Transplanting Asparagus

Transplanting asparagus



This week at the Farm it was time to transplant the small asparagus patch from behind the chicken coop to a more accessible area.For years now I have ignored this little treasure so I thought it time to move it out with the rest of the garden where it would get more attention.

Now when deciding to plant asparagus you must remember to pick a good spot preferably in the northern area of your garden, that way the plant does not shade out anything else that may be growing.You must also pick out a spot where the asparagus can stay permanently as it is a perennial .A good bed of asparagus should produce spears for up to 15 years or more.

Now for anyone planting asparagus for the first time These instructions are pretty basic.The only part of this that may be a challenge to some is digging the trench, the rest is easy.

1.Using a pick and shovel dig a trench 10 inches deep and 1 foot wide.Lightly dress the bottom of the trench with compost making sure to mix with soil at the bottom of the trench.

2.Place crowns in trench giving 1 ft spacing between crowns (be sure they are right side up too.)Make sure to spread the roots out. I'm using crowns that have been growing for many years that is why they are so big in the photo.When you buy crowns the roots are usually only a few inches long.

3.Once you have all your roots set , back fill over the crowns with soil. Now here is the part you need to remember, do not fill up the trench completely. The most you will want tofill over the crowns is with only 3-4 inches of soil. Why? The asparagus spears being newwill have a hard time pushing up through all that soil if the trench was filled all the way.This way once you first spot spears popping through go ahead and back fill into the trench.Repeat this until you have completely filled the hole. The asparagus should have no problem coming through.Once you're finished you can dress the tops of your beds with straw or dried leaves.

At some point in the next month I plan on expanding the asparagus patch in the garden to include 200 + crowns.(I have many people to feed). I have spent a good part of my free time over the last week looking through different catalogs to pick out the right variety for my needs but I must admit that I have not gotten very far in my search. I'm stuck wondering if I should plant only male crowns, female and male crowns or Heirlooms or hyrids. If I am able to, I will stick to male and female heirlooms if i can find them.

For any home gardeners wanting to plant asparagus in their garden the better nurseries offer a choice of packages with males crowns only or packages with both female and male crowns. Whatever choice you make I think the decision to make asparagus a part of your garden and diet will be one you will not regret.