Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Hi all

I've bought some asparagus seeds as I can't find crowns. I've done some reading on the net but still have a few questions. I hope some of you experienced growers can help.

I'd perfer to grow the seeds in pots for the first year, then transplant them. A site I visited said to plant in "peat cups". What are these? Can I plant in small pots? Would I use pure peat moss? Or what mixture? Am I correct in saying they must stay damp all the time?

Many thanks
Mozie

Mozie wrote:

I've bought some asparagus seeds as I can't find crowns. I've done some
reading on the net but still have a few questions. I hope some of you
experienced growers can help.

I'd perfer to grow the seeds in pots for the first year, then
transplant them. A site I visited said to plant in "peat cups". What
are these? Can I plant in small pots? Would I use pure peat moss? Or
what mixture? Am I correct in saying they must stay damp all the time?

I can only tell you what worked well for me:

Seeds planted 1"X1" in regular flats in "Pro-Mix" (peaty starting mix
readily available. Pretty cheap if you buy the compressed bale) in
Mid-February, germinated at room temp. They take a couple of weeks to
germinate. Transplanted in spring after all danger of frost to a nursery
bed 6"X6" and kept weeded. You should get nice fist-sized crowns to
transplant to their permanent home by the next spring. For my money, this
is a whole lot better than expensive commercially grown crowns that don't
always transplant well. Your own year old crowns should have zero
transplant loss, and do so much better than bought ones that the extra year
hardly matters.
Depending on how good conditions are, you can probably cut a few spears the
year after transplanting, and get a full crop in a couple of seasons.




Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article ,
Mozie wrote:

Hi all

I've bought some asparagus seeds as I can't find crowns. I've done some
reading on the net but still have a few questions. I hope some of you
experienced growers can help.

I'd perfer to grow the seeds in pots for the first year, then
transplant them. A site I visited said to plant in "peat cups". What
are these? Can I plant in small pots? Would I use pure peat moss? Or
what mixture? Am I correct in saying they must stay damp all the time?

Many thanks
Mozie

I bought my crowns off of ebay. :-)

I've never tried growing them from seed!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Thanks! I live in South Africa so apart from not having ready mixed soil like "Pro-Mix" at the nursery, our seasons are opposite to the northern hemisphere. We're at the end of spring going into summer at the moment. I visit nurseries regularly but have never seen asparagus crowns and none of my gardening friends have either (or the soil). I wanted to try something different so when I saw a packet of asparagus seeds I snapped them up. So, any help to get them growing would be appreciated! Can anyone help with the soil mixture? I'm thinking half peat moss and half regular potting soil? Am I right in saying the soil must always be damp?

Thanks again everyone
Mozie

Me again! Is there really noone out there that can help me with the soil composition to grow asparagus seeds? I'll just have to wingit then... Thanks anyway.

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Mozie wrote:

Me again! Is there really noone out there that can help me with the
soil composition to grow asparagus seeds? I'll just have to wingit
then...

Any light potting mix will work for starting the seeds. What I referred to
as "Pro-Mix" is a commercial version of the "Cornell formula," which is
peat, perlite, sand, some fertilizer. Asparagus likes deep sandy soil,
though I do pretty well in heavy clay interspersed with rocks.
If you start the seeds in mid-winter, you can transplant them to a nursery
bed in the spring, then to a permanent bed the next spring. You'll get
excellent plants at a fraction of the cost of commercially grown roots, and
incur little or no time penalty for doing so.
Confession: I'm economical, verging on downright cheap.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Soil PH should be between 6.5-6.7 in well drained soil.

Asparagus is a heavy feeder and needs regular fertilizer with well rotted
manure, or compost or a commercial product worked well into the suface of
the soil. Use straw mulch to control weeds and hold mixture after you get
them planted outside. Plant the seeds about 8 weeks before the last frost at
25 C. sow outdoors 3 weeks before the last frost 1/4-1/2 deep and 1 inch
apart. Space to 18 inches apart in trenches 8-12 "deep. as the seedlings
grow fill the trench back in.

Plants from seeds will take about 4 years to before you can harvest the
spring spears. It will grow well beside basil and parsley and tomatoes as
companion plants. and asparagus is prone to rust but a sulfur spray will
take care of that at the first signs.

--
:) Lynn

"Mozie" wrote in message
...

