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Adding Asparagus

January 30th, 2009

I’m hoping to add a few new things to the edible gardens this summer here at Chiot’s Run. The one I am most excited about is the asparagus patch. I know asparagus takes up a lot of space, which is at a premium here, but I really love it so it’s worth the space. Asparagus is a long lived plant, so once you put in a patch it will produce for many many years. I have slightly acidic soil which isn’t the best for an asparagus patch, but since I’m planning on giving them a raised bed of their own I shouldn’t have any trouble.
asparagus
I’ve been leafing through a few catalogs trying to decide which kind to purchase and where to install the dedicated asparagus bed. I’m considering Nourse Farms, I ordered my blueberry and strawberry plants from them last year and was very impressed with the quality of plants and the shipping. They don’t have heirloom asparagus, I can get those here if I decide to go that route.

Anyone have any great suggestions for types or where to order from? or tips & tricks for growing great asparagus?

5 Comments to “Adding Asparagus”
  1. Mangochild on January 30, 2009 at 6:48 am

    No tips on ordering or growing, but did want to say that it sounds like a great investment in space. Asparagus are so tasty, having them freshly picked would be wonderful. I *really* don’t have the space for them, and my CSA yields a lot, so I’m not trying them at this point – but if I had the space, you couldn’t keep me away. Do you know if they are relatively easy to grow?

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  2. kristin on January 30, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    We planted asparagus last year. We hacked out a bed for it from a grassy area on the edge of the garden and we didn’t clear enough of the grass around it, so I ended up battling the encroaching grass all summer. Other than that, though, it was easy. They just need to be kept weed-free. But then, what doesn’t?

    When they’ve gotten established, which I think means after a couple of years, you can surround them with salt. Keeps the weeds away and doesn’t hurt the asparagus because their native habitat is salt marshes.

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  3. Susy on January 30, 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Thanks for the tips Kristin.

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  4. deborah on January 30, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    I look forward to reading any suggestions and tips you get here. I’m seriously considering an asparagus bed, even though it means tearing up yet more of the lawn for raised beds. So what, right? Since I’m still in the planning stages, I may consider growing it from seed. It takes 3 years before you can harvest it, but a wider range of heirloom seed is available vs. the varieties available as crowns. I haven’t priced it out, but I’m guessing growing from seed is quite a savings. And, as they say, I have more time than money :) Good luck!

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  5. Farmgirl_dk on February 3, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    Oh, I was so excited to find this post! I’ve been planning my own (first-ever) asparagus bed this year, too. I have a section of my rock garden that is about 15′ long and (maybe) 2 1/2 ft wide that gets lots of sun and I was hoping this might be a good place for asparagus. I’ll be interested to know what type you finally plant. (And good luck to us both!) :-)

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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