On 3/6/10 7:46 AM, Phisherman wrote:
On Sat, 6 Mar 2010 10:26:57 -0500, (EVP MAN)
wrote:
I got out of bed this morning only to find an e-mail telling me my
asparagus crowns were shipped to me. This is not good as I didn't
expect them until mid April. The bed they will call home isn't even
ready yet.....grrrrrrr!!! It's like now what do I do with the roots
until I can plant them? HELP! Any suggestions or ideas?
Rich
I'd be prepping the bed as they are being shipped. Look for that
first opportunity (not too wet, not frozen) to work the bed. In the
meantime, they should keep for weeks if kept cool and dry, maybe in an
unheated garage.
They are alive. Keep them cool, slightly MOIST, and dark. Check the
packing. It too should be slightly moist.
You plant the crowns at the bottom of a 1 ft hole (deeper if the soil
freezes in the winter). Put just about 2 inches of soil on top of the
crown. As shoots appear, fill in the hole around them. Repeat until
the shoots are above the level of the surrounding soil. DO NOT HARVEST
during the first year.
I had a wonderful asparagus bed planted in back within my ornamentals.
For over 30 years we had fresh asparagus for dinner 1-2 times a week for
several weeks. In the summer, there would be a green cloud behind my
flowers. Then, five years ago we had a severe rain storm and a
generally wet winter with twice our normal rainfall (over 30 inches vs a
usual 15). All my asparagus rotted in the ground. In their last
season, however, the old plants fortunately left seeds. I'm hoping for
a small crop this spring. At least the artichoke -- growing as an
accent in the back lawn -- survived. YUM!
--
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 diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary