Harvesting asparagus, getting more from your plants & saving seeds..
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- This is the first year we have been able to do a proper harvest of our asparagus.. Thought I'd show you how we stretch the harvest to make the most of these tasty plants, including a cheeky way you can pinch a small early harvest from your plants before they mature ;-)
Asparagus are also really easy to save seeds from.. Have saved a fair few so we can have a go at starting off some more crowns for another bed..
Planting out asparagus crowns in a wicking bed,
• How We Plant Out Aspar...
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Have a great one everyone...
Thank you you just explained the answer to my question that I have been searching for for the last hour. Simply take some asparagus spears and leave some to go to seed.
Glad I could help!
I didn't know that you could eat the ferns! What a great tip!
I love seeing asparagus pop up. In my area this means spring is here to stay. :)
For a few months at least Ray.. Will you be planting some out in the new raised beds mate or do you have it popping up wild?
Cheers..
Fabulous video thank you for the tips!
Glad it was helpful Tina. 👍
Thanks for the great information It's really helpful Great video
Glad it was helpful!
Nice looking asparagus spears
Had another nice flush this season as well. Is time to move them now so need to start prepping an area down the back.
Cheers & have a top one.
Wonderful video Rob! I love using my asparagus like this, Your plants looked terrific! I imagine they are going bonkers in those wicking beds, the soil is just gorgeous! thanks for another great episode :)
They certainly do love having the water available when needed during our warm summers Luke..
Cheers mate.
very cool video - thank you very much
MineAllMine Hope it helps some..
Cheers & have a great one,
Rob.
Well I bet I watched about 10 asparagus video's today. Your's was by far the best! Thanks it was very informative wish I would have come here first!
+julie selden
Thanks Julie. Am glad it's helped you out in some way.
Happy growing :-)
Rob Bob's Backyard Farming No need to thank me, it is you that did a wonderful video! I will be watching you from now on! You explain things so wonderfully, and interestingly that I truly enjoyed watching! Now you just need to do carrots. peas, green beans, and some sweet potatoes! LOL thanks again best wishes to you and your family
+julie selden
😃 Was going to film a bit of a clip on sowing carrots today as I've had a few folks ask. 😉 Will be a while before I post it but this might help for now,
ua-cam.com/video/L4HmK4fGwOY/v-deo.htmlm10s
Cheers.
Rob Bob's Backyard Farming I live in the states (NORTH) still very very cold here! That means it will be a few months before I can plant! I have just been looking at video's to see what is out there! I seen you have a few that I still haven't watched. I subscribed so I will know when you put a new one out, and can find the older ones you put up! Thanks again! I will be watching for it
Getting our soil ready for our asparagus bed. This will be our first time so than you for the tips.
snikkinikki hernandez Nice one. Hope they grow well for you all.
Cheers & all the best,
Rob.
Thank you for all the information. I am now inpired to grow asparagus. I have seen quite a few of your videos and really enjoy them. I have made a bin for feeding my chickens with PVC elbows at the bottom and also a watering system with a 5 gallon bucket and red nipples on a PVC pipe. I really enjoyed making them both and I learned it first on your videos, so thank you very much. I live in Baja, Mexico, by the way. People here, at least out in the country, are very self sufficient.
Linda Lambert Hi Linda. Am glad you're enjoying the clips & they've given you a few ideas.
I come from a farming background & saw most folks make what they needed rather than head to the shops. Would be great to live that way again once we set up this place properly & are ready to move on.
Cheers & all the best,
Rob.
thank you for the info on the toxic berries. It's my first year growing asparagus and I'm pretty sure that my "berry curious" wife surely would have eaten them.
I've since found out that they may not be as toxic as first thought. Might be something for us to look into deeper ;)
Hope you get a decent crop once they mature Christoph.
Have a great one.
thank you for sharing! i've been trying to figure out how to grow and harvest it. now i know i can pull the ones off the branches as well... thank you again!
+Erica Traczyk
Makes sense to me to get a small yield where you can without taking too much away from the plant ;-)
Cheers Erica & all the best.
I'm glad you pointed out that the longer stalks are fine to eat and was very interested to find out that the berries are poisonous. Thanks for that warning.
Hey Jim..
The small branches do get a bit tough if left to develop to long..
Cheers mate & have a great one :)
Dipped in olive oil and lemon juice and put on a hot BBQ - good eat.
Never tried them with lemon juice but will have a crack at it now..
