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sandpapertongue

Starting asparagus from seed

Sandpaper Tongue
9 years ago

I would love to start an asparagus patch. I've been reading about it and I don't mind waiting 3 yrs and starting from seed. Would it be too late to start now? It's mid-May and I'm in zone 7b. A month ago would have been better, but if I'm not planning on harvesting anything until 2017, would it be ok?

And any votes on direct sowing vs starting seedlings and then transplanting? I think direct sowing would be better, but then when you remove the female plants, do you end up with big gaps? Maybe you do both so you can transplant male plants in that place?

Comments (6)

  • wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
    9 years ago

    I've done a tiny bit of both. It can be a lot of continuing effort to keep weeds and grass out for a couple years. I wonder if the female concern is a bit over-rated for gardeners.

  • calliope
    9 years ago

    I started Mary Washington from seed years ago and the bed never really went anywhere. I finally got disgusted and planted a run of Jersey Knights and on their third year now are nicer and more productive than the old seed-started ones ever got all the time I had them.

  • barrie2m_(6a, central PA)
    9 years ago

    First, if you are going to start from seed get a good male hybrid variety to make it worth your while. I've was strongly advised against starting from seed a few years ago but I was in no hurry either so I purchased 1 M of Jersey Supreme seeds and started them ( My germination level was 75%). It is now paying off and I have a good amount of asparagus harvested in just the few weeks that I'll probably harvest this 3rd year. My older Mary Washington bed is no comparison but in my defense the male hybrids just were not available when I first planted asparagus and it is even more recent that quality seeds have become available.

    If I were you I'd stick the seeds in a freezer if you purchased them this year and plan on starting mid- winter(early Jan.) by sowing in individual cells, potting up, and then transplanting to a prepared soil bed in mid April in your zone. Seeds take a 3 weeks to germinate and initial growth is slow. Keep under lights after germination and transplant to deep pots when young seedling are a few inches tall. The roots can crowd a small pot very quickly once plants start growing.

    Prepare a bed to acept transplants just as with purchased roots but you need to cover over gradually to not bury the growing plant. You can sneak a spear or 2 per plant in year two. I was reluctant to take any and then a late frost rendered a few weeks of harvest potential wasted but the plants bounced right back and had good ferm growth to finish the season. The third year is where I'm at now and although the spring has been dry my new growth is amazing- some spears are lifting brick sized clumps of soil as they emerge. Instead of pencil sized I've had with Mary W. they are finger- thumb diameter spears. I hate to only cut for a few weeks but I'll follow guidelines and hope for a little longer harvest next year. So this is the routine that I'll pass on to you.

  • tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
    9 years ago

    I have started asparagus from seed, I think they were Argentuil. I preferred starting in trays and later transplanting just to baby them along and I because I can use less water starting in trays than what is necessary to keep the ground moist.

    I would start them this year, that one month of difference is really not all that great. Get them started and then feed them judiciously once in the ground. Thus far, I have not seen much difference in the male and female plants, maybe it may be due to varieties but it may not be worth the effort to cull the females. In addition to the ones started from seed, I have Purple Passion and 2 different Jersey hybrids.

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    Have grown asparagus for personal use and for market sales for over 50 years now, most all varieties and using all methods. With what is available now I can truthfully say I would never go back to growing them from seed and I would never plant Washington varieties.

    There is simply no comparison at all between the quality and the production, not to mention the work involved, between the Washingtons and the Jersey varieties or between planting crowns and growing from seed or even between the female and the male plants.

    Since gus is intended to be an established, perennial bed, start with the best available. But if you insist on doing it from seed then as bmoser said above at least start with the Jersey seeds.

    Dave

  • planatus
    9 years ago

    Here's another vote for crowns. I am still struggling to get good spacing in the area I planted with seedlings, but transplanted crowns are well behaved and predictable. If you start with roots, in three years you will be harvesting lots of asparagus instead of niggling with seedlings.