About growing asparagus

[Jenise]

So I planted my nine crowns about seven weeks ago and one came up about two weeks later. No sign of the other eight. So a few days ago I dug around and looked at two of the crowns, and each had new white growth coming out of its tuberish appendages so clearly something's happening, but there's no sign that anything green is about to go north. I'm curious if this typical slow behavior for getting asparagus established. Christine? Alan?

Jenise - Mine was slow to start when I first planted it, and my understanding is that it takes a while to get established. Patience, I think, patience.

Being an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy and an out-and-out curmudgeon has its advantages. My own asparagus are planted, in the European style, from seeds and not crowns. True, it takes five years until you see your first edible asparagus but ye gods, the difference beween seed- and crown-grown asparagus is enormous.....the difference between merely delicious and absolutely mouth-watering.

And let it be stated that as the night follows the day, the correct way to eat asparagus, even in the most elegant of settings is with the fingers. They who cut their asparagus and eat them with knife and fork are doomed forever to everlasting, flaming, sulphur stinking hell. So sayeth both me and Zarathurstra.

Best
Rogov

Daniel, I had my brother and his wife here for dinner last week and they told me this story of a couple they observed at a friend's home for dinner. "The asparagus was roasted and served on the individual plates, each with a side dish of mayonnaise and one of lemon. The gentleman picked up one whole asparagus from his plate, passed it through the mayo, then offered it to his wife, seated next to him. She opened her mouth and ate the entire stalk down to his fingers where she then planted a kiss. The wife then, did the same thing for her husband." My sister-in-law had this to say, "it was obvious they were participating in fore play!" I had no answer for her. Any opinion?

[Jenise]

Being an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy and an out-and-out curmudgeon has its advantages. My own asparagus are planted, in the European style, from seeds and not crowns. True, it takes five years until you see your first edible asparagus but ye gods, the difference beween seed- and crown-grown asparagus is enormous.....the difference between merely delicious and absolutely mouth-watering.

Daniel, I had no idea there would be a difference. And if I had known...? I might have desired both, but life is short and the thought of waiting until I'm ___ years old to pick my first asparagus, especially considering how little farm space I have here in my mostly ornamental border garden, might have made me uninclined to consider anything but the crowns. But tell me what is the difference...doesn't the seed eventually make crowns anyway, isn't that just the nature of the plant?

... "it was obvious they were participating in fore play!" I had no answer for her. Any opinion?

Karen, Hi....

Perhaps not so much foreplay as a simple sign of affection. True, a man would not do that with his daughter (nor a woman with her son) but with one's partner or lover? Just good fun. At least in my eyes. And what the heck, food should be sensual.

Best
Rogov

Oh Jenise,
This is will be a test of patience ! This is typical and you should NOT cut any this year. Next year you may, with caution cut for 2 weeks, and the year after that 4 weeks. Only after that should you cut the entire season - until the end of June.
I have been having to fend off my dear husband- we are in the 4 week picking year - he just can not resist the sweet, lovely crunch of asparagus from the backyard. They need time for sustainable root development
Let the fronds stay throughout the fall and winter. You will have many volunteers next spring that will eventually root. In the fall compost/mulch/manure heavily and forget it until next spring.
Yes, they are slow, but giving the roots time and nourishment will reward you for decades. This year I have been picking only the largest spears - 1/2 - 3/4" diameter sparingly and leaving the smaller ones for root nourishment.
My parents, now aged 98 and 88 have had only 2 asparagus beds in their gardening years so...patience....

[Jenise]

And what the heck, food should be sensual.

Best
Rogov

Totally agree with that part, but like most things in life one should have a clear understanding of when one should or should not indulge onesself, don't you think? Bob and I were once snuggling a bit while dining in a very good restaurant with those curved leather boothes against the wall, of which we occupied one, and some old snit at another table told the waitress to tell us to stop it. (Who thought it was hilarious and reported it to us immediately, clearly hoping to encourage us to anything but.) In a place like that, they, not us, were in the wrong. It was, after all, a public place and everybody had the option of minding their own business. But in someone else's home where you don't know the hosts (apparently) or the other guests well enough to know they wouldn't be offended? Wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't advise anyone to do it.