Cheers David & have a great one,
Rob..
Beautiful. I love asparagus. Gardening seems like such a daunting task but full of surprises and good results. I envy your garden!
Hi there & thanks :-)
It really is as easy as turning some soil & popping in a plant or seed.. Before too long you'll get the bug & will be growing whole meals worth of food.. It took me a while to pick up enough knowledge to start getting good harvests but have seen others have great yields in their first season..
Am still learning here but I must say it's been a great experience that I've been able to share with family & friends..
The community here on YT is great as well as there is always someone you can ask for help or pick up a few tips or ticks from..
Hope you get the chance to have a crack at growing some food & find out how fun it can be..
Cheers ,
Rob..
Wonderful asparagus and growing info. I've never tried growing it, but love it so, so much! When I lived up in Santa Cruz (Northern CA) asparagus was abundant, fields everywhere. In season, I'd eat it almost every night with dinner. It wasn't expensive like it is now in So CA.
Have a mate down south that has it growing wild so they don't need a to have a patch, If only we were so lucky here Robin.. Ours have finished for now & I keep meaning to cut a plant right back to see if that helps set more spears..
Cheers & all the best.
Thanks Rob - Just 2 years and 8 months left until I can start harvesting mine.... but now I've seen this vid, I'll try a few bits next year with a salad. Cheers.
Nothing wrong with a bit of a cheeky early harvest I think Jim ;-) The small branches go great in salads but disintegrate easily when cooked too much..
Cheers & hope you enjoy the pickings mate..
Rob..
I just saved the seeds to plant them throughout the rest of my yard. A 4 year old plant was growing like crazy
Nice one Jude. 👍
I *_LOVE_* going through the garden and "grazing" on raw veggies. So far, I've not found anything that was inedible raw...fresh off the plant. But my particular favorites are 1-asparagus;2-okra (yes, raw okra!); 3-sweet cherry tomatoes;4-full size tomatoes, particularly black krim, cherokee purple and celebrity (yes, a hybrid). But I'll eat almost any leafy vegetable, too! Thanks for the asparagus update, Rob. I didn't know you could break off the fern side shoots and eat them too! More asparagus, now. I *_love_* UA-cam!
I find pumpkin a bit hard to gnaw on but other than that, it's all fair game here too ;-)
Okra is another I prefer raw & were tossing the small ones into salads here.. Our plants didn't do too well last year but the seedlings are looking good so far for this seasons plants..
Cheers mate & all the best,
Rob..
Thank you for sharing this video
Cheers Andrea. 🌱
My fave gardening youtube channel. Thabks rob
Thanks Catlady 43. Hope the clips give you a few useful pointers & ideas.
Cheers & all the best.
Another good video. I planted several asparagus bulbs this spring. 2 in my aquaponics system and 6 more in pots outside. All seemed to do well. The 2 in the aquaponics did much better but in all honesty I didn't do much to prepare the soil in the pots. Just watered with fish water. I as wondering if bringing them all into my GH for the winter would speed up the first harvest time.
Hey Jeff... Have thought of trying them in the AP after seeing a post on a forum of FaceBook.. Have wanted to try the purple here so might look for a crown & pop it into one of the new grow beds..
Cheers mate & have a great one..
Rob..
I don't eat the stuff myself, but My Rozie loves it. Oh... and I finally worked out how to share a video tonight!
WOO HOO :-D I still haven't got G+ all figured out yet Andy :-/
Maybe you could pop a crown in the aquaponics & see how it goes for her ;-)
Cheers mate & all the best,
Rob..
I just planted my asparagus in my patch and can't wait to see the fern and next year the harvest !
Thanks for the update
How's it growing for you now Stephen ?
I did see the clip BTW & was impressed with the amount you squeezed into the bed.
Cheers mate.
So far they are doing well. the ferns are between 10cm and 45cm tall. I should be able to get them to grow nicely together and produce next year. We shall see ;) I can always move extra roots to other places.
I found that don't mind moving hose every once in a while ;]
Thank you for your great information! Very helpful! I have second year asparagus and it went to fern so it's good to know we can still eat it!
Cheers. This was verry helpfull. Ive been throwing my ferns out. Now ill try them in salad
zsanterre Just the tender young tips. As they get older they're a bit chewy ;)
Cheers.
Enjoy your show... now a clip on transplanting!
Thnaks :) I posted a clip a while back on transplanting these ones into the bed if you're interested..
