Asparagus Gardening Tips
As asparagus plants grow, they produce a mat of long, tubular roots that spreads horizontally rather than vertically. This one-year-old root system is called the asparagus crown. Although asparagus can be started from seed, it’s most often begun from transplanting crowns purchased from a reputable crown grower. Those who wish to learn how to grow Asparagus must have an abundance of patience, since it takes an asparagus bed three years to be established from crowns.
Plant asparagus crowns in a trench that is one to two feet wide. Set the crowns up to six inches deep and nine to twelve inches apart. Asparagus grows easily in any well-drained soil. Found growing wild on English riverbanks, the delicate asparagus ferns were nicknamed “sparrow grass”. However, asparagus allowed to stand in water develops root rot, which can quickly destroy a complete bed. Asparagus roots have a tendency to “rise” as the bed matures. Gardeners typically add soil to the rows of a mature asparagus bed to keep the crowns undercover. Asparagus is also susceptible to late spring frosts, which kill emerging spears Take care to keep your asparagus bed covered until frost danger is past.
The asparagus pea is an unusual crop of rectangular pods, which are eaten whole when they are about 1 ½ in. (38mm) long. This is a prolific cropper with very attractive dark red flowers.
Soil Preparation
Four weeks before sowing, add well-rotted compost and manure into the soil to a depth of 9 in. (228mm) at the rate of a bucketful to the yard. Two weeks before sowing rake in a top dressing of fish manure or bone meal at a rate of 4 oz. (120g) to the sq. yd; alternatively, rake in a mixture of 2 oz.(60g) carbonate of lime and 1 oz. (30g) sulphate of potash to the sq. yd.
Sowing
Choose a well-drained area, where the ground has been well prepared to provide aeration. Asparagus peas must not be grown in the same plot as in the previous year. Avoid sowing seeds in soils that are wet and cold as they can sometimes be attacked by fungus, then germination is poor. To sow the seeds in 2 in. (50mm) deep drills in April they can be thinned out later allowing 18 in. (45cm) between plants; the distance between the drills should be 3 ft. (90cm). Give the plants protection from birds by placing small twigs over the soil, or use black cotton stranded from pegs close to the ground.
General Care
When the seedlings are about 3 in. (76mm) high, they should be given support so that they to not sprawl over, this can be done by erecting posts at the end of each row on both sides of the plants, between these fasten string so that there is support from both sides of the row.
Harvesting
Pick the pods frequently when they are ready to encourage even more pods. Harvest the peas as near to the time you intend to cook them as possible to retain the flavour. When the plants have finished fruiting, cut off the stems and put them onto the compost heap, allow the roots to remain in the ground so that they can fix nitrogen into the soil.