. In an established bed that has been amply fertilized you end up with a lot of asparagus shoots. But you never ever cut all of the shoots to eat. You must leave a sizeable portion of the shoots to grow. You MUST also fertilize your plants. If you start fertilizing today and let both of those shoots grow to seed then you are basically at the same place you were 2 years ago. You've got to feed your plants. Asparagus are HEAVY FEEDERS
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2020 Asparagu hasn't started growing yet. I have a small beds set aside and get about 14 pounds during its growing season about a month. Here is 2019 first cutting. My first vegetable of the season is asparagus. Always a treat.
6 May 2019 Asparagus (2019 season)
Posted on May 6, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/May 2019/6 May 2019 Asparagus/HTML/ 6 May 2019 Asparagus
First cutting of 2019 600 grams. Type is Guelph Millennium.
6 May 2019 Asparagus (2019 season)
Posted on May 6, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/May 2019/6 May 2019 Asparagus/HTML/ 6 May 2019 Asparagus
First cutting of 2019 600 grams. Type is Guelph Millennium.
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When I had my bed I used composted turkey manure and Medina 3-2-3. Every winter I would put about 3 inches of compost on the surface and in the spring and fall I would put out the Medina. I had that bed for about 15 years until I moved to where I am now and Lord knows how many pounds of asparagus I grew. It started as a 4' x 4' area and 8 crowns and when I sold out it was approx. 12' x 20'.