Planting out asparagus crowns..
Cheers & all the best,
Rob.
Thank you!
excellent video, thanks for the close ups, very informative!
motocephalic Thanks & hope it helps you grow some great spears.
All the best,
Rob.
if they get too big and woody, you can use a vegetable peeler to help remove the outside layer
Have seen a friend do that to shop bought spears so she could use the whole thing Steven.. Might try on one of the older shoots & see how it goes..
Cheers mate..
BTW,
B thinks I'm resting my hand so :-x
;-)
I might have to try that one. I don't think I've ever ate one raw. They've always been cooked/boiled until soft.
Thanks for ANOTHER idea. lol
Is a great treat mate.. I think I have eaten more walking the patch than in meals so far ;-)
Cheers,
Rob.
wow i use those totes also cool
Cheers Mark... I find they are the perfect sizes for self watering garden beds.. Saves a lot of time & water if you're in a dry climate..
Cheers mate & have a great one..
Rob..
I didn't know you could eat them even after they shoot up, tanks for sharing I'll harvest mine for the first time next year...2 years of waiting was really hard on me ;)
You all take care!
I wish I had realised earlier Elyse :-/ We could of been enjoying min harvests for the past 3 or so years here ;-)
Thanks & all the best to you & yours,
Rob..
I would like to try growing some in the near future.
They are really easy to grow & maintain Mary..
Best to buy crowns if you want to speed up the process ;)
Have a great one..
Nice videos . I found an asparagus in my garden don't know how it got there because it used to be a sandbox for my children , it is violett after some research i found this
"Particularly esteemed is the Violet Asparagus of Albenga less productive that the others but unique in the World; the Turions are bigger and have a characteristic violet deep color that gradually shades off near the base but it’s above all on the table that this variety brings exclusive accomplishments. It’s soft and buttery (it hasn’t got the fibrousness of his colleagues) delicate and it tendentially tastes sweeter and it’s got a less strong smell."
I am very happy that it is a female because i have not been able to find small plants here , so i collected seeds and have now 10 plants :D .
That's a great find Jack 👍 Hope you get a great harvest from them mate.
Cheers.
Great video! So much info
No Problem Mike.
Have a top one mate.
Love me some asparagus. Growing first time this year and have some huge ferns out there now. Looking forward to harvesting a few next year. I enjoy your videos brother. Keep 'em coming.
Cheers mate, I enjoy making them.. Hope you get a decent harvest from your plants too.. Definitely worth the wait in my book..
All the best to you & yours,
Rob..
thx for sharing
No problem Dave..
Cheers mate & have a great one,
Rob.
Great tips Rob! I'm hoping to start my own patch this next season. Its nice you can finally enjoy your own. Cheers!
Have been enjoying them immensely here.. It's one plant I never really tried until a few years ago.. Having the mashed up spears out of cans as a kid put me off them for may years I think..
Cheers & hope yours grow well for you,
Rob..
That's so funny, I was put off as a kid for the same reason! Once I finally tried it fresh as an adult, I loved it. Thanks a bunch for all the great info!
Subedei's Garden No problem :) Just bought some seeds for the purple variety.. Might try them out in the aquaponics..
Have a great weekend..
Cheers ..
Great info, Rob! I knew about the male/female plants and that many only wanted the male in the fear that their patch would get out of control with self seeding. I, on the other hand, want both in 2 separate beds so I have the ability to self propagate in case something happens to one of them. Had hoped to set them up this year as well as several other things and videos of all but life got in the was the first half of the year then summer was 3 days of 5 with rain. left me no time.
It's one plant I always put off growing because of the waiting time to the first harvest Jay.. Are you going to start from seed or get some advanced crowns ?
Has been a shocker of a year for some but what goes around comes around I suppose.. Have been told we can expect a very dry hot summer here so the wicking beds will be a bonus for us..
Cheers mate,
Rob..
I'd like to get some advanced crowns in hope that they will produce quicker. Have to decide where I want to put the bed as well. Want to have them at the house but not much room and I like to use it for items I need to check daily and for first time experimentals. Weather has been unpredictable the last 2 years. Expected a hard winter last year after a long cool summer but ended up never getting below freezing. Not even trying to understand what this winter will be like.
Great informational video Rob Bob! I love me some asparagus sauteed in butter.(-: I look forward to your next video...
Cheers mate..
