On 2010-04-27 19:06:19 +0100, echinosum
said:


~Brian~;885145 Wrote:
My wife who absolutely loves asparagus, has asked me could we grow some

ourselves (expensive to purchase from shops). I've had a look around and
see
that the crowns are quite reasonably priced (Dobbies £1.99 per Crown) so

that's not a problem.
My query is this - how many crowns would be suitable (only the two of
us),
and are there any obvious pitfalls that can be avoided by a newcomer to

growing this veg?
The issue with growing asparagus is that you need to give it quite a lot
of space. And since it provides very little ground cover it needs a lot
of weeding. Though maybe you can black plastic the outer areas, and all
of it during winter to keep down the weeds. Any standard book will tell
you the crown spacing so work out how much space you can give it and
then you can compute the number of crowns. I'd suggest that anything
less than a bed about 8ft by 2ft6 wouldn't be worth the bother unless
its just a novelty to give you a couple of snacks.

I really wouldn't put salt water on it as another poster suggested. It
is not a halophyte, and doesn't grow in marshes either, it grows in
well-drained places. I think this is a confusion with the custom of
using seaweed as a mulch for it. Either that or he is confusing it with
marsh samphire, which does grow in salt marshes, and has certian
asparagus-like qualities.

Here's a growing guide. No doubt you can find more for second opinions.
'Growing Asparagus - How to Grow Asparagus from Allotment Vegetable
Growing Advice and Guides' (http://tinyurl.com/326uxe9)

I have about 16 crowns in a 12 x 6ft raised bed and I still can't get
over my delight that these delicious things keep coming, year after
year without much work. And they are the most pest/disease resistant
plant in my garden - apparently having no appeal to rabbits, birds,
slugs, butterflies, aphids or anything else. This bed feeds three of us
three times a week for a couple of months. My only regret was mixing
three different varieties as I have to cut thick and thin spears at the
same time and they require different cooking times.

Need to stop picking in mid-June and let the plants grow away until the
autumn when they are cut back and mulched.