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David E. Ross · 26-04-2007, 02:17 AM posted to rec.gardens

wrote:
Some info and a question:

Info: I have some asparagus seed (UC157) that has been in my fridge
for 10 years old. Put it on paper towel kept damp 3 weeks ago and have
more than 50% sprouted with more looking probable. Wow!

Question: I also have some mature plants fron the same original batch
of seed, that I want to divide & move at the end of the season. Any
advice on this, and on how soon I can reasonably harvest from the
relocated plants, would be welcome.

Thanks,
Alexander Miller.

I had an asparagus bed for about 30 years. The heavy rains in the
winter of 2004-2005 caused the plants to rot. However, they dropped
seeds. We picked our first crop from the seedlings this year.

If you divide a clump, you should treat both the relocated plants and
those kept in the original location as if they were freshly planted from
bare-root crowns. If your winters are severe, wait until spring;
otherwise, divide in the fall or winter. Plant them in holes or
trenches with the crowns about 6-8 inches below normal ground level.
Cover the crowns with about 2 inches of soil, leaving the remaining soil
mounded next to the planting hole with the hole unfilled. When the
shoots appear in the spring, slowly add the mounded soil back into the
hole without covering the growing tips.

Do not harvest that first year. In following years, harvest until the
new shoots become thin. In the second year, you might harvest 4-6
weeks. After then, the harvest period might be 8-10 weeks.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/