I love them in butter with some garlic, snake beans & topped with a bit of torn basil..
Getting hungry now :-/
Cheers..
Top video cheers mate put my first crop of asparagus in the other day just have to wait a couple of years
Nice one 👍 Hope it grows well for you :)
I LOVE when you add the bloopers!!!
Great Video, my Asparagus is at the one year mark now, can't wait to see them at this stage.
Hi there..
I just bought some seed for the purple variety & hope to have them planted out this weekend.. Hope yours grow well for you..
Have a great one,
Rob.
Them beds look good.There are 2 types of asparagus...the cultivated white ones wich usually are thicker and the wild ones with a green color with a stronger taste and more solid stem. Yes it takes some patience some 2-3 years for the first harvest but afterwards those plants will be edible for another 10-15 years.In clod climates this is one of the earliest veggies of the season. As far as I know at least the wild ones don´t attrack a lot of the bad bugs. I guess it´s good to have these plants around.Also as an early starter there large root systems should be stimulating to the food soil web.
We have only seen grasshoppers on these plants & they do like to strip the branches bare.. Am looking at starting some of the seeds we've collected to get a new patch going in the soil here.. They do well in the wicking beds but would like a more permanent patch as well..
Cheers & thanks,
Rob..
A more permanent patch sounds like a good idear to me. In wild life they don´t need a lot of attention.
Have You tried to cut some branches and see if they grow roots. That may be could cut down the time compared with seeds. Never heard of anybody trying.
As to the grasshoppers I´m shure the wild ones don´t escape eighter, but it dosen´t seem to affect severely There is also lot´s of other stuff for them to munch on and lot´s of other small animal life that´s waiting around for a delicious chunk of grasshopper.
So may be this idear of Yours with other plants around brings in the right balance. Here usually they grow at the edge of the forrest in semy shade
Pura Vida
Another great clip rob
Thanks mate. 🙂👍
Have a top one.
Yikes, didn't know the fruit is poisonous. Who would have thought. Would have eaten it myself without thinking. Thanks Rob for the info! :)
Glad to know I may have saved you from a painful stomach ache Lasker Saw..
As kids we used to eat random berries from plants in my grandparents yard & am surprised that we never got poisoned..
Cheers & all the best..
Rob..
I am hoping to get a few asparagus raised beds built over the winter Rob ? I love the stuff ! Yours is doing great in those beds !!
The certainly love the compost they got Ian.. Have noticed the plants that got the store bought were a bit slower to start off .. Think I'll be saving enough home made compost for both beds next winter..
Cheers mate & have a great week :-)
l had an asparagus plant, it died after about 6 years, but it was so yummy while it was living mmmmm
One of my favourites to grow now Greg.. Pant & forget except for harvesting & dumping some compost on it.
How about whipping up an asparagus & cheesy treat on your channel ? Not that canned slop though :-/
Cheers mate
Very helpful thank you!
Glad it could help some Catherine.
Cheers.
great Video I will try to follow you
Hope you get a decent crop mate.
Like the name too BTW ;-)
Cheers.
+Rob Bob's Backyard Farming
Glad to hear you
Our name is very Awesome
Thanks a lot
Thats what I was thinking! Thiers nothing worse than gardeners making extra science to sound wise when really they are taking away from thier gift! When you said that tall one would be edible, seemed logical to me! Also the ones people have been eating for years in the grocery store are very long some of them
It also helps to stretch the harvest out a lot longer Jemmarie. We were picking the tips of ours right into Summer here this season.
Happy growing. 🌱🌱
Now can they be picked in the fall? Or is the fact of the matter that they only taste horrible after growing to a certain size? This will help alot to know
@@cadenceandfamily2159 Only best to take the very young tips of the ferns otherwise they get very tough.
Expensive here, on sale $2.99 bunch(sometimes cheaper)... in winter, if available, $3.99 up. Love it but not the length of time/space it takes to grow. On my Cheaper to buy or just skip list! :)
Have seen then up to $5 a bunch in the past here Adubb.. More recently it has come down in price in the off season.. I think it's due to the amount of floppy imports were now seeing.. We have harvested over 4 bunches worth so are around the $16 worth of savings which would of more than paid for any amendments we added to the soil..
Will be PMing you later with a note from Koo ;)
Cheers mate..
