I've finally decided on a spot for a dedicated asparagus bed, so I'm now researching the different varieties to see what might grow best for me.
My area (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) was previously labelled as Zone 4 but now they are calling us Zone 5a.
Right now it looks like I might try Millenium or Viking varieties, but I'm having some trouble sorting through the available info. I have some old gardening books that talk about the Mary Washington varieties but newer publications seem to indicate that the newer breeds are much improved.
I have lots of time to research so I would love to hear ANYTHING about your experiences growing asparagus.
One more question -- is there any problem with trying two different varieties in the same bed?
And if I wanted to start one set as seeds and one set as crowns, is that ok, too? I am the type to want to try a little bit of everything.
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jal_ut
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Mary Washington is a good variety here.
Not a problem trying more than one variety in same bed.
Starting from seed is OK. Usually when starting from seed the plants will be dug and transplanted into the permanent bed the following year.
When planting crowns you would place the crowns about every 12 to 16 inches in the row with rows spaced at least 16 inches. The crowns are quite large. Planting seed, the seeds likely to be much closer, that is why we usually transplant them next year.
Not a problem trying more than one variety in same bed.
Starting from seed is OK. Usually when starting from seed the plants will be dug and transplanted into the permanent bed the following year.
When planting crowns you would place the crowns about every 12 to 16 inches in the row with rows spaced at least 16 inches. The crowns are quite large. Planting seed, the seeds likely to be much closer, that is why we usually transplant them next year.
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Vanisle_BC
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- Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)
My experience: If you don't keep the beds absolutely weed-free from the start and forever after, you'll have problems. The horizontal asparagus roots form a dense intertwined mat that's impervious to penetration by anything EXCEPT the roots of weeds, and those will become so tightly anchored that they can't be removed "non-destructively." In my case both buttercups and grass got in and have effectively destroyed the bed. My plan is to establish a new asparagus bed this year, that will be permanently mulched, hoping that will let me prevent weeds from taking root. I expect the spears will grow up through the mulch.
An associated issue is that if you allow seed (berries) to drop from the female plants they will grow more & more asparagus till the bed strangles itself. For this reason I've ordered plants of an "all male" variety, although I suspect I'll have to make sure none of them turn out to be females. If they do I'll cull them.
I've had asparagus beetle attacks (2 types) in some years but found I can control them with just a hard "flick-off"
with the finger-nail. Don't know if it kills them but they don't come back. Another ploy is to knock them off into a tub of water with a drop of detergent in it. They drown. BUT if they've had time to lay their tiny eggs before I get to them, I have to resort to a combination of squishing the eggs and pruning off the more-infested parts.
One other thing I've noticed is that asparagus grows wild in parts of our dry B.C. interior, which leads me to believe they don't need much water.
An associated issue is that if you allow seed (berries) to drop from the female plants they will grow more & more asparagus till the bed strangles itself. For this reason I've ordered plants of an "all male" variety, although I suspect I'll have to make sure none of them turn out to be females. If they do I'll cull them.
I've had asparagus beetle attacks (2 types) in some years but found I can control them with just a hard "flick-off"
with the finger-nail. Don't know if it kills them but they don't come back. Another ploy is to knock them off into a tub of water with a drop of detergent in it. They drown. BUT if they've had time to lay their tiny eggs before I get to them, I have to resort to a combination of squishing the eggs and pruning off the more-infested parts.One other thing I've noticed is that asparagus grows wild in parts of our dry B.C. interior, which leads me to believe they don't need much water.
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Vanisle_BC
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A question about asparagus; Will its tap(?) roots penetrate down through stony ground or hardpan? The most convenient place for my new plants will be where the topsoil sits over material like that, starting maybe a foot down. I suspect it may be stony fill over hardpan, with soil on top. The hardpan I'd describe as very fine, packed, orange-red silt - not really clay: It can be broken up and shovelled but I think it's bottomless
Any variety will work. I can only easily get Mary Washington because it can be grown from seed and most companies will not send roots anymore. However, Mary Washington will have a lot of females which eventually you have to pull out once your patch is big enough or it will start seeding other places. Female plants do not producs as many stalks as males.
I prefer the Jersey Knight because it is almost all male, so there are bigger stalks. I can only get them if Lowe's or Walmart brings them in. Asparagus is a long term investment so they will need a dedicated bed or fence. It takes about 2 years before you can get a full harvest, but you can harvest a couple of times a year for 20 years after that.
I prefer the Jersey Knight because it is almost all male, so there are bigger stalks. I can only get them if Lowe's or Walmart brings them in. Asparagus is a long term investment so they will need a dedicated bed or fence. It takes about 2 years before you can get a full harvest, but you can harvest a couple of times a year for 20 years after that.