Asparagus

[Tom Anderson]

I would like to try growing asparagus in my square foot bed. Mel's book says that 1 plant to a square, so 16 plants in a 4 ft square bed. This seems pretty close,,has anyone grown asparagus in a square foot with success?? Thanks

 

[Chuck]

I have never tried sq ft gardening but planting asparagus crowns 1 ft apart seems terribly close together. When I grew asparagus I grew it in rows and each row was a minimum of 2 ft apart. Each crown was about 2 ft apart. About the 5th year the entire thing was a mass of asparagus. It seems to me that planting 1 ft apart will in 2 or 3 years time be a hindrance for a long term asparagus bed. I had my bed for about 15 years until I sold the property and moved to where I am now.

 

[Tjohn]

Asparagus is not suited to square foot gardening as it has to spread to make an effective bed. It is a perennial ( at least here) that comes back year after year, so you don't want to limit its' space too much.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

ran across some that are a purple color. hope to get them, will just add to my flower shrub garden slope area and let them do their thing. some visual delight. as its a perennial, I will let it roam if it chooses.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/asparagus/varieties-of-asparagus.htm

 

[marlingardener]

Asparagus is notoriously prone to attracting weeds. In your 4 ft. square bed, you could put in eight plants and mulch heavily! We use hay, but layers of cardboard between plants, or grass clippings, or anything you can lay your hands on to give at minimum 4" of mulch.
We get two harvests here in Texas--heavier in the spring, but a nice cutting or two in the fall.
Would you please put your location and growing zone in your avatar? It would help us give better advice and suggestions. And, a warm welcome to the forum!

 

[Becky]

ran across some that are a purple color. hope to get them, will just add to my flower shrub garden slope area and let them do their thing. some visual delight. as its a perennial, I will let it roam if it chooses.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/asparagus/varieties-of-asparagus.htm

I didn't realise there were purple varieties - I've had white asparagus before, it's delicious

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I didn't realise there were purple varieties - I've had white asparagus before, it's delicious

will be planted among flowers, not in a "true" veggie garden like the idea of purple for a contrast color to other plantings, will be using it that way, and of course harvest as needed.

 

[David from Dothan]

Gotta say my biggest gardening downfall is.....recommended spacing. My brain tells me to follow the guidelines but something happens to the signal between my brain and my trowel. Took this picture today, April 4th. This is our bed's 2nd year. The bed is 55" x 35" and I planted a whole bag of crowns in that space. Honesty, I crammed them all in there......and BOOM....they took off. Maybe it's because the bed is 60%+ homemade compost. These plants are 6 - 7 foot tall, already, with more and more shoots showing up.

 

[Durgan]

Asparagus
Posted on May 22, 2011 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2011/May 2011/22 May 2011 Asparagus/HTML/index.htm22 May 2011 Asparagus

This is the fourth year for the asparagus bed, and my first harvest. Bed is about 8 by 10 feet.There are eleven plants in the bed. The type is Guelph Millennium.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Asparagus, Guelph Millenium. Bookmark the permalink. Edit

 

[MaryMary]

I've had white asparagus before, it's delicious

White asparagus is green asparagus, they just deprive it of light. That's why it's only available in the spring.

When the spears begin to stick out of the ground, producers will cover them with dirt or black plastic to keep them in the dark. This limit on sun exposure inhibits the production of chlorophyll, which is what makes asparagus normally turn green. It also results in a milder flavor.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-is-white-asparagus_us_58f56f37e4b0bb9638e5e1a0

 

[mich]

View attachment 34442 Gotta say my biggest gardening downfall is.....recommended spacing. My brain tells me to follow the guidelines but something happens to the signal between my brain and my trowel. Took this picture today, April 4th. This is our bed's 2nd year. The bed is 55" x 35" and I planted a whole bag of crowns in that space. Honesty, I crammed them all in there......and BOOM....they took off. Maybe it's because the bed is 60%+ homemade compost. These plants are 6 - 7 foot tall, already, with more and more shoots showing up.

Holy smokes! that is gorgeous! Can you describe your homemade compost?

 

[mich]

Asparagus
Posted on May 22, 2011 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2011/May 2011/22 May 2011 Asparagus/HTML/index.htm22 May 2011 Asparagus

This is the fourth year for the asparagus bed, and my first harvest. Bed is about 8 by 10 feet.There are eleven plants in the bed. The type is Guelph Millennium.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Asparagus, Guelph Millenium. Bookmark the permalink. Edit

What does your soil consist of?

 

[David from Dothan]

Holy smokes! that is gorgeous! Can you describe your homemade compost?

The compost used in this bed was made from veg kitchen "scraps" for the nitrogen and old, used straw hay for the carbon....all "cooked" in a compost tumbler. Note: I ALWAYS cut the veg scraps into small pieces for faster breakdown.

 

[Durgan]

What does your soil consist of?

I made an elaborate bed. Added sand and compost about a foot deep. Mixed well and add compost and wood chips every year. A bed lasts for 20 or so years so it is worth the effort. I get about 10 to 15 pounds over the six week season in the Spring. Do a google and look at suggestions for making a bed. It is my first vegetable in the Spring so is highly regarded. My soil is clay with much city compost worked in.