Didn't know you could eat the baby offshoots!! Will try that on some of mine this year :)
+addictedtoelf
Just the ones on the ferns 👍 I think I took a bit to much off the ends off the plants on one bed this season & the plants are suffering. 😩
Thanks for the asparagus information Rob! I think this is the garden plant that confuses me most. When I had my asparagus at the other place, it made a lot or foliage and some tips (only had them one year). Does it just become tips after it gets so old or does it make foliage every year. I give this video an asparagus green thumbs up!
Hey Mr Dale..
They normally die back every cool season & throw up the new tips the coming spring which turn into the ferns.. They should continue that cycle for up to a decade from what I've read.. Tried to buy some purple yesterday as I mentioned on Bobby's clip but they only have the same variety we already have :/ Such is..
Thanks mate & have a great one.
wow lot of views!! nice
Cheers Mark :-)
Surprised me as well..
Wow !! Amazing 😍
This was really very informative Rob thank you, I wonder if it is a good idea to remove the berries altogether so the plant's energy is conserved? thnx tm
Toni-Maree Bishop Hi TM..
That would probably help a bit I'd think.. It would mean less energy being used up in seed production.
I'm looking at culling the females back to 1 plant per bed or patch as I don't need all that seed..
Thanks & have a great one..
Beautiful asparagus patch. Here in the USA we only harvest in Spring. Is it Spring by you? I transplanted some asparagus crowns last year, from my Mom's house across the street. They had their fronds on (with berries). Where ever the seeds dropped I have tiny asparagus plants, all over my bark mulch. I left a trail of seeds and never thought they would all come up.
Has just started to warm up here & we have had some lovely weather.. Even had a decent spring shower here yesterday which the garden loved.. I'm hoping that we will be able to prolong the harvest here by munching on the small branches on the new growth as it comes through..
Is great when you see the volunteers pop up, always gives me a smile :-)We had a few seedlings shoot in the lawn in front of these beds last season but I mowed them unfortunately.. I should of transplanted them for the new patch I have planed..
Cheers & all the best,
Rob..
Hi Bob. I just purchased my asparagus seeds, and are arriving in the next few days. Your video just got me really excited. Got a little worried though since I do have a small space for my garden, am I gonna have a problem with the foliage?
Should be able to trim them back a bit Selle.. I trim ours back every season when the ferns get really large.. Doesn't appear to have reduced the amount of spears we have had come through so far.. I just planted out a few seeds of the purple variety to see how they go..
Hope yours do well for you,
Rob..
See if the local authorities can block off the street while you are filming! :-) Nice tips, never try to grow them yet...maybe start next year.
Tim
I think the better option is to sell up & move Tim ;-)
Well worth the wait to grow them I think.. We would saved close to $15 already with the amount we've picked so well worth it financially too..
Cheers mate..
Hi Rob, love your videos, I really learn a lot from you. Do you let your wicking beds ever dry out or do you keep them wet year round with the asparagus? Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Hi there Thanks.. Am glad you've pick up a pointers/ideas.
I did stop filling the beds over winter but did give them a watering can full of water every now & then just to keep the roots hydrated..
Cheers & all the best,
Rob,.
Did I miss the part where you fertilize them? Mulch or compost on top ?
Nope. This was just about getting a bit more of a harvest from the plants. I haven't done a "how to grow" as such with these plants as of yet.
I generally feed them up just before they send up the speers with a decent amount of compost or an organic slow-release pellet fertilizer. Through the growing season, I'll normally toss in some more pellets after 8-12 weeks as I find container grown plants need a bit of a boost.
I live in the southern suburbs of Sydney. I believe our climate may be too humid to grow asparagus. What do you think Rob? We love asparagus and buy it several times a week in spring. I got it for $1 a bunch last week.
We're in SE Queensland in a subtropical climate so get a bit more humidity than Sydney I think. Have seen a few people in different groups grow some great looking asparagus in the Sydney region if that helps at all.
Good luck with the crop.
Rob.
+Rob Bob's Backyard Farming I have ben doing some research on using asparagus to bolster levees in florida and California US and have found info that growing asparagus along waterways in subtropical areas (esp in California) used to be done by immigrants from the orient at the turn of the last century. There is info on them loving coastal and saline waters which makes me understand why here in the country (mid US) they can use salt on the growing area to kill weeds. Having tried to move a mass of asparagus unsuccessfully and seeing the roots of yours which had to be power blasted to clean of the dirt I was wondering what you think of this idea.
you might never try to remove a whole plant from the wicking bed but do you have an idea just how deep those roots go?
