garlic and asparagus

[ChrisH54]

With the weather being so yucky is it safe to put my asparagus crowns and garlic into the ground or is it still to cold?

Chris

[Eyren]

My garlic is in already - in fact some varieties need at least a month of temps under 10 C in order to divide into cloves.

Looked in "Grow Your Own Veg" and it says Feb-Apr for planting asparagus, but avoid frost pockets. I guess it could go in now with some fleece over the top?

[moggssue]

I dont know about asparagus, but my garlic has been in the ground for about a month now and seems to be growing well - so far at least! I believe (from some of the good peeps on here mostly) that garlic likes a cold spell to separate the bulb into individual cloves, so I would say you ought to put them out pretty soon (not sure about the rain and wet ground though?).

[ChrisH54]

Query here about garlic. I have 4 bulbs in a packet. It tells me to split the bulbs and plant cloves individually. Now reading replies I am unsure whether I am supposed to plant the bulbs whole?

[moggssue]

Sorry, was my reply confusing? You need to split the bulb you have into its individual cloves and plant each one out separately. Each one of those cloves, as it grows, splits itself into lots of new cloves (theoretically at least!). Apparently a cold spell helps in this splitting process - and another tip I've been given is to plant fairly deeply but I'm not sure how much difference this makes, other than stopping the birds pulling the newly planted cloves out

[Paulottie]

No hurry with the sparrow's grass... Ground quite soggy still. However if you've already got the crowns it is best not to delay too long as they don't like to be dried out. Stick them in a bucket of water on the morning of planting. The most important thing is to prepare the bed thoroughly first. ie. That is no perennial weed roots in there and it has been well manured and double dug with plenty of time to settle. Dig your trench normally 9" deep(maybe a bit less is heavy soils where you add grit and then grow in ridges like spuds) Make a small mound at the bottom, over which you spread your crowns- about a ft -18" apart. Then cover with 2 or 3" of loam. when shoots reach 6" tall put another 3" of loam back and again later in the summer. Cut off ferns in nov and mulch with a 3" layer. thus your crowns will be 9 or 10 " down for next season. DON'T be tempted but wait till the 3rd season and then take just a few spears during late April early May...after that fill your boots till midsummers day...yummy.