I've asked that question on another forum. Everyone said that asparagus makes a bed and the roots are so deep a pot would never work.

That's why I thought of the mint trick there is no bottom the roots could grow down forever.

Have you had a problem with asparagus spreading? I wouldn't have thought it needed restricting in the way mint does because afaik it clumps but doesn't run.

Maybe it does better in your climate than mine. I can't get enough of it.

I've don't have a problem with my asparagus spreading. The plants are still in the same spot that I originally planted them 5 years ago. The crowns are wider and more mature but they haven't spread.

Rodney

Oh. It reads like you meant either or. Somebody told me that asparagus makes beds-I don't really know. But wouldn't it be great to have it in a huge tub or something?

My experience with asparagus is that the roots spread out and not down. I'd think that a 5 gal. can wouldn't be wide enough. Then there is the solar degradation on the plastic itself.

I think the reason people talk about a BED of asparagus is the plants are very big. Both tall and wide. Maybe 4'x4'.

Like strawberries the used to be sold in bundles of 25 if I remember right. Like floral uk said, I can't get enough.
I had about bed of 50 in 100' and they were too close.

It spreads a bit but I guess not enough to care many it's seeding and that's why I have more.

You shouldn't be allowing the plants to self seed. Your asparagus bed will deteriorate and you will lose the quality of the plants. (Assuming you planted an all male bed). If you started them from seed you need to rogue the female plants out. It sounds as if you need to do a bit of reading on Asparagus growing. This link is informative.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asparagus

I don't think the bucket would work very well, either. The baby asparagus roots when I first planted them were easily the circumference of a 5 gallon bucket. Now that they've been in their beds for many years they have really stretched out. Think of them like a giant starfish instead of regular down-ward growing roots on a shrub or veggie.

As far as the plant becoming invasive and spreading....I don't think that happens very often, unless it goes to seed and you allow every baby to grow. When books say it spreads, I think they are referring to the root's desire to spread open like a ...well... a starfish.

This is one of the reason they say hand-picking weed-control is so important in an asparagus bed. Because the roots grow so close to the surface it's easy to damage them (which they do show signs of resentment) with a hoe or other implement.

Asparagus likes to be in a permanent spot. So choose a bed that you will be happy in it's placement for many years. Also, the rule of thumb that many gardeners use is: 1st year, no harvest - let all the spears grow into ferns. 2nd year - only harvest 1/3 of the spears. 3rd year - you can harvest 2/3 of the spears. By the 4th year your plants should be mature and you can harvest at will, leaving a few spears to turn into ferns each year to re-energize the plant for next year's harvest.