So, I wanna grow asparagus someday. Anyone have any ideas the basics I need to do so?
2 Likes
Plant them immediately, get 2-3 year crowns from any available sources online. The best time to plant asparagus is 3+ years ago as it will take a few years before you can get a decent crop. Also by summer allow the ferns to grow out to recharge rhe roots for the following season. I have a raised bed of them and I’ve been getting them sparingly for a couple weeks now.
3 Likes
Heeey! I’m right there learning with ya!
I put my stuff in a pot with the hopes to put them in ground or keep them in pots for a few years… this is my first spring with mine in pots and it looks like the roots have pushed the crowns out of the pots…
So plant deep i guess. I just bought more crowns just in case mine died and to know what variety is where when i put them in ground.
Starkbros.com has 10 crowns for cheaper than elsewhere online that I’ve seen. Also 2$ shipping right now.
2 Likes
Learning here too, planted crowns for the first time this year. For what it’s worth, I got crowns from Stark (Millenium and Purple Passion), and so far it’s clear that at least 19 of the 20 crowns are off to a good start.
2 Likes
Wasting your time growing them in pots. They need to be in ground I’ve heard the roots go many many feet deep. Just plant the crowns a few inches deep on a mound. Similar to strawberries but obviously cover the crowns unlike strawberries.
1 Like
I only did that because i got them while in Colorado and knew i was moving. I wanted to not have to restart every time we changed duty stations
2 Likes
This is what we set up last year.
But, as usual, i bought too many crowns, so I have some in pots.
I put the littlest crowns in 12” tree pots, hoping for a season or two to make more raised beds.
This whole bed has 60 Millennium crowns, each with a square foot of space to grow.
6 Likes
If i didn’t pot things up knowing that we move every 3-4 years, i would have nothing to show for my efforts and I’d be out tens of thousands of dollars 
2 Likes
I love your setup
1 Like
I plan on dying here, but I have a lot of things in pots simply because I buy things before we are ready for them because I feel a sense of urgency in regards to time.
I will be 56 this year and I’m afraid I will die before getting to taste all these wonderful fruits so I figure a year or two in a big pot is somehow giving me a jumpstart over waiting until I can put them in the ground, but maybe I’m wrong.
The other thing is these trees are jumping in price every single year so I look at it like I’m saving some money and also letting them grow a little bit of roots which is probably a huge joke because I put a lot of them on credit cards because I don’t make a lot of money. Well, at least the land is paid for I guess, no matter what situation anyone is in, it could always be worse.
Here is my pot situation right now, but the roots I put in here were pretty small so I think I have two seasons before putting them in a raised bed. I just didn’t want them to die.
Keep in mind that that is a close-up. I have a bunch of these pots with asparagus crowns in them.
14 tree pots in each 10 gallon pot.
4 Likes
I hear you but I don’t think it gets you anywhere. It will be stagnated in growth pattern until they are in ground. I’d say wait until they are able to be put in ground or a raised bed to get crowns for anyone in the future.
2 Likes
I wouldn’t recommend anyone getting crowns they cannot plant in ground right away, but I feel these tiny crowns will be fine a season or two.
I think what I did was better than sitting in the fridge a whole year, since I already had them.
4 Likes
Sure, but I don’t think it makes sense to buy crowns until you’re ready to plant them. For the time being it would be better than keeping them in storage, I would just encourage people to hold off on buying them until they are put directly in ground.
2 Likes
Where did you see me recommending that people plant asparagus crowns in pots?
It makes sense if you planned on having two raised beds while the price of the crowns got down to $5.99 for 10 with free shipping.
You didn’t, but I’m recommending people don’t follow the same path you did. It’s far better to put crowns directly in ground, as putting them in pots does not allow them to establish their 10-15ft roots. So you’re not actually shortening the time on your first harvest. If you keep them in pots you still can’t harvest them until they have been in the ground for 2-3 years. Just saying it doesn’t make sense as a potted plant.
1 Like
They were tiny when we put them in there. We will see what size they are when we take them out next year.
I am assuming you’ve never put them in pots temporarily?
I will report back whether they grew or not.
Meanwhile, at least they’re still not in the fridge.
3 Likes
My mother dug up one from a part of property that was my grandparents before it sold. It was a well established plant she potted to temporarily bring to me. I planted it and it was 2 years before it could be harvested. I understand this isnt the same thing, they just need to send deep roots before a solid spear worth harvesting larger than a pencil will be sent up.
2 Likes
I inherited a 50 foot bed from my grandparents, as well as started planting my own fifty foot row. I’m currently feasting off of it. So much better than store bought, no comparison. See below for some general information links.
Notes
-Female asparagus plants get alot of hate because some say they produce smaller spears. I haven’t noticed this with my asparagus, but if the conditions are good you will have asparagus plants popping up in random spots if you have females, and the asparagus bed will get too thick after time. I’ve been having to go through and thin my grandparents bed.
-People pay good money for locally grown asparagus. That’s why I’m planting more.
-Bending down to cut asparagus sucks after a while. One reason why people pay good money for fresh locally grown asparagus.
-Growing asparagus from seed is cheaper, but you have to add another year before you get asparagus (three years).
-asparagus is amazingly drought tolerant. We get between 20-22 inches of rain, I have a mulched deep soil bed with established plants, and I only have to water two to three times.
-Purple asparagus may not be purple if the weather is too warm.
-White asparagus is just blanched asparagus.
-The reason you wait so long to harvest the asparagus is that the plant needs to get established.It needs to develop roots so that it can have good sized spears for years to come.
General Information (More southwestern)
If you want I have some seeds I can share. I’m not sure what variety I have, and I got some seeds from a neighbor I can share too. She can get two cuttings a year off of her plants and she has pretty asparagus. I do not know if my asparagus is rust resistant. It sometimes has big spears like convers colossal.
You can also get seeds from a catalogue and get something more consistent.
2 Likes
My boss just told me she had to relocate her asparagus bed due to septic replacement work and none of them survived the move.
1 Like
I thought white asparagus was white because it was grown in the dark?
1 Like