Asparagus...

[daisydaisy]

At the start of april/end of may, i planted some asparagus crowns. This week, a few have started coming up but they are all tall and spindly Are they meant to look so weak and straggly or am i doing something wrong??? thanks x

[springen]

Mine are like that too, I was assuming that that was how they were meant to look until they get established.

[daisydaisy]

Thanks, you have reasuured me now

[palborn]

That's exactly how mine look too! Let's hope we're not all doing the wrong thing

I accidentally knocked over one of mine so I hope this hasn't caused any long term problems either

[rustylady]

Asparagus is like rhubarb, it's a long-term investment. You should never crop either in the first year of planting, as they need time to establish themselves, set down good root systems and generally prepare for a long fruitful life. Keep them weeded, watered if necessary and when the ferns (which develop from the spindly shoots) go yellow in autumn cut them down and topdress the bed with compost or well rotted manure. As the plants establish the shoots will get thicker and hopefully next year you will be able to harvest a few spears from each plant. Always leave some to grow into the fern (leaves) however as these feed the crowns (roots) ready for the next year's crop.

[wellie]

There's Male, and There's Female Asparagus Crowns!

And all the advice Rustylady's given is completely 'Top Banana' and I couldn't have put it into words better than that!

When I bought my Asparagus Crowns (Connovers' Colossal variety) I planted the thick-stemmed ones on the outside edges of my raised bed, and the tall spindly ones (they were all bought in pots, which is why I knew which was which, rather than bare-rooted crowns from a supplier directly) and all the outside-edge ones bear small red berries after they go 'to fern', which means that they are FEMALE, and likely to self-seed. Whilst the ones in the middle, with the spindly spears are all MALE.

As well as the older/wiser Grapes amongst you THINK you know me......
I am NOT going to comment further on what I have just typed!
(See Wellie Zip her mouth up and fold her arms like A Good Girl!)
X

[Two_Sheds]

Mine were all ferny last year (and then got stripped quickly by Asparagus Beetle).
Today I looked and I have a proper asparagus stalk - just the one, mind. Should be a bigger crop next year

[cazsudz]

I also have only a few spindly shoots ( planted in march), but also the tops are being nipped off as soon as they emerge. Couldthis be pigeons do you think? Presumable this will prevent them from growing and feeding the plants for next year. AM tempted to give up, grow something else on the bed this year and try again next - what do you think?

[Paulottie]

Don't worry about it. The ferns will come up, if a bit mutated, but definitely don't give up. I suggest it is not pigeons though...do you have rabbits there?

[TonyF]

Newly planted asparagus beds may take three years to come to maturity. As Rustylady said, they are a long term investment, very long term and don't be fooled by the Jamie Oliver approach, (buy, stick them in the ground, they grow IMMEDIATELY and you can eat them) these plants can't be harvested in mature form for three years. I was talking to a local farmer who grows asparagus commercially and she was telling me that is why asparagus isn't grown round here in kitchen gardens, it takes up too much room and is so time consuming.

I'm luck, mine has its own bed and is still at the ferny stage but next year I should get a decent crop.