I want to plant an asparagus bed next spring. What advice can you give to reduce weeds and have a healthy crop?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “are coffee grounds good for asparagus“
I want to plant an asparagus bed next spring. What advice can you give to reduce weeds and have a healthy crop?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “are coffee grounds good for asparagus“
Here’s how I did it. Load your beds up with plenty of animal bedding and manure.
Take the top 4″ of sod and place aside
I dug down aboug 3/4 feet. I removed the worst subsoil bottom layer.
Asparagus as you probably know is a long lived perennial. And, mature asparagus has the biggest, baddest root ball you will ever see.
Ok. So, I have my trench. I placed my 4″ of sod or top soil in the trench first. I filled with manure, and bedding. (I got 5 gallon buckets of coffee grounds from a coffee shop).
What the trench looked like after I filled it was like I had buried about 6 human bodies in shallow graves. Foot to head.
I even had some rather funny comments;)
I covered these shallow “graves:)” with a triple layer of cardboard, and covered in 6″ of partially composted woodchips I had received from a local tree trimmer.
I let it sit overwinter.
Incredible soil, incredibly deep, for an asparagus bed. The cardboard will decompose. Create a hole in the mulch to place your crown deeply. Water.
The mulch will keep weed pressure down for the next year. You might want to replace or top off.
2 years decent harvest from crowns, though I took a spear here and there.
I am at fully 3 years, some 4th year, next year, and I suspect even the ones I started from seed will be hitting their full stride.
My grandmother planted asparagus in the 70’s?, even though my uncles, and the road crews routinely abused it by mowing, it still produces a few spears:).
I want to plant an asparagus bed next spring. What advice can you give to reduce weeds and have a healthy crop?
I’m assuming Aspargus grows in your climate. It is a long term crop that takes a few years to be productive, and stays in the same place for 20+ years. Mine is next to the rhubarb.
Asparagus wants a light rich, well drained soil that warms up quickly in spring. It likes water, but hates standing water. It must be well drained.
The easy way to do this is a raised bed. Dig over a patch of ground, and pull out big stones and roots. If you have light, well drained soil, good. If not, add sand to improve drainage. Now add LOTS of compost or manure.
Build a frame 15–30cm ( 6–12″) tall, a sensible width, and as long as you need for your intended crop. See what size planks you can find cheaply, and work from there!
Space plants at 45–60 cm- ( 18–24″)
I simply mulch mine every autumn with a good thick layer of manure. This feed sit, builds soil fertility, helps drainage and suppresses weeds, but I have easy access to unlimited manure, and can use 40 barrows a year on the fruit and veg. Compost will also work.
Weed control fabric also works