In article , "Genevieve Tharp" writes:
| My area has had a good bit of trouble keeping asparagus alive from one yr to
| another for a variety of reasons .... winters not cold enough ... winter
| spurts suddenly too cold so that roots froze, then thawed and rotted ... not
| keeping grass out of beds, beds get overgrown and asparagus roots
| overwhelmed ... moles, voles, etc. eating roots from underground tunnels ...
| too much rain and standing water for too long of a time.

Of those, the only critical one would be waterlogging. Asparagus
can't stand that. It is a seaside plant and likes a deep, fertile,
but very well-drained soil.

If it was worried by erratic winters, or rain, it would never thrive
in the UK - and it is native to the UK and naturalised in my garden.
Moles don't eat plants, I have never seen voles eat asparagus and
it is not harmed much by grass (being very deep rooted).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679