Making Asparagus Bed.

[Durgan]

Making Asparagus Bed

http://ebapuo.notlong.com/ 16 May 2008 Making Asparagus Bed.

The bed is 41 inches by 102 inches by 12 inches deep. About a cubic yard of soil was removed. Time taken three hours from start to finish. Compost, sand and a bit ot bone meal was added and mixed prior to planting the Asparagus Millenium Rhizomes. There were a total of eleven rhizomes. The bed will be filled in with compost, sand and a bit of normal soil as the plant grows, similar to hilling potatoes. The rhizomes were spaced about 16 inches apart, and covered with two inches of soil, with the crown just protruding above the soil level.

[Durgan]

http://ahcuog.notlong.com/ 5 June 2008 Asparagus Bed Completed.

Mulched with free city wood chips. The plants are all thriving, height is about two feet in 20 days.

[susan]

Hi Durgan, glad to hear your asparagus is doing well. I have grown some from seed this year. The plants are in pots in my greenhouse at the moment. I have finally freed up the area i wish to use. It was the site of my old compost bins, where i planted onions in this year. I planned on topping up the bed with sand and the contents of last years compost bin. Do you think i should plant the young plants out now or over winter in the unheated greenhouse and plant out in spring? I am in east anglia, uk where the last two winters have been mild but occasionaly we do have -15 . many thanks for any advice

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Susan, the usual time to plant out asparagus crowns is in spring, as you said. I think that would be the best time rather than autumn.

[susan]

thank you lesley-jay, i will take your advice and leave them in pots. I have read that i should cut foliage back in november. Do you think this is necessary in the greenhouse?

I know i am being cheeky asking for more advice, but you are so helpfull.I have grown pumpkins for 3 years. The seeds were originally from a supermarket pumpkin. I seem to only ever get one pumpkin per plant. Is this normal? this year i have only managed 1 pumpkin and it is ripening already and the plant has shrivelled. I was hoping of keeping it for the children for halloween, am i pushing my luck? Many thanks Sue

[Lesley Jay]

Susan I would treat the asparagus as if it was growing outside and cut the foliage down once it turns yellow or brown.

When growing pumpkins it is usual to remove the baby pumpkins from the vine and only leave one or two pumpkins to grow to maturity so that all the plants strength goes into the remaining fruit. So one pumpkin per plant is okay but normally more would grow. Poor fruit set could be caused by the seed you are using or simply caused by the weather. If the plant gets stressed it will not produce fruit or drop the fruit that is on the vine and wet conditions can stress the plant. Pumpkins don't like cold weather and pollinating insects are few and far between when the weather is cold and wet. We've certainly had a chilly, wet summer! Keep the pumpkin on the vine until the vine is passed it, then harvest it and store the pumpkin somewhere cool until halloween.

[susan]

many thanks, this is a great forum and lesley jay you have been a life saver, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I am already planning next years crops, i have learnt more in the few weeks in the forum than in ten years of gardening mags and books. thanks again sue

[joseph kavanagh]

Originally Posted by susan

Hi Durgan, glad to hear your asparagus is doing well. I have grown some from seed this year. The plants are in pots in my greenhouse at the moment. I have finally freed up the area i wish to use. It was the site of my old compost bins, where i planted onions in this year. I planned on topping up the bed with sand and the contents of last years compost bin. Do you think i should plant the young plants out now or over winter in the unheated greenhouse and plant out in spring? I am in east anglia, uk where the last two winters have been mild but occasionaly we do have -15 . many thanks for any advice

hi durgan do you know if it is poss to grow and finish asparagus in deep pots and if so how deep should the pot be joseph.

[jlottie]

I moved back in March and have started a new veggie plot, my asparagus couldn't come with me so I sowed a new lot from seeds. I know that most advice is to plant the crowns in spring but my ferns were 30cm tall and still growing. They have been settled in a bed which has been double dug and will have the chance to establish themselves before they die back. I intend to cover them with manure in a couple of months