Planting some asparagus

[Joe Malinowski]

As always it was good to see Larry yesterday. It was kind of strange when I took Larry out on the tour of the towns farm areas that I was the one doing all of the talking. The cubs are a bit lonely though, Larry didn't leave with a empty trailer.

[DirtDoc]

This advise is from the ag university and it works..Make your furrow in the fall..Fill it with manure. Leave the furrow "open" all winter. This will mellow it out so it won't burn the new roots. Toss your asperagus on top and cover in the spring. I have very wet soil and asperagus(and most other crops) don't do well. I planted my roots almost at ground level and then hilled up. It worked!! Also they like about a 7 Ph. I added pelleted lime in the fall too to give it time to work. This is my second year. Harvested a few, but decided to let most grow out again to really build root strength. Another trick for wood ash..put a small handfull by your tomato plants. The calcium in it will help stop end blossom rot...good luck..Greg

[PeteF]

I had a couple of beds of asparagus but this year basically got nothing. I figure the wire grass choked it out. I didn't know about adding the ash from the stove. That might burn the wire grass out for an extra benefit.

A neighbor was telling me that uncomposted horse manure is good too. Does anyone add horse manure? Does it help? Would it be better composted? What time of year should it be added?

[DirtDoc]

Fresh horse manure will create heat. That might help the new roots get thru a stress period of cold or too wet in the early spring. Another benefit of "horse" is that there are no viable weed seeds in it. All the others have viable weed seeds. The manure buried will compost from the soil microbes over time and your asparagus will love it..
Weed control.. Asparagus is a sea weed relative so it can tolerate large amount of salt. A few people I know spread salt over their beds to keep weeds out. A word of caution..Salt will move with surface water, you don't want to sterilize other areas of your garden. Good luck Greg

[Buzzard Wing]

The light just went off... seaweed as the perfect mulch. Plenty of that nearby.

[Bob McCarty]

Larry, Don't you mean the light just went on?

Bob

[Buzzard Wing]

Does that mean I can quit using 'things are looking down'?? Actually it was late and I think I must have put on my thinking cap when the light went out.... who knows with me!

Apparently asparagus tolerates salt well and likes seaweed a mulch. This is from a well done web site: http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/asparagus.shtml
"Asparagus is said to benefit immensely from heavy mulching, which keeps in the soil moisture and also keeps down weed incursion. If you can get it, dried seaweed is excellent (asparagus tolerates salt well, and some feel a little actually benefits the plants--it evolved as a seaside plant), for it will both mulch and, as it decays, nourish."

So all I gotta do is move a Cub or two so I can dry the seaweed.... probably can get it easily from the guy that 'sweeps' the beach. Just gotta remove the butts, bottle caps and jewelry that also get swept up in the wierd machine. Oops, looks like they already sell it...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... n_seaweed/