Mozie Wrote:
Thanks! I live in South Africa so apart from not having ready mixed soil
like "Pro-Mix" at the nursery, our seasons are opposite to the northern
hemisphere. We're at the end of spring going into summer at the moment.
I visit nurseries regularly but have never seen asparagus crowns and
none of my gardening friends have either (or the soil). I wanted to try
something different so when I saw a packet of asparagus seeds I snapped
them up. So, any help to get them growing would be appreciated! Can
anyone help with the soil mixture? I'm thinking half peat moss and half
regular potting soil? Am I right in saying the soil must always be
damp?

Thanks again everyone
Mozie

Me again! Is there really noone out there that can help me with the
soil composition to grow asparagus seeds? I'll just have to wingit
then... Thanks anyway.


--
Mozie

Thanks Gary & Lynn, exactly what I needed

Ok, so here's my plan. I don't have a lot of garden space so I'm thinking of planting the asparagus seeds in pots approx 20" in diametre by 30" deep. I'll use a light potting mix with about a 1/4 fertilizer/manure to start. Is 1 seed per pot ok? or can I have more per pot? I'll keep them in pots for the first year, fertilizing every month or so. Too much? Thereafter I'll plant them in the ground among my tomatoes and other vegies - well I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks everyone

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Mozie wrote:

Ok, so here's my plan. I don't have a lot of garden space so I'm
thinking of planting the asparagus seeds in pots approx 20" in diametre
by 30" deep. I'll use a light potting mix with about a 1/4
fertilizer/manure to start. Is 1 seed per pot ok?

I can tell you what I did. There is no warranty, express or implied:

Seeds in regular flats on a 1" grid. Grown for a couple/three months, then
transplanted to nursery bed 6" by 6". You can expect 1-year crowns to get
fist sized and be ready for transplanting to their permanent home the next
season. With good conditions, some will be big enough for a light cutting
the next season.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Hi Gary

Forgive my ignorance but what are "regular flats on a 1" grid"...

Thanks

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Mozie wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but what are "regular flats on a 1" grid"...

In this case, I was just referring to the plastic trays plants are commonly
sold in, which gardeners customarily save too many of. Typically, six of
these fit into a larger holder, which is how the greenhouse folk handle
them. As the other reply said, the "grid" is just a 1" X 1" planting
pattern. And not all that precise; the really obsessive folk have a
"dibble board" with pegs or spikes at the desired spacing to make a nice
even array of planting holes. I've thought of doing that, but haven't gone
_completely_ 'round the bend yet.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

What do you think?
http://www.rae.co.za/Asparagus.htm

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Mozie wrote:

What do you think?
[image: http://www.rae.co.za/Asparagus.htm]

Very pretty! Those babies will be in fine shape to plant out in the
spring, and into a permanent bed the next year....

Good show!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

PHEW THANKS I thought they were too spindly looking! So this is how they are s'posed to look then? Thanks. I'm actually in the southern hemisphere, so it's summer here (our seasons are opposite). How big should they be when I plant them out? I'm thinking of doing that next month, ie planting them in a BIG pot, leaving them for a year then plant them in the ground? This is such a learning curve for me, but I'm enjoying it :)

Thanks again ;)

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Mozie wrote:

-PHEW- *THANKS* I thought they were too spindly looking! So this is how
they are s'posed to look then? Thanks. I'm actually in the southern
hemisphere, so it's summer here (our seasons are opposite)

As the plants develop, the new stems will get thicker. I put mine in a
nursery bed 6 inches each way after overwinter in the flats. By the next
spring, they were putting up pencil-thick shoots, with fist-sized root
clumps; easily as big as "store boughten" roots, and ready to plant in a
permanent bed. Virtually no blank spots doing it that way!

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Lynn wrote:

Soil PH should be between 6.5-6.7 in well drained soil.

Asparagus is a heavy feeder and needs regular fertilizer with well rotted
manure, or compost or a commercial product worked well into the suface of
the soil. Use straw mulch to control weeds and hold mixture after you get
them planted outside. Plant the seeds about 8 weeks before the last frost at
25 C. sow outdoors 3 weeks before the last frost 1/4-1/2 deep and 1 inch
apart. Space to 18 inches apart in trenches 8-12 "deep. as the seedlings
grow fill the trench back in.

Plants from seeds will take about 4 years to before you can harvest the
spring spears. It will grow well beside basil and parsley and tomatoes as
companion plants. and asparagus is prone to rust but a sulfur spray will
take care of that at the first signs.