[Jenise]

Oh Jenise,
This is will be a test of patience ! This is typical and you should NOT cut any this year. Next year you may, with caution cut for 2 weeks, and the year after that 4 weeks. Only after that should you cut the entire season - until the end of June.
I have been having to fend off my dear husband- we are in the 4 week picking year - he just can not resist the sweet, lovely crunch of asparagus from the backyard. They need time for sustainable root development
Let the fronds stay throughout the fall and winter. You will have many volunteers next spring that will eventually root. In the fall compost/mulch/manure heavily and forget it until next spring.
Yes, they are slow, but giving the roots time and nourishment will reward you for decades. This year I have been picking only the largest spears - 1/2 - 3/4" diameter sparingly and leaving the smaller ones for root nourishment.
My parents, now aged 98 and 88 have had only 2 asparagus beds in their gardening years so...patience....

Oh, I definitely knew not to cut the guy down. I'm just surprised that only the one spear came up so far and was worried that the other eight crowns were muerto or something. I'll be patient. In the meantime, my buddy Anne just found another asparagus bed in the neighborhood--empty house. She's been helping herself (and sharing!).

I've decided I do not have the patience for growing asparagus...so I bypassed some beautiful crowns at the nursery a month ago. I get them at the Farmer's Market, when I can. One has to arrive early and scout them out, then stand guard, because the grower may only have three to six bunches at one time. I remain polite and only take one bunch. If there is not a line, I take two!

Jenise, it probably *is* too early to give up, although it is getting late. I planted ten crowns this year at a garden nearby, have experienced great variability among them and may have lost three. One was up probably two months ago, grew a foot tall and has already proceeded to summertime frondy stage. At the other extreme (not counting the completely comatose ones) I have one that's grown only an inch or so. One got a couple of inches tall and then apparently expired. But one out of nine sounds like a pretty bad hit rate. I was wondering if you might have planted too deep - may I ask how much soil you had on top of the crowns?

On the subject of the Rogov asparagus seed theory, I confess I'm skeptical. It's completely possible there are varieties of aspargus available as seed that are not available in crown form and then of course you might find a variety you prefer that way. But every crown started as a seed at one point, so to say asparagus from planting crowns is inferior is to say some years down the road asparagus somehow "remembers" it was transplanted (from wherever the crowns were grown to your garden). As I said, I'm skeptical.

Can't say I know there is a difference between seeded and crowned offspring but eventually they both exist in the same bed. I am amazed at how hearty the seed is. At 3 years now I have volunteer asparagus in multiple places around the yard at great distance from the main bed - ? wind ? birds ? I am nurturing them wherever they happen to sprout. I hoe I have enough eventually to process some way for fall/winter reminders

[Jenise]

Jenise, it probably *is* too early to give up, although it is getting late. I planted ten crowns this year at a garden nearby, have experienced great variability among them and may have lost three. One was up probably two months ago, grew a foot tall and has already proceeded to summertime frondy stage. At the other extreme (not counting the completely comatose ones) I have one that's grown only an inch or so. One got a couple of inches tall and then apparently expired. But one out of nine sounds like a pretty bad hit rate. I was wondering if you might have planted too deep - may I ask how much soil you had on top of the crowns?

On the subject of the Rogov asparagus seed theory, I confess I'm skeptical. It's completely possible there are varieties of aspargus available as seed that are not available in crown form and then of course you might find a variety you prefer that way. But every crown started as a seed at one point, so to say asparagus from planting crowns is inferior is to say some years down the road asparagus somehow "remembers" it was transplanted (from wherever the crowns were grown to your garden). As I said, I'm skeptical.

