Asparagus Question

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I have a small orchard of semi-dwarf fruit trees and I would like to plant Asparagus in the rows between the trees. Once I was told that someone did that and in the spring they just tilled it all down, (how deep) and the Asparagus kept coming. Also once I plowed up some ground and later found out that asparagus had been planted there, still it came back. Has anyone any knowledge of doing this, how deep do the roots grow? Second cropping the orchard would make better use of my irrigation water and save mowing the sod that is there now.

-- Robert P Henderson (redgate@echoweb.net), February 07, 2000

Answers

Depending on who or what company that you are talking to, it is recommended that you plant asparagus in trenchs about 8 inches deep. You should know however that the after the harvesting period is over, the the leafy part of the plant is what feeds the roots for next years crop. Therefore they would need to be left until they die back naturally. Also, asparagus prefers soils that are 7.0 or higher in PH. Also as a harvesting tip for the health of the plant, either snap the spears off or slant cut below the soil line.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), February 07, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