Asparagus question

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Asparagus question
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Mr O

Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 5512
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Posted: Tue May 22, 07 7:47 pm Post subject:
I looked today and found 4 tiny little spears! hope yet then!

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed May 23, 07 4:49 pm Post subject:
Excellent news Mr O. That is how ours came. A couple of spindley looking spears one day then a week later they had all-but-one appeared and were at least 300mm tall. Best of luck. (How deep did you plant the bl%dy things?)

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed May 23, 07 4:51 pm Post subject:
Watch out for slugs and snails mind. That is just the stage at which our plants were getting nipped off. Maybe you could protect them with an upturned (half) plastic bottle until the plants are established? (and even then, still look out for slugs).

Mr O

Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 5512
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Posted: Wed May 23, 07 4:57 pm Post subject:

Simon wrote:

Excellent news Mr O.

That is how ours came. A couple of spindley looking spears one day then a week later they had all-but-one appeared and were at least 300mm tall. Best of luck. (How deep did you plant the bl%dy things?)

I can't remember How deep they were planted, I just followed the instructions that came with them but I have a feeling it was either 4 inches or 6 inches deep. No sign of slugs at them at the moment but I will heed your warning! Thanks

treaclepuss

Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 139

Posted: Sat May 26, 07 9:58 pm Post subject:
To give you some hope in the slug department, mine (variety Atlas) are never all attacked. The little b---ers choose one or two spears and then take turns to suck them to oblivion. They are evidently not eating asparagus for the gastronomic experience

mochasidamo

Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Posts: 615
Location: Montgomery

Posted: Sun May 27, 07 8:51 am Post subject:
Asparagus here is ignored by slugs. Now, why is it that all the Jerusalem artichokes were assassinated by the things instead. Grrr.

treaclepuss

Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 139

Posted: Sun May 27, 07 6:28 pm Post subject:
Personally I think you've had a lucky escape.......

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Mon May 28, 07 8:02 am Post subject:

treaclepuss wrote:

Personally I think you've had a lucky escape.......

Me too. They took our asparagus and the J.A.s

There isn't much they dont go for here to be honest, and now the rain is back so will the slugs be.

mochasidamo

Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Posts: 615
Location: Montgomery

Posted: Mon May 28, 07 8:08 am Post subject:

Ha...caught one large one in the greenhouse nibbling at an aubergine leaf, and snails are after some of the beans yet to go out. Time for slug traps.

The little keel slugs love the crumbs left in feed pails from chicken/sheep pellets/nuts. Inverting one and feeding the "harvest" to the ducks in the morning is good. Well, would be if we still had ducks (***ing fox). The big ones are keen on potato peelings, also the usual beer-type traps (but we like our beer too much).

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Mon May 28, 07 8:15 am Post subject:

dulcilama wrote:

(but we like our beer too much).

That is the biggest problem with beer traps.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 07 5:32 pm Post subject:
So, when to cut the ferns back is the next question I guess?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 07 5:47 pm Post subject:
When they die down. While they are still green they're feeding the crowns for next year so wait until they go brown. It's then recommended to cut them off if the plants are in a windy position otherwise the crowns can be rocked.

corinne

Joined: 06 Oct 2005
Posts: 69
Location: South London

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 07 9:30 am Post subject:

Good luck with the asparagus Simon. We planted 30 crowns when we first took our allotment. Next year will be their 3rd year - so we will be harvesting

I think we lost about 3 crowns overall and some plants seem much stronger than others. In the first year, some plants only produced 1 or 2 shoots. This year we have had a lot more but we have resisted the temptation to eat them

My husband has wanted an asparagus plot for years, so next spring will be quite ceremonial when we make our first harvest. We've not had any trouble with slugs and snails but the asparagus beetles have been terrible. I hand pick them - which takes ages. My neighbour suggested I spray the lot, but I really wouldn't want to do that. The ferns can cope with some damage but left to their own devices I think the beetles would just strip the lot

Another problem we had has been high winds. The ferns are over 7ft tall and keep blowing over - we've had to put supports next to every crown. Foxes have been a nuisance too - in the first year the cubs rolled over several plants. It's a full-time job just looking after the asparagus, but worth it, hopefully

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 07 9:59 am Post subject:
Best of luck with them. I hope yours harvest well. We had to tie ours up to posts too due to strong winds here. I read somewhere about removing the berries. Is this necessary?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 07 10:10 am Post subject:

Simon wrote:

I read somewhere about removing the berries. Is this necessary?

They self seed quite prolifically, so it all depends on whether you care about weeding them out. You can always transplant the seedlngs and grow them on as extra plants.

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