Mark, re depth, a local nursery suggested only two inches of cover. I went three since it was loose new bagged dirt in a new raised bed figuring it would settle down to around two in short order. Compared to your situation, mine doesn't sound very promising, does it? I'll cross my fingers for more action soon. Like I said initially, under the soil something IS (or, gulp, was) happening. Maybe a couple of sunny days like the last two will make things pop--my single stalk hasn't fronded out yet. It was almost 70 here today. And if it doesn't, that might be the other data point. Prolly too late to get more/new crowns. Unless I steal some transplants from Anne's neighbor's yard...HMMM! ("Steal", btw, is too strong a word. I wouldn't really STEAL, it's just that the guy's girlfriend moved out and it was she who planted, and ate, the asparagus. He's not a fan and told Anne to pick all she wanted, so I'm certain that he wouldn't miss a few.)

I wonder what kind of asparagus I planted; I don't recall the variety now. There were two at Lowe's the day I happened to be there picking up some blinds for the laundry room, and I simply chose the one that had the prettiest picture on the package . Could have been photoshopped to look more interesting, but lacking any other reason to select one vs the other, I chose the one that had more purple colored heads vs. being the same shade of green from top to bottom. They looked, I dunno, a bit more European.

Good theory re seed vs. crown, that it's a variety thing.

Do you live in a condo and have a community garden?

Mark, re depth, a local nursery suggested only two inches of cover. I went three since it was loose new bagged dirt in a new raised bed figuring it would settle down to around two in short order. Compared to your situation, mine doesn't sound very promising, does it?

That sure doesn't sound like enough depth to cause you problems. If nothing happens, you can probably chalk it up to bad luck - low viability crowns. The full drill is to dig a trench deep enough so that the tops of the crowns would end up perhaps six inches below grade, then cover with those couple of inches of soil, then re-fill the trench as the spears grow, leaving the tips showing. Of course, that depends on decent enough drainage that the crowns wouldn't rot before starting to grow. In that case, you could accomplish the same thing by mounding.

Do you live in a condo and have a community garden?

No, we have plenty of ground (an acre plus) but also plenty of deer and I've resisted fencing so far. Gardening and landscaping depend on finding plants the deer won't totally destroy. The asparagus was planted in a "demonstration garden" belonging to the Island County Master Gardeners (of which I am one) at Greenbank Farm. In keeping with the economic times, we're trying to show how edibles can be worked into an ornamental landscape.

[Jenise]

That sure doesn't sound like enough depth to cause you problems. If nothing happens, you can probably chalk it up to bad luck - low viability crowns...No, we have plenty of ground (an acre plus) but also plenty of deer and I've resisted fencing so far. Gardening and landscaping depend on finding plants the deer won't totally destroy. The asparagus was planted in a "demonstration garden" belonging to the Island County Master Gardeners (of which I am one) at Greenbank Farm. In keeping with the economic times, we're trying to show how edibles can be worked into an ornamental landscape.

Okay, BIG NEWS: this morning I found that two more baby stalks had come up. That's still only three of nine but it's a 200% improvement over Friday so I'll take it, and I'm now encouraged to hope for more.

Great about your project. I'd like to come visit that for ideas. Even without our tough economic times, surely the principal of edible landscape is here to stay for reasons of health, sustainability and independence. Toward that end I picked up some fennel starts this weekend and am now trying to pick out a place to plant them. They should do well here at the beach--there's a great stand of them in front of a trailer park I pass on my way home around the bay, in fact.

Yeah !!

I planted Florence fennel and Bronze fennel once in a flower bed - looks great as a backgroung plant - never had to plant them since - the Bronze is a perennial here and both seed themselves very generously

[Jenise]

Yeah !!

I planted Florence fennel and Bronze fennel once in a flower bed - looks great as a backgroung plant - never had to plant them since - the Bronze is a perennial here and both seed themselves very generously

The bronze is beautiful, isn't it? I had never seen it until about a week ago when I saw some in a nursery--I think. If I were sure about it I'd probably be tempted to mix, but as it is I bought the green because that's all they had where I was shopping that day, nine baby plants that I thought I'd plant to create a cluster sooner than later. At least, that's how I understood one should do it.

[Jenise]

Oh, btw, my asparagus is Jersey Giant. If anyone knows that one to comment on it's pluses or minuses compared to other breeds, I'd love to hear about it.