I love asparagus, but it is rather expensive. I had thought
of growing it hydroponically. The thought of a multi-year wait
from seed to harvest dissuaded me. I live in hardiness zone 6b
(see http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). If I lived
in an area in 7a or 8a, I would plant them and wait.

I would not want to live in 8a or higher because I like at least
a 6" (152 mm) freeze to kill last years insects. :)

Dick

Asparagus is perennial and once planted you can harvest the spears for up to 20 years. They do need space though. I am planting mine this year in a bed that is 3' by 15' and having two rows a foot apart down the middle and staggering the crowns so that in each row there is a crown every 2'. Every now and then I'm leaving one out and marking the edge of my raised bed and this will be a spot where I will plant a tomato plant each year. The tomato protects against asparagus beetle and the asparagus has a root exudation that helps deal with nematodes that attack the tomatoes roots. BUT if this is done you need to be very careful when you remove the tomato plants that you do not disturb the asparagus roots.

Wild asparagus grows near the sea and they love a very sandy soil. Also you need to thoroughly weed the site and remove all the perennial weeds due to the fact that you will not be able to remove these once the asparagus is in. One plotholder on our site in London, UK lost all their asparagus due to the bindweed not being removed.

I am digging in 4" of sand over the whole area and then laying down some rotted manure before the end of this month and then will plant the crowns in the spring. I am getting 1 year old organically reared crowns and will order in more than I need. Would love to start from seed but don't have the time as I am planning to move in about 7 years time and will have to give up my plots then.

They love seaweed, either natural and unwashed or a seaweed preparation for feeding. Or even just a sprinkling of sea salt! Forgot the harvest times but it's only a few weeks. I think it starts in April and ends in June but you can google that. Then you leave it and allow the ferns to grow. If it is a windy site you may need to tie them. Once they start to discolour you remove them to within a couple of inches of the ground and get them away from the bed as they can harbour the asparagus beetle eggs. Hope this helps but bear in mind I am an organic grower in London. www.organicplot.co.uk

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

(Dick Adams) expounded:

I live in hardiness zone 6b
(see http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). If I lived
in an area in 7a or 8a, I would plant them and wait.

I'm curious - what keeps you from planting them in zone 6b? They're
perfectly hardy there, as a matter of fact they're hardy down to zone
3.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Hi All,
I can grow Aspargus from seed in the north of England. Zone 5 approx.

Richard M. Watkin.

"Ann" wrote in message
...
(Dick Adams) expounded:

I live in hardiness zone 6b
(see http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). If I lived
in an area in 7a or 8a, I would plant them and wait.

I'm curious - what keeps you from planting them in zone 6b? They're
perfectly hardy there, as a matter of fact they're hardy down to zone
3.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Growing Asparagus from seeds
 

Asparagus grows just fine here in Alaska in USDA Zone 3 and 4.
We started from seed -- no problem.

And I've heard that someone up near Fairbanks, Alaska is growing
it. They're in USDA Zone 2.

Jan


In article ,
"R M. Watkin" wrote:

Hi All,
I can grow Aspargus from seed in the north of England. Zone 5 approx.

Richard M. Watkin.

"Ann" wrote in message
...
(Dick Adams) expounded:

I live in hardiness zone 6b
(see http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). If I lived
in an area in 7a or 8a, I would plant them and wait.

I'm curious - what keeps you from planting them in zone 6b? They're
perfectly hardy there, as a matter of fact they're hardy down to zone
3.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.

Hi all

This is how my asparagus seeds turned out:
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1220515606

Now what? I obviously need to plant them in the ground. Do I cut back the ferns/leaves? It's spring at the moment in SA and warming up nicely:) All advice would be appreciated. Thanks

To start the plants from crowns, choose a permanent spot in the garden, keeping in mind that asparagus will grow and produce for at least twenty years. Dig a ditch that is about six inches deep. Apply some fertilizer and work it into the ditch throughly. The crowns can be placed into the ditch with the pointy side up and covered with only about two inches of soil. The soil should remain loose. Do not pack the soil down. The following spring you will add soil a little at a time as the asparagus grows until the soil is level with the garden bed. Asparagus loves the sun. All weeds and brush should be cut down to allow the asparagus to get as much sun as possible.

---------------------

reena499

Excellent, thanks. Must I cut back the greenery or not?

The greenery is going yellow, dying i assume because it's winter here. Should I cut them back?