+itsno1duh
Hi there.
That sounds like a great idea after seeing how mat like their roots become. In the wicking barrels I took the plants from the roots went the full 45cm/17.75" to the base Am am sure they would go a fair way deeper if allowed.
Hope that helps some.
Have you given any thought to growing them in aquaponic systems? Do you think it would work?
+Torrey Jones
I haven't popped any in yet but have seen a few folks that have.
I think they would do better in a deeper barrel/bed than the standard 300mm/12" depth one most folks use.
Would like to know how you get on if you have a crack at it.
Cheers,
Rob.
I know this is probably a really dumb question, but here goes:If there are male and female plants, that must mean you need both for seeds to be produced? I would also suppose that the males and females need to be in close proximity to each other?My bird-planted asparagus plant (The bird "planted" only one seed that took) must be a female, since there are little bell-like flowers when the ferns mature, but never any berries that contain seeds. I think this plant is a Jersey Giant because of the thickness and large growth of the spears and plant that gets huge. I don't know how many other giant asparagus varieties grow in the state. I think there are places one can get male-only plants.I have another question: To save the energy of the female plants, can the flowers be removed as they are produced?Thank you and thank you for making the videos and showing them on UA-cam.
+mawmawvee
Hi There.
You will need both the male & female to get the berries & the seeds. I don't think they need to be too close together as I have seen LOADS of bees come & visit the flowers. We get so many you can hear them at the front door if all the plants are in bloom together.
The male ferns also produce a flower & they look like a small bell where the female flower looks a bit more open. I'd post a picture to help you out but ours have finished flowering at the moment :/
Some folks will remove the berry producing stems of the females but I don't bother here for the time being.
Hope that helps some.
Would be great to grow a giant variety. All ours are the Mary Washington from memory.
Cheers & all the best for 2016,
Rob.
+RobBobs Backyard Farming Thank you so much, Rob, for your fast and informative reply to my question. I'm thinking I might have a male Jersey Giant plant, then, because the flowers are little bells and stay that way. My next-door neighbor has four asparagus plants, now, so maybe one of them will be female and we can compare. One of her plants is a Mary Washington and I think they have female plants. I'll have to watch to see if any bees are around hers, or my plants. One of my neighbor's plants is way larger than the other three, so it may also be a Jersey Giant like mine. The other three are fine and wispy.It's interesting how large my plant is--A giant asparagus plant to go with my huge fig tree the bird planted it under. I love to go out and run the fern fronds through my fingers. They are cool and silky like hair and so green. I fed him a bit of slow release Osmocote this past summer, but I have to be very careful not to feed Figzilla because she doesn't need any food where she's growing. She will put on growth to the detriment of figs and seems to be trying to go into orbit. She has delicious figs, thoughSadly, over here, many bees are sick and dying from something, but we have native bees here and the bumble bees also like to go from blossom to blossom, even the carptenter bumble bees. I've seen butterflies going from flower to flower, so things do get pollinated. Nature does what it can to keep the world growing. I'm glad to know that it seems you have an abundance of bees where you live.I'm thinking I have a Jersey Giant because the plant went from a seed I didn't know was there to huge in the second year and it's gotten even larger this past year and I noticed it looks like the crown is spreading off to the top left quadrant of the plant. It puts out spears like crazy and I'm thinking it may wear itself out, but if it doesn't do so, I may get a few more Jersey Giants to go with this one. We don't get a lot of freezes in South Louisiana, zone 9A, so the plant doesn't die back for long if at all.Your reply has been most helpful-Thanks so much.May you be blessed in the coming year and your garden, as well. :)
Sorry I meant berries. Should I clip off those berries and trim the ferns? Thank you.
+Shoba Sadler
Just saw this second part. Some say trimming back the female plants when the berries form with help them to produce more spears. I also know a few people that pull out all the female plants & only keep the males so they get more spear production. I don't worry about that myself & let them live so I can collect seeds to share.
Cheers & all the best.
+RobBobs Backyard Farming ok. Thanks Rob :)
We planted our beds last year. Already have plants going to fern. Can we harvest any of they shoots around them. We have just started our spring here. I live in Maryland on the Eastern shore.
It's generally suggested that you leave them be for a gear to get well established. How are the plants going now?
Sorry I missed your post too.
How old are the plants usually when you buy the roots at the store ?
I think they're 2-3 years old but am not 100% sure sorry.
