Asparagus Tips

Pardon the pun! Just been chopping the top growth off my asparagus bed. This year was the first time we cut any of it - not a lot but beautiful flavour. Just wondering about how to treat it. Saw a fantastic asparagus bed in gardens in Cornwall a year or two ago, and they mulched it with sea-weed. Is this a good idea? I believe the species comes from sand-dunes, so might be right? Also, do I need to lighten up the soil (if it comes from sand-dunes) with sand or grit? My asp. is in a raised bed, soil is peaty silt, not much clay, but not a very open soil. If so, what sort of material to add? Lastly, what about mulching with stable manure now? Would it matter if it wasn't well-rotted at this season?

 

I treat mine by lightly grilling it on a dry fryer and serving it with either melted butter or hollandaise sauce. Sorry, never grown any (takes too long) but eaten tons. Booful. :D

 

Ah finally, somebody talking about asparagus. seriously I have not looked for a while. My bed is two years old this year and has not been cropped yet, the ferns are still standing tall and green. Should I chop em down and where do I chop em off. Been told seaweed is best b the way. would appreciate any tips you have.

 

Well, I was hoping to GET tips, not GIVE them! As for cutting down, I just snip them off just above the ground. Anything you leave soon rots away anyway. What's your soil like, btw? I know a lot of the commercial asparagus is grown on the red sandstone soils in the East Shropshire/West Staffs area (Market Drayton area).
The only other advice I've had is not to cut any after the longest day, to give it time to build up reserves underground for next year.
I might pursue the seaweed thing, as I live near Morecambe Bay. Do you think it mightn't like it fresh i.e. salty?

 

Sorry Roger. You will be thinking that this site has no proper gardeners. I'm afraid that I am well known for my appalling SOH. I am sure someone will come in who knows something about asparagus (other than how to cook it) and answer your questions (if you want to know about Puyas just ask away). But can i just point out we all GET but we also GIVE help. That's the fun of a forum. Otherwise we'd all just buy a book. :D

 

An excellent link here -
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/easygardening/asparagus/asparagus.html

I planted a new bed this year from bought crowns (I've grown my own from seed in the past) and due to the rotten,damp and cool summer half the crowns seem to have failed

 

I guess we are all a bit green when it comes to asparagus. My soil is quite gritty, we are about 3 miles from the chilterns where it is very limestone but here its seems quite a good tilth with little clay. as for seaweed, I have heard of the beds being dressed with salt but I think that a little extreme and I put on liquid seaweed as I am about as far from the coast as one can get. Did you wait for the ferns to die off and go brown, my neighbour appears to have broken her ferns down and left them on the plot, but I have not managed to catch her to find out what she has actually done, or if the wind did it. I look forward to cropping a little next year

 

Seems I should have looked at Dave W's link, thanks Dave