asparagus question

[Lonesomedave]

hello...I recently joined and posted on the introduce yourself forum, but I thought I would ask my question here, also.....

I bought 45 asparagus crowns from a tennessee dealer and me and my son have planted them in huge plastic bins ( with holes cut in the bottom)...we are using the plastic bins as raised beds.

I bought4 cubic yards of great topsoil from a local dealer, and the bins are so large that I have no worrys about them holding enough soil

my question is this...I bought 2 year old crowns of jersey giant....I know that I will not be able to harvest any this year....next year I should have some and in following years, a full crop

so...I am a NOOB when it comes to asparagus...how much will I be able to take and still leave enough for the plans to grow and gather nutrients for next years crop? how many weeks (months?) does asparagus produce and still leave enough spears to fuel the plant

any thoughts would be appreciated

[tomc]

Apearances can be deceptive Dave. Asparagus crowns are about 10 feet wide from tip to tip. They will not fit in any pot a mortal can move. Your 'grass might live but its not going to grow or bulk up enough to give much of a crop in a pot.

Sorry dude.

[rainbowgardener]

4 cu yds is a lot of soil. I have not tried growing asparagus in raised beds, so I really can't say if it is enough or not. To me it does seem possible if you keep it well watered and fertilized. I mean what are all those roots for except to collect water and nutrients?

If we assume that it works, then the traditional wisdom is that in the third year you can cut for three to five weeks, after that you can cut for a couple months from when the sprouts show. Then you leave it alone and let all the shoots grow to feed the roots for next year.

I did find this:

Growing asparagus in containers
Asparagus is always best grown in the ground, but if necessary it can be grown in large pots or patio bags (at least 60ltrs) for a limited time. This can be handy if you want to grow a crop on the patio or if you can’t justify giving your asparagus plants a permanent space in the vegetable plot.

When grown in permanent beds, apsaragus crowns will crop for up to 25 years. However asparagus growing in containers has a limited lifespan and should only be expected to crop for approximately 3 or 4 seasons after its 2 year establishment period
https://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-asparagus

If that is true, your return on your investment will be a lot less - wait two years, pick for 3-4 years, then start over. But maybe worth it to you.

[Lonesomedave]

well....that is depressing, guys...but we have already planted it, so we'll see what we see

these bins that I've used each hold about 12 cubic feet of soil, so they are a little bigger than bags or pots...

and, I talked to the company that sold them to me (they are local, so that's why I bought them there), and they indicated that doing it my way would be alright

I guess I'll just just have to be the explorer of the brave new world, and see how much crop I get and for how long

thanks for the thoughts, even if they weren't exactly what I wanted to hear...

[jal_ut]

https://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrar ... 37ch6.html

[imafan26]

If you just planted the crowns they can be replanted in the ground again

Remember asparagus fronds can get 6 ft tall or better and the plants can produce for up to twenty years.

I planted mine the traditional way. I dug a trench 18 inches deep along my fence line about 3 ft in. I added compost and manure and worked it in to the bottom 4-6 inches and I used used bulb food since I wanted the roots to grow.

I planted the crowns so the crown was just near the surface. The trench was still about a foot deep. I covered the crowns lightly with mulch.

Asparagus grows up not down. I used stakes and strings to contain the fronds as they grew. They aren't heavy but they will lie on the ground otherwise.

I fill in the trench as the crowns grow up slowly, it took a few years to do this.

After the second year in the ground and the spears were thumb size, I cut down the fronds in the Spring and harvested until the spears were pencil sized. You can harvest spears twice a day, they grow fast. Then I fed them and let them grow again.

After the third year, asparagus can be cut down in the Spring and Again in the fall. Feed them after each cutting and add a little compost every year.

Consider asparagus as a permanent plant in your garden so it is best not to plant them in containers. Containers, even big ones will have limited soil and nutrients and water and drainage can be impacted as the roots fill the space. Transplanting sets them back, if it doesn't kill them.

[Lonesomedave]

If you just planted the crowns they can be replanted in the ground again......

good thought.....BUT....I don't really have that option.

I have no place to grow asparagus other than what I am doing....that's why I was so excited to be able to do it this way....in other words, it's this or nothing

after reading the posts, I admit I am not optimistic, but...well, let's see what happens

I was also interested in your description of tying the fronds up....I had no idea they were so heavy or not self supporting

if I can get five or six years from these, it will be worth it...if not, then, after they run their course, I just won't have asparagus anymore

[imafan26]

The fronds aren't heavy. They are more like fern. They get tall and they are wispy so they end up lying on the ground. They can be contained with string tied to posts. on the perimeter.


I started my asparagus from seeds in pots, they will grow but the pots limit their size.If you have to plant in containers don't crowd them. They should be 18 inches apart and have at least another 12-18 inches of depth to the container for the fine roots. I have to plant Mary Washington because it is almost impossible now to find anyone who will ship asparagus crowns, or onion bulbs, garlic or potted plants to Hawaii.

Walmart brought Jersey Knight in this year so I was able to get some crowns to supplement my patch.

[lexusnexus]

Thinking of growing asparagus make me swoon. Sigh. Wish I had a few more years to get a bed going. Both of us love asparagus.