A couple of years ago, before we knew anything about anything about growing veggies in the garden, we threw a couple of crowns in some really crappy dirt on a side of the house that doesn't ever get any sun. Ever. Yeah...that didn't turn out so well. So, this time will be much better.
So, this time we bought 16 two-year-old Jersey Giant crowns and have placed them in their own space in one of our new beds in the backyard, with good soil and lots of sun. Although this year we will not have an asparagus harvest, I trust the wait will be worth it.
Apparently, since they're already a couple of years old, next year we'll be able to harvest until June 1st and then in 2014 we'll be able to full-on harvest! So exciting!
So, how do you plant asparagus?
First, pick your site and dig a 6-8 inch deep trench (or several trenches, depending on how many crowns you'll be planting). Depending on how good your soil is, now is the time to amend it.
Next, place your crowns in your trench by placing the pointy side up and spreading out the roots. Keep in mind that asparagus doesn't like its roots to be cramped.
Then, place a couple of inches of soil on top of your crowns. As the crowns sprout and start to grow up, you should slowly add more and more soil until your trench becomes level with the ground (or bed) around it.
Now, we may have planted our crowns a little tight, but I think they'll be OK. When dealing with a postage stamp of a yard, sometimes you have to push the envelope a bit, right?
Asparagus doesn't like to be moves. So when doing crop rotation you shouldn't move the asparagus. I love aparagus. My favorite recipe is to brush with olive oil, sprinkle with seat salt, grill and drizzle with a good balsmaic. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tonya! I guess I miss spoke...we will rotate all the beds except for the asparagus! Good call, though :-)
DeleteI will definitely try your asparagus recipe... it sounds so delicious!
yum!! my mother has asparagus growing in her yard, it's so good!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I really can't wait! It might be quite tortuous! ;-)
DeleteWe eat a lot of Asparagus around this house!
ReplyDeleteYay! Do you grow your own? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the process :-)
DeleteGreat call! Asparagus is wonderful, and now you have a great place to grow it. Unfortunately my asparagus seems to have died, probably due to being crammed into a far-from-ideal location that keeps getting overrun with weeds :( It sure looked great last year though when we weren't supposed to harvest it - just as nice as anything I've seen at the farmers' market, and interestingly, when the foliage died back last fall it turned into a ladybug nursery! Ours was purple asparagus, and in case you might be interested in trying some, I ordered the year-old crowns here: http://www.pendletons.com/crowns.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! I am very interested in some purple asparagus!!! We might need more beds ;-)
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