Asparagus Not Difficult To Grow In Home Garden

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31124, 29 July 1966, Page 6

Asparagus Not Difficult To Grow In Home Garden

Asparagus Is a hardy ; herbaceous perennial belonging to the lily family, and has been used as a vegetable for more than 2000 years. It is rarely a cheap commodity to buy. Its culture is increasing in home gardens as old persistent concepts are) dispelled, and it is realised' that asparagus is virtually! as easy to grow well as any other vegetable, although! for the amount of space) which a row occupies) the yield is comparatively! small. One could expect to get ’ between 10-151 b from a 35 foot row. ) Successful asparagus cropping is by no means confined to rich sandy soils as many) text books still insist. Under! proper attention both heavier! and lighter ground will ’ give good results. Of) paramount importance, however, is the necessity to provide good drainage, also high; fertility, plentiful organic I matter, and ample moisture. I Warmth during the growing season is also vital but of! course beyond our control. ' Tight, excessively heavy, i stony, cold or exposed land! should be avoided if it is desired to grow quality spears and also have a maximum) cropping period. LONG-TERM VEGETABLE Asparagus is a long-term vegetable which under adequate cultural attention can be expected to remain productive for 20 years although beds of even longer duration have been and are known. However, there is usually a tendency for a peak of productivity to be reached by 12 years, and a decline thereafter. It is a plant which is also responsive to manure both inorganic fertilisers, such as sulphate of ammonia,; and organic, such as compost, j Bearing these points in! mind, and the fact that the!

■ rather fleshy roots, which are 'constantly renewed as the old ’ ones die. spread far out, every effort should be made to provide as thorough an initial preparation as possible. WEED REMOVAL A most importan' aspect is .the removal of perennial i weeds especially twitch, for although there are some excellent weedkillers available for use on asparagus beds these !cannot be safely applied until ; about two years after estab- ) lishment of the plants, or crowns as they are called. It ' is also easier and quicker to remove noxious growth before ■rather than after planting. Before planting where weed !infestation is heavy. Amitrol T can be used to dispose of I such weeds as couch, docks I and Californian thistle, as it [is rapidly translocated to all parts of the plant and has a short residual period in the ’soil allowing for planting i within three to four weeks 'after treatment of the area. This chemical can also be used I on established beds before the ■ ’spears appear. The pre-emergence material., I simazine, is an excellent ! j annual weed suppressor but (must be applied as a post-’ ) spear emergence cover, and ’will not destroy germinated ! weeds of any kind or prevent perennial growths, neither can it be applied until two years after planting. For effective control, soil must be moistened within two weeks after treatment but preferably at the time it is applied. Paraquat and Dalapon also have their uses. On the question of liming it it to be noted that asparagus is sensitive to an acid reaction and prefers a soil around pH 6.4. MANURING j If organic matter is not available at the time of preiparation of the bed up to a

quarter pound of blood and bone a square yard could be substituted. A general fertiliiser mixture in the ratio 1:2:1 ’should also be applied and thereafter annually in August at about 2 ounces a square yard. A post harvest topdressing of sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of soda can be made also.

Common salt and seaweed were once thought to be additives which would provide unquestionably good asparagus, or some such contention. However this myth has been exploded in particular because •of some of the acid fertilisers in use today. Asparagus on sale is generally the result of intensive and careful breeding and ) selection. The plants are dioecious, that is male and female parts appear on separate plants. Much trial and research work has gone into determining the value of restricting a bed to either one or the other but it could be said that in well-bred lines there is practically no difference between yields from (male or female plants. Results |to date have indicated that ! whereas male plants produce ’a large number and possibly i greater total weight of spears. | female plants yield larger ones.

Crowns may vary in price l according to variety and or strain and also grade. The best ones have a number of large buds and a good root system. The smaller the buds and spindlier the roots the poorer the type of spear. Year-old plants are to be preferred as older plants are rarely as good and do not result in earlier cropping. PLANTING Planting should be to a depth of eight inches depending on the nature of the soil —less for heavy soils. The primary purpose of setting the crowns so deep is to allow for the tendency to rise upwards. Make a furrow of the necessary depth or make individual holes: form a small I mound at the bottom; grasp [the plant by the crown, spread ’ the roots out around the ■ crown and firmly seat the crown on top of the mound, making sure that no air pockets are left as soil is lightly worked over and around the roots. The crown should be just covered and no more. As the shoots emerge the soil should be progressively filled in until the surface is reached. In the event of heavy frost make

; sure the shoot tips are suffi- ! ciently well covered. Suitable spacing for home gardens is to allow ISin between plants and between 3ft and 4ft between rows. During the first season, at least, intercropping between rows could well be contemplated. Such vegetables as beans, peas, lettuce and others are suitable but care jshould be taken to confine I them so as not to interfere ' with the growth of the asparagus. HARVESTING Spears should not be cut in the first year after plant- ) ing in order that the plants i can build up a strong root ’system and a high level of food reserves. ; In the second year cutting) . may extend up to four weeks.) or even a little longer.) depending in particular on the strength and amount of re growth. It is better to cut less than extend the harvest ing to the detriment of the plant’s wellbeing and of sub-; sequent years cropping. j From the third year the period of harvesting can | gradually be extended.

Over the late spring to) summer months watering; becomes increasingly more vital as conditions become drier. Warmth and moisture’ can go hand in hand to) activate quite phenomenal; growth and can even provide ( up to two pickings a day. Good quality spears are cut) when about 6in to Sin high but before the buds are about) to open. Use a sharp knife and carefully cut off slightly below the surface. Additional; growth can be obtained by ridging the rows to yield what is known as white grass, a product which is still erroneously regarded as superior to the unridged asparagus or green grass which is actually of higher nutritive value and better flavoured.