So I started asparagus last year from seed. There’s not a lot of information about this on the Internet, and what’s there is often conflicting. I thought I would do a post here about some of the things I’ve learned.
I decided to start my asparagus from seed, because crowns here tend to be overpriced and of unnamed varieties. I wanted to grow OP varieties, so getting seeds seemed the best way to get started. When you start asparagus from crowns, you need to wait 2 years before you get a normal harvest, and with seeds you have to wait an additional year. I was prepared to wait 3 years for a normal harvest.
Asparagus likes rich ground, and I discovered last year I had problems with not enough nitrogen in my garden. I decided to address this by planting beans as companion plants with the asparagus. This may not have been the best decision, because in the first year the asparagus plants were very small and weak, and the beans grew over and crowded them. Many of the asparagus plants didn’t survive, and this may have been part of the problem.
When I started this I was under the impression most of my asparagus plants would survive, and in any case I was expecting it to be black and white, either they would survive or not. I planted 2 beds with 12 plants each, expecting to perhaps lose a couple of plants in each bed. This is certainly not what happened.
What happened was different asparagus plants grew with different degrees of success, and quite a few simply died after the first year. It’s not completely clear how many survived, but it’s certainly less than 50% and many that are still around don’t look healthy and strong. A few of the plants are doing fine, like the one in the picture above.
Another one of the issues I’m aware of is there are male and female plants. I’m quite happy to have a few female plants in my garden, because I would like to have seeds for future planting, but most people only want male plants as they produce better asparagus spears. I’m under the impression when you buy crowns, they’ve usually been sexed and are always male.
I also started my seeds indoors. I’m under the impression this wasn’t necessary and I didn’t really gain anything by doing it.
Lessons
Starting asparagus from seed is certainly possible, but it’s a little bit more trouble.
I suggest planting seeds with about 6in (15cm) spacing in rows 1ft (30cm) apart. For the first year plan on growing crowns for transplant, so don’t worry too much about providing the perfect spot for the plants. Plant at least 4-5 times as many plants as you expect to need crowns for. You will want to be able to pick the best and strongest plants for transplanting, and will probably want to discard female plants. You can direct seed in the garden, about 2 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Germination rates can be low, so consider sowing more thickly and thinning out the plants later.
The following spring, transplant the crowns. Soilman recently did a great video on this.
Interesting post – certainly the crowns we’ve bought in the past have not been sexed, and we have a number of female plants. I think that raising them from seed would be a good way to reinvigorate our bed – there’s no real hurry, and we could choose the best plants, and replace the female plants we have.
Thanks for the inspiration
Joanna
Very Interesting! I started some asparagus from seed as well. I had a decent germination rate – I soaked the seeds overnight first. Then I neglected them, quite accidentally, and didn’t water for awhile – about half the seedlings died. The rest are on their second year in my garden!
I made the mistake of mixing in Cosmos – I read they go well together, but they do NOT, I had giant monster cosmos that towered over everything due to the soil fertility. My seedlings survived, but there were only one or two ferns per plant. I transplanted them at the end of the summer, so I hope they come back!
I got the Purple Passion seeds from here:
http://kitchengardenseeds.com/cgi-bin/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=113
By the way, the strawberry Fresca seeds from there are absolutely awesome and delicious!
Good luck! I can’t wait to see how yours turn out – that one in the picture is definitely healthier than mine!
Congratulations!
Well, I did Martha Washington seed last year. They were frail, wispy little things and as Soilman said in the video, I spent a lot of time on my knees keeping the weeds out. But I was expecting that so no real problem. I didn’t space them out, I just cleared a space of about 3′ x 4′, dumped the seed packet out and raked them in. This year I’ve been after the weeds though not nearly as much and the plants are about 4′ tall! I plan on eating them next year but I certainly could have eaten some this year.
Near by I have my largest raised bed that I have seeded with “Pricose d’Argentil”. I actually did space these but about 3″ apart. Based on what I saw of Soilman’s video, I’ll leave them grow where they are this year, but I’ll be planning on replanting them next year. Wonder if I should dig them in spring or fall….
Forgot to mention! The year old spears looked exactly like your photo about 3 or 4 weeks ago. They first peeped up in late January only to be wiped out by snow. Late February they tried again and suffered a couple of freezes. Early March they sallied forth again and now they are going gang busters! I think you will see a huge difference in a few weeks. Just don’t give in to the temptation of eating them!
Hi Patrick,
Nice looking asparagus. I grew permaculture asparagus (in dwarf white clover) on BC. Works very well.
Sorry it took me a while to comment to your post on my blog, but I have now.
Cheers
Anne
Thanks everyone. I like the idea of white clover! I’ll give that a try.
Did you happen to take a picture of what the Asparagus looked like as sprouts last year? I had a failed planting this spring but now I have suspiciously placed 3-inch sprouts that someone told me might be mare’s tail… I am looking for a first-year asparagus sprout picture (as opposed to an established crown).
Hi Sam,
This is what it looked like right before I set it out in the garden, I’m afraid it’s the best I can do. At this time last year it pretty much looked the same, only a little bigger.
http://www.patnsteph.net/weblog/?p=307
I have 4 inch first year aspragus , and was wondering what I do should do to it be fore winter(cut it back, cover it , just leave it)any suggestions or info would be great
Hi Anthony,
With plans so small, I guess it doesn’t make much difference. Normally, I wait until my plants die back, then I cut the dead tops off and remove them. The dead tops can provide a home for the eggs and larve of the asparagus beetle, as well as probably other pests.
Asparagus always benefits from a good mulching, mostly to keep the weeds back in the spring and to protect the crowns during the winter.
Good luck!
When the plants turn yellow/brown I cut back and mulch with compost and sharp sand as my garden is quite clayey (if that is a word). It may be 2or 3 more years before you can pick your crop but then they should go on for many years!