winterizing asparagus questions

[greg1186]

this was the first season I put mary washington in the ground... and she finally turned mostly all yellow... where do I cut the plant down? below soil level or above? any other tips??

[DoubleDogFarm]

this was the first season I put mary washington in the ground... and she finally turned mostly all yellow..

should we call the police

I usually cut them off a few inches above ground, and apply manure.

Eric

[jal_ut]

I run the lawnmower over them, then mulch.

[DeborahL]

Can I have an asparagus "bed" in a huge tub? Why is it a bed? Does it spread or what?

[applestar]

I have read that asparagus roots go down 15 feet....

[rainbowgardener]

Asparagus spreads, but quite slowly. Mostly it fills in the bed and gets denser. It is a bed because it is perennial and not easy to move. So once that spot is asparagus, it is asparagus forever. We don't tend to talk about the tomato bed, because next year it will be something else, but the asparagus bed is always asparagus.

[soil]

we wait until ours is nice and golden and crispy. burn it to the ground and apply a couple inches of compost on top of that. next spring you get nice healthy spears.

[microcollie]

I think it's beautiful when it's bright yellow in the fall, so I hold onto it until it dies all the way, then I cut it just above ground level. Even here in zone 4 I never mulch mine...with its DEEP roots, it does just fine.

[farmerlon]

I have 3 beds prepared for Asparagus, and will be planting when Spring rolls around.
Though I have no first-hand experience yet, I have been researching Asparagus culture a lot, in preps for my planting.

After the Fall "cutting out", mulch is recommended for continued weed suppression and soil improvement.
Also, I learned that the Aspargus crowns grow upward, a little bit each year. So, it's advised to add about 2 inches of soil on top of the Asparagus bed (or rows) each season; so the crowns don't become too close to the soil surface.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Burning the ferns to the ground also aids in asperagus beetle control

[Gary350]

When I lived in Illinois asperagus grew wild there. We use to drive along the country roads in the spring looking for asperagus. Push the stalk over until it snaps off. They always snap off at the correct place.