Asparagus query!

[Wren]

This is my first year with Asparagus an i purchased some crowns that had been marked down at the end of the season (about June) from tes*os. Some were only fit for the compost heap but i have managed to recover many of the crowns and they have been throwing up new shoots throughout the summer quite nicely. I have left these shoots untouched ( cept a bit of earthing up ) and will do for another year and the green spears have developed nicely into willowy fern fronds. I have just been round to take a peek at them and much to my surprise they are still very green and ferny and growing great guns. I had expected them to turn brown and die down in all the harsh frosts and 14 inches of snow that we have seen recently . So what is going on?
I expected them to be like woodland ferns and die back in the cold dark winter and then to the resurrect themselves again when the warmer spring weather comes .
Why are they still green and lush? Is this normal Asparagus behaviour?

Wren

[stella]

It is my first year of growing them from seed, so mine were very small. However they did die away for a very short period and then seem to spring back to life very quicky. I am going to leave them to do their own thing and see what happens? Have no idea if this is right or not

[Jeanied]

I think they will be fine - just cut back the died off foliage when you can and mulch well in spring.

[Jardiniere]

and dont harvest til the third year

[Wren]

Thanks everyone ,

I can only assume that the plants know what they are doing..lol. I will mulch them with my leaf mould in the spring. I am calling this their first year, next year the second, and 2012 the 3rd year so i should be able to lightly harvest them in 2012, Yes?
Should i give them a feed of fish blood an bone when i mulch them next spring too ?

Wren

[royboy]

Asparagus like a mulch of seaweed if you can get it. You must try to use fresh from the sea, not the dried stuff that has been on the rocks for a long time. Wash the salt off before you mulch.

[Paulottie]

Good advice RoyBoy, dead seaweed is great....but I wouldn't worry about salt; as asparagus are originally a saltmarsh plant they don't mind it, some growers, inc me, salt the beds to keep off slugs and weeds....also I'd add from experiance that seaweed if not incorporated can tend to form a cap like sheets of cardboard....best I find if it is composted, mixed with leafmould or chopped up a bit first.

Cut off any ferns now (green or not) and mulch now rather than spring....sounds like they are doing well.

[Jardiniere]

fresh seaweed? I'm miles and miles and miles from the sea.....anything else good?

[Wren]

Well as i can almost see the sea from here so i will bag up some from the rocks when the tide goes out in spring.
I will give it a wash though, sea salt is not my concern , it's the other stuff. Gully water outlets into the sea don't just contain street water run off, we get tar, an when the storm dams don't get activated in time we get all sorts o problems from other pollutants. Ships sling all sorts o tut overboard in the channel an some of the scum i see on the shoreline looks very Un- appetising.

For the sake o my peace o mind i will rinse it off afor mulching my yummy Asparagus with it.

Wren