Put the asparagus bed to "sleep"....

[David from Dothan]

We have experienced a cool down which seems to have stopped the shoots from popping up, so I covered the bed with 4" of homemade compost to feed the soil for next year's crop, which will be our FIRST year of havesting. Now all I have to do is cover with mulch and.......live till spring gets here.

 

[Captain Belly]

I need to do this. maybe this weekend. I always cut them 2" from the ground, and just leave them. Should I throw soil over the top? I don't have compost.

 

[David from Dothan]

Probably wouldn't hurt, but because asparagus is such a heavy feeder.....even some compost from a nursery would be MUCH better.

 

[Tjohn]

Next spring will be our first harvest, too. I just bend the fronds over and cover with compost and hay. I'm so afraid to disturb a good thing!

 

[marlingardener]

Sounds as if you all will have a nice asparagus harvest next spring!
We have a 10 year old asparagus bed, and after the fronds turn brown we cut them off and remove them. In January we put a good layer, about 3", of compost on the bed, and a bag of composted cow manure. Last year it dawned on us that the roots had spread and the clumps were larger, so we are going to do two bags of cow manure this time. David is right about asparagus being a heavy feeder. Nice thing about composted cow manure (or sheep, or goat, or horse) is that the plant uses what it needs and leaves the rest.