Asparagus bed

[Dawn419]

When I planted my asparagus a couple of years ago, I just followed the advice I read in Ruth Stouts No Work Garden Book (1971), so was able to bypass all that digging. She recommended just laying the plants on the ground and putting a heavy mulch over the top of the plants..

I just kept adding more hay and leaves between the plants as they grew the first year. In the fall, I just covered the ferns with a lot more hay.

My asparagus has grown healthy and strong and I will be picking my first crop this year.

First off, Welcome to the forum!

I've read Ruth Stout's book and while I can appreciate her concept, it's just not fitting for all gardening situations.

My situation is pretty much a complete opposite of Rhoda's as far as sea level goes...above it by nearly 700 feet but our soil is mostly thin and way rocky so we do raised beds, also. In my 3 seasons of gardening at our new home, I've learned if we don't break up the sub-soil (sub-rock work, in my situation), the roots just can't penetrate like they should and the plants don't do as well.

The next factor is having an abundance of straw/hay at ones disposal. Not sure of Rhonda's situation but we don't have that luxury here. I've got tons of leaves at my disposal but it's mostly oak and what soil we have is very acidic so, like Rhonda, I've got to employ other methods for the gardens benefit.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I have been taking it as easy as I can, gardening wise, for a long time. Used to read Mom's copies of Organic Gardening and MotherEarthNews when I was a kid and some of the articles floored me, cuz that's not how Grandpa did it....although he had a huge garden...enough for the family and then some. I wondered if he mulched and used some of those tips, how much food he'd produce...or if he could make a smaller garden, with the same produce. It would amaze me...Grandpa would grow more than Mom, but she hardly worked at it and brought in veg/fruits too, just from info she gathered by reading.
We mulch like crazy, when we can get our hands on leaves and chips. I've only used hay a few times. Mom was opposed to it because she complained that it had seeds and would start growing grass, but I still find I have good results with hay.
I can have a problem getting my ground to keep water at times, so mulch is a Godsend....then I can have 3 days of water and a small lake is in place of my yard and the water might stay for a few weeks. Ideal situation for giant ragweed and cypresses....so so for vegetables. I can grow ALL year long, but I have to keep on top of things sometimes.
I sure hope this asparagus bed works out for us. Its a big investment of time, money and work to not have anything to show for it. But apparently Mom has a bed. A top secret one for years apparently, because I only found out about it maybe 2 weeks ago and I've yet to see it. If she can do it 600 yards away from me, I guess I can do it too.

 

[leolady]

First off, Welcome to the forum!

I've read Ruth Stout's book and while I can appreciate her concept, it's just not fitting for all gardening situations.

My situation is pretty much a complete opposite of Rhoda's as far as sea level goes...above it by nearly 700 feet but our soil is mostly thin and way rocky so we do raised beds, also. In my 3 seasons of gardening at our new home, I've learned if we don't break up the sub-soil (sub-rock work, in my situation), the roots just can't penetrate like they should and the plants don't do as well.

The next factor is having an abundance of straw/hay at ones disposal. Not sure of Rhonda's situation but we don't have that luxury here. I've got tons of leaves at my disposal but it's mostly oak and what soil we have is very acidic so, like Rhonda, I've got to employ other methods for the gardens benefit.

Thanks for the welcome! Too bad Rhoda can't utilize this easy method of planting asparagus. I have found it a godsend, and when I finally re-locate my perennial onions, I will plant more asparagus this way. It sure is easy!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

YeeHaa.....guess what came in the mail today!!! DD said, "Inside this box is something that we will plant and it will feed us the rest of our lives." I hope she has the gift of prophesy. And yesterday the strawberries came in, so I'm planting today. Hope I don't get sunburnt.....see ya'll.

 

[Cindlady2]

I was lucky, The house we bought 18 months ago came with a 10' X 10', 30 yr old asparagus bed! Last year I was still picking until just before snow! It's coming up now!

 

[dragonlaurel]

I was lucky, The house we bought 18 months ago came with a 10' X 10', 30 yr old asparagus bed! Last year I was still picking until just before snow! It's coming up now!

I'm jealous We had asparagus growing by the ditch at an old house and it was wonderful.

 

[Cindlady2]

As a kid, wild was the only kind we had.... but there was plenty! Now... pickin' ain't so good.

 

[User4960]

When I lived in Montana we used to go collect Asparagus along the back roads. It had gone semi wild near a lot of the old and vanished homesteads. Yes, nearly always near an old ditch and or fence. It grows among the weeds and is hard to spot. What ya do is make sure ya bring a woman with you. They seem to have better color vision to spot the slight color difference from a slowly moving pickup truck. I don't know what it is, but it's true! Never did get enough to take home to cook! Always ate it all in the truck, lots of it, fresh and raw. Nothing like that, except maybe fresh and raw Peas...

 

[sunsaver]

My experience with Mary Washington is that it's the smallest and most fiberous of all the commercially sold asparagus crowns. All varieties grow as well as weeds in north Louisiana, but I pulled up all of my Mary Washington and put it in the compost pile. My asparagus beds are mostly Jersey Supreme, Jersey Giant, and Purple Passion, with Purple Passion and a couple of my own hybrids grown from seed being the biggest, sweetest (almost like fresh, baby green peas, or corn) and least stringy, even at two to three feet tall. I regularly harvest spears that are inch and half in diameter, with mature ferns up to 8 feet tall. The two year crowns from Jungs or Gurneys can be planted with plenty of organic compost, bone meal, and a dash of chicken manure, and harvested lightly the very next spring. If the soil is rich enough, asparagus roots can be over-lapped or layered, with the crowns spaced as close as six inches. Mulch well every fall and feed with compost and earthworm castings. Do not bury the crowns more than a couple of inches deep. They will gradually get buried deeper and deeper as you add organic matter and mulch every fall and spring. If you never harvest anything smaller than a pencil, you will not run any risk of over harvesting. I usually get sick of eating so much fresh steamed asparagus, that i finally let it all go and it ferns out. The pencil rule is the only method that takes all trepidation out of harvesting. I have never lost a single plant to disease or pest, but i live in a hilly area with sandy soil. The land east of the Ouachita river is more clay and might require raised beds for the asparagus. Most of my beds are raised now as well, because of all the excess organic matter. Asparagus never sprouts in unison, so many more plants are needed than you might think. Thirty plants might give you two spears per day. save them in a cup of water on the kitchen window until you have enough for a small meal. I have about 100 fully mature plants, and it's just right for me to eat all i want and give some of the harvest away to friends and family. It's well worth the investment in soil preparation, and right now i'm living on asparagus, loquat fruit, and fresh black mulberries. I love springtime!

 

[Denim Deb]

Hey SS! Good to see you on here. I had about given up hope on you. Didn't know if something had happened to you, or what.