I know how hard it is to wait but the Bronze fennel seeds germinate quiclky and the result is beautiful at any height. One caution ....don't plant the whole packet. You will have much more than you need and since it is perennial and self seeding it will take over. I love designing and decorating outdoors with plants-always gratifying and surprising. You eventually develop a slower seasonal rhythm and the impatience gives way to a different awareness. Very restorative.

I bought the Super Male variety.....supposedly mostly male but plenty of females and glad there are because I now have dozens of seeds sprouting.

"That sure doesn't sound like enough depth to cause you problems. If nothing happens, you can probably chalk it up to bad luck - low viability crowns. The full drill is to dig a trench deep enough so that the tops of the crowns would end up perhaps six inches below grade, then cover with those couple of inches of soil, then re-fill the trench as the spears grow, leaving the tips showing. Of course, that depends on decent enough drainage that the crowns wouldn't rot before starting to grow. In that case, you could accomplish the same thing by mounding."

My grandfather taught me to dig the trench even deeper and then place a few inches of compost mixed with a little aged manure and good top soil a couple of inches below the crowns.

Oh, btw, my asparagus is Jersey Giant. If anyone knows that one to comment on it's pluses or minuses compared to other breeds, I'd love to hear about it.

Jenise, Jersey Giant is one of several varieties with "Jersey" in the name that are all-male hybrids. The main advantage with having all male plants is that no energy is wasted making seed, all into growing stalks, and so yield is supposed to be 2-3x what it is with a normal mixed population. They do sell Jersey Giant seed; I suppose Google could provide the answer but I wonder how one gets seed without female plants... The other advantage (or disadvantage, depending on how you look at it) is that you shouldn't be bothered by seedlings. You can also read about it here http://www.territorialseed.com/product/7549/asparagus_seed. BTW, Territorial is an excellent source for plants well-suited to the Pacific Northwest, being based in Oregon. It sounds like a good choice, being "especially well suited for temperate and cool climates". Note that they don't even to ship until mid-April, which may be a clue that both of us made the error of planting too early.

My grandfather taught me to dig the trench even deeper and then place a few inches of compost mixed with a little aged manure and good top soil a couple of inches below the crowns.

Your grandfather was giving the conventional advice, George - some manure in the trench is indeed a standard recommendation. I was more focused on the planting depth since planting too deep is a common cause of problems in planting all kinds of things, asparagus included. The good news is it sounds like the only thing Jenise needed here was patience.

[Jenise]

I love designing and decorating outdoors with plants-always gratifying and surprising. You eventually develop a slower seasonal rhythm and the impatience gives way to a different awareness. Very restorative.

I LOVE the way you put that, Christina. I spent paragraphs trying to describe this feeling to my husband on Sunday night, an uncommonly still night warm enough to sit outside in t-shirts until way too late for people who need to go to work on Monday morning (but we did it anyway). There's something nurturing and maternal about creating landscape that satisfies a deeper need than mere ornamentation. And I feel it more keenly here than I did in Southern California where virtually everything grew easily.

I bought the Super Male variety.....supposedly mostly male but plenty of females and glad there are because I now have dozens of seeds sprouting.

Hmmm...now you have me thinking about the fennel starts I bought. They're more male than female in shape now, but maybe that's just pre-pubescent androgyny. I better make sure I have some females!

[Jenise]

My grandfather taught me to dig the trench even deeper and then place a few inches of compost mixed with a little aged manure and good top soil a couple of inches below the crowns.

My asparagus garden is a 5' x 2' rectangular raised bed just 22" tall, so trenching in the conventional sense was a moot point. I put them where I had to in order to have room for three inches of cover soil up to but not past three inches below the rim of the bed.

[Jenise]

It sounds like a good choice, being "especially well suited for temperate and cool climates".

Yes, it said that on my packet (I do not trust big box stores like Lowe's or Home Depot to actually stock the right thing for my area), which was reassuring. Thanks for the info on male vs. female. I did not realize that asparagus was a multi-sexed plant. (It's all so much more complicated than it looks!)

Territorial! I knew the name once and was trying to recall this past year who that Oregon outfit was--thanks, that's the name.

The good news is it sounds like the only thing Jenise needed here was patience.

Well, I hope so! Can't wait to see if any more have come up this morning.