You need a deep, rich planting area. Asparagus is work to get established, but a well-prepared bed can last a decade before you need to collect fresh crowns and do another one.

Yes, the plants end up 6 inches or so under the top of the dirt in the older methods, less dire in the newer methods. They both work.

Some sites recommend shallower trenches, but the "fill with a lot of rich compost and spread the roots out and cover with dirt" is always there.

In my experience, the deeper the roots are, the sturdier the plants will be. They won't fall over as easily. However, they also will be later to emerge. I'm approaching 3,000 plants now. The first 1,600 I used a trencher and planted them probably too deep. I've been adding 300-500/yr, trying to meet demand. I no longer see the need to baby asparagus and only back fill once now. I'll dig a ten inch deep trench and just lay the crown against the side of the trench and cover. I'll back fill once after the ferns emerge. I never fertilize new plantings but do heavily sweeten the soil. I'll heavily cover the bottom of the trench w/lime and a little super phosphate to get them off to a good start. You want to develop roots, not foliage. I don't fertilize until the second season. The top of the crown produces stalks, not roots. As noted planting them deeper will just give them added strength to hold them upright. However, if all your soil is very soft, they'll fall over regardless. My soil is mixed, and the ones in heavier clay perform really as well as those planted in the loamier type. I even planted a couple hundred across the top of my pond dam in heavily packed clay. They were planted the shallowest of all and have been a little slower to produce, but absolutely none have fallen over and they look great. Honestly, I see little overall difference w/the ones I labored on intensely and the ones I took shortcuts with.

Thanks for this useful information.

I finished one 15' trench and will dig another when the ground thaws. I will plant 10 crowns of Jersey Supreme in each trench.

The finished trench was back filled lasagna style with layers of pine needles, shredded leaves, compost and soil. Its about 12" deep and half filled. I have a fair quantity of good soil from an existing lasagna bed which I plan to add to the trenches.

So, the question is: Should I put the good soil under or over the crowns? Probably both from what I'm reading. With 6" to work with, how much under the crowns? How much over?

I plan to add lime and phosphate. Is there a best method and time for this? Can I sprinkle it into the half-filled trench now?

Thanks

Harry

I was told, by Edible Landscaping when I was buying a dozen 2" pots of small asparagus plants already in the ferning stage, that the older varieties really needed the trenching methods, but the newer varieties available now don't need to be planted like that. Although asparagus is going to be in the one location for many years, and as such it really should be well prepared and deep, with lots of compost, etc., they told me to place them at the same depth as the little 2-inch pots. I planted them early summer last year, they grew well. I was told I could harvest for maybe a week when they come up in spring this year, maybe two weeks the following year, then more in years after that. I guess we'll see how they do going forward. Years ago I did the trenching thing - didn't like it and didn't have any luck with it.

Since I am planting a newer hybrid, maybe I'll place 4" of the good soil into the trench and place the crowns over it. I will then cover with 2" of soil.

Since I have a lot of excess soil, I am wondering if there is a benefit in planting my asparagus in raised planting mounds. I would just leave the soil excavated from the trenches on the sides of the trenches and build up the planting area with compost and good soil. This might help the soil warm up.faster in the spring.

Thanks for your help.

Harry

First of all, I'm wondering why you're planting now and not in spring. Regardless, I would not go down 15". Nourse recommends 10" trenches/8 in clay. As for your amendments and extra soil, they will settle pretty quickly anyway. You may have extra soil now, but you shouldn't later. I have put a few roots in mounds and really don't like to do that as the voles prefer those mounds.

I'm probably not going to be very popular, BUT.... I had a bed that had great soil, but had hardware cloth( wire very strong and spaced very close together) already in place from crops before we planted our gus.
We ended up planting it just about 6" deep and topping it with tons of compost (as we do each year!).
This is not the optimal way of planting asparagus, but for our situation, it has worked very well!
The gus is ever expanding, and we almost have too much! (NoNo! Never mind! Gus soup is in the freezer!) Nancy

I won't be planting until March. I was just taking advantage of a warm December to prepare a new garden space.

I have a large supply of good garden soil from my previous vegetable garden which will no longer be used. It is a raised lasagna-style bed loaded with rich, wormy, black soil. One way or another, that soil will end up in this new garden.

I don't have rodent problems because of the feral cats living in my back yard.

Thanks

Harry