Allotment on sandy soil in East Anglia.

We have a part asparagus bed grown from seed by the previous holders.

It would be good to fill in the other half with crowns.

Google (and Marshalls Seeds) offer crowns at about £1.50 each including
delivery.

Some are local grown and some are Dutch.

Any recommendations for variety and for supplier?

It looks as though now is the time to be ordering and planting.

Cheers

Dave R

On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:33:49 +0000, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

Allotment on sandy soil in East Anglia.

We have a part asparagus bed grown from seed by the previous holders.

It would be good to fill in the other half with crowns.

Google (and Marshalls Seeds) offer crowns at about £1.50 each including
delivery.

Some are local grown and some are Dutch.

Any recommendations for variety and for supplier?

It looks as though now is the time to be ordering and planting.

Cheers

Dave R

Just noted
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/lon...us-collection-
pid6926.html

"Collection includes 15 crowns:

5 x Asparagus Pacific 2000
Asparagus Pacific 2000 is acknowledged as the benchmark variety for
flavour in our trials, with excellent spear and head qualities. Crops from
Early April - Mid June.

5 x Asparagus Ariane
Asparagus Ariane has good-looking stems and and distinctive, full flavour.
This purple-topped beauty came first in our trials of over 250 varieties.
Crops from Late April - Late June.

5 x Asparagus Millenium
Asparagus Millenium produces slim, tender heads and spears of comparable
quality to early season varieties, putting it in a class of its own in the
late season asparagus bed. Crops from Mid May - End June."

All for £14.95.

However http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/
growfruitandveg_growingasparagus1.shtml recommends

"Five to try

Gijnlim - heavy crops one year after planting
Jersey Giant - dark green spears with a purple head
Jersey Knight Improved - thick, but tender spears
Purple asparagus of Alberga - Italian heritage variety with purple
spears
Backlim - thick, green spears"

Cheers

Dave R

On 16/04/2013 12:16, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:33:49 +0000, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

Allotment on sandy soil in East Anglia.

We have a part asparagus bed grown from seed by the previous holders.

It would be good to fill in the other half with crowns.

Google (and Marshalls Seeds) offer crowns at about £1.50 each including
delivery.

Some are local grown and some are Dutch.

Any recommendations for variety and for supplier?

It looks as though now is the time to be ordering and planting.

Cheers

Dave R

Just noted
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/lon...us-collection-
pid6926.html

"Collection includes 15 crowns:

5 x Asparagus Pacific 2000
Asparagus Pacific 2000 is acknowledged as the benchmark variety for
flavour in our trials, with excellent spear and head qualities. Crops from
Early April - Mid June.

5 x Asparagus Ariane
Asparagus Ariane has good-looking stems and and distinctive, full flavour.
This purple-topped beauty came first in our trials of over 250 varieties.
Crops from Late April - Late June.

5 x Asparagus Millenium
Asparagus Millenium produces slim, tender heads and spears of comparable
quality to early season varieties, putting it in a class of its own in the
late season asparagus bed. Crops from Mid May - End June."

All for £14.95.

However http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/
growfruitandveg_growingasparagus1.shtml recommends

"Five to try

Gijnlim - heavy crops one year after planting
Jersey Giant - dark green spears with a purple head
Jersey Knight Improved - thick, but tender spears
Purple asparagus of Alberga - Italian heritage variety with purple
spears
Backlim - thick, green spears"

Cheers

Dave R

You pays your money and you takes your choice.
I'd go for local grown over imported.

Protection racketeers might also find they do not have a profitable security/insurance business when no longer permitted to make threats of violence against their customers. But I can see that she is making a political point that will go down well in some quarters despite the (presumable) legal hopelessness of such a claim.

But it is generally the case that all kinds of farmers have had to be very canny to remain profitable in high labour cost countries, and there still seem to be plenty of operating dutch farmers who clearly have the skills, though doubtless some have fallen by the wayside. Personally I'm willing to pay a substantial premium for north European asparagus because it is tastier than the warm country stuff that is now so much for sale, and I expect a clever asparagus farmer can exploit that. But if she was trying to compete against warm country low cost suppliers, she would indeed fail.