Asparagus Help. Should I dig up and try again?

[Zone5Newbie]

Hi all,

I planted 6 crowns in a 4x2 bed. I know that may have been a bit crowded, but that's not my main concern at the moment lol.

So far, after about 10 days to 2 weeks, I have 1 spear. It came up about a week ago. I figured the other 5 would have shown some life by now, but they haven't. My ultimate question is should I be more patient for the other 5 to send up a spear, or at this point should I get new crowns and replant. I failed to refrigerate the crowns and they were in a closet for about 6 weeks between purchase and planting.

thanks for the advise! Josh from Chicagoland

[rainbowgardener]

Well, six weeks in a closet wasn't a good thing, but you probably just need to be patient. It can be real variable how long it takes them to sprout, depending on temperature, water, how deep you buried them. (They say to dig a deep trench, then make mounds in it and spread the roots over the mounds, then bury them shallowly. After they have sprouted, gradually cover the spear. )

But it can take up to six weeks for them to show, and it is not unusual for them to appear gradually over a period of time.

[jal_ut]

Yep, be patient. They will likely come.

[Zone5Newbie]

Hi Rainbow and Jal_Ut,

Thank you both very much for the replies! I feel a lot better about it now, so hopefully in the next few weeks I can reply again and talk about how I have a whooping 6 asparagus spears haha. happy gardening to you guys!

Josh

[ElizabethB]

Josh - be patient. If your crowns were planted a little deep it will take longer for them to sprout.

Growing asparagus is an exercise in patience and an investment of time. It takes 2 -3 years before you have a consistent harvest.

Asparagus is like a long term IRA investment. You have to look at a long term result with little or no immediate return.

Do not harvest any spears this year. Let them fern out. It will nourish the roots.

Good luck.

[jsturm]

I haven't planted asparagus, but my parents have a good crop. They tell me theirs took 2-3 years to develop. So, as others have said, "be patient" is good advice I think.

[Zone5Newbie]

Jsturm and Elizabeth thanking for replying as well. everyone will be happy to know, I now have 5 spears total! however I still have 3 seemingly "dud" crowns. I planted 6 total as mentioned, 2 have sent up 1 spear, and 1 crown sent up 3 spears. All VERY thin, like say half the diameter of a #2 pencil. BUT, I'm happy. Hoping a couple more crowns push up a spear though of course. Thanks again for the help!

[ElizabethB]

How about an update. Have you had any growth from your "duds"?

Are the rest of your plants producing ferns and spears.? Please DO NOT harvest any spears. Let them bolt and nourish the root system.

Gardening can be a junk shoot. Keep the faith.

[Peter1142]

I planted a few 2 year old crowns I purchased online, and they have made 1 spindly spear apiece thus far. They were planted probably 6 weeks ago... I was going to write them off and pull them up and plant something else. I guess this might be normal reading this thread? If so I wonder what the allure is of planting asparagus crowns. The seedlings I planted last year (which I purchased) grew into huge ferns and made harvestable asparagus this year (which I let go to fern anyway.)

[rainbowgardener]

What the allure of planting asparagus crowns is, is that every year they come back bigger and better and more. So you have to be pretty patient the first few years. But after that you have a wonderful asparagus bed, which lasts forever, getting bigger and bigger and producing tons of delicious asparagus, spring after spring, with hardly any help or tending from you!!!

[Peter1142]

rainbowgardener, what I mean is, what is the allure of planting crowns, when seedlings thrive so much faster.