Hey Rob what about plants that doing not get fat. Mine are 2 and 3 yrs plants mixed and some of them are skinnier than pencil almost blind cord thickness but tall i mean almost 15 inch talls what do i do with them
Bender Trucking Hey Bender.. Probably best to leave them be at the moment as harvesting them would rob the plants of energy.. Might be a good idea to feed up the bed with some rich compost & see if that helps any.. I found ours started to pump out thicker spears after I gave them a mid season feed..
Hope that helps & would like to know how they go if you give them a feed..
Cheers mate..
Once the asperagus turns to fern can you use the fern in a wrap or salad? Also do the spread as much as I have been told? I love asperagus and onmy eat it when it comes on sale in the grocery store. Would love to grow my own. Any help would be apreciated! Thank you!
Erica lastnema Hi there Erica..
The ferns are very tough once they mature so not an ideal salad food I think..
Ours haven't spread that much but they are contained in the IBC's.. I think the main way that they spread out is via the seeds.. We have a few volunteer plants that pop up from time to time in these & surrounding beds..
Hope that helps some & have a great one,
Rob..
Thanks! Has helped much. Because i think growing them in containers would damage the roots in my area. Northern canada. = 5 feet of snow. Lol
Erica lastnema :-D I could see where that might make growing them in a container a bit difficult ;-)
Hi, I purchased a 3 yr old male asparagus crown 2 weeks ago and in the very first week I was able to harvest a a couple spears from its crown already ( Mary Washington is the name). I am wondering if that was a wise idea for me to do that or may be I should have waited for the crown to establish. Thank you. I like your video.
Nice one Candy.
Sorry I missed your post & know it may be too late but I'd probably wait for another year before you harvest too much. The more time you give it to establish itself the faster it will give you larger yields.
Hope that helps some.
Rob.
What time of year do you plant the seeds for asparagus? Seedlings?
+TAS V
Sorry for the slow reply.
Spring is the best time to sow out the seeds. It will take 2-3 years to start harvesting from the plants as you need to let the crowns develop. Many folks buy advanced crowns so they can get a bit of a head start on the process.
Hope that helps some.
Aloha from oahu hawaii,, hey cuz from the start once you start harvesting the spears wen do u start to leave 1 or2 spears to start the fern process, I live in hawaii so we no more FROST only sun an rain lol, how we going know wat month we stop harvesting and cut and clean the asparagus bed
george medeiros Hey George..
I can see no real winter could be a problem ;-) Had to do a bit of a search & found this info out specific to Hawaii.
goo.gl/80OiiK
Looks like you need to give them a few dry spells to let them die back.. Hope that helps some mate..
Have fun in the patch,
Rob..
RobBobs Backyard Farming. hey cuz much mahalo (ty in hawaiian) on the topic real big help again mahalo cuz u eva come to hawaii heres my email hawaiib8@aol.com let me know im a good person who knows the island well i can show you a real fun time, aloha from the island of oahu hawaii pearlcity pacific palisades
george medeiros Thanks a lot for the offer mate & will keep it in mind : )
Cheers buddy.
Aloha cuz by chance do you know on line wheres a good place to buy asparagus crown not tne seeds but I need to plant the 2 or 3 year crown so I no need wait tolong to start harvesting mahalo fo the help mate lol lol
hello I search wild seeds of edible plants (green cover, vegetable,fruits, other) Do you have some ideas who sell this wild seeds?Thanks
You should be able to buy asparagus seeds from more seed suppliers Daniela.
Sorry it took so long to reply,
Rob.
My asparagus has a lot of ferns and some seeds forming too. I notice your asparagus garden is completely free of ferns. Do I have to cut away the ferns?
+Shoba Sadler
When I shot this it was at the start of our season (September to November is our Spring season) so there weren't many ferns formed. I do cut the ferns back when they start to die off in mid winter & drop them on the bed to compost down.
Cheers.
+RobBobs Backyard Farming Yes. I'm in the South of NSW and and the asparagus are all popping up very quickly now and ferns in abundance too. I try not to take too many spears to allow some ferns to grow. This is why I was surprised to see your asparagus garden bare of ferns and I wondered if you cut them back. I cut back in winter too when they are brown and dried up. Thanks Rob!
+Shoba Sadler
Wasn't sure where you were posting from so added in the season info ;-)
Great to hear you're getting a few pop through. We've had a great harvest so far this season :-)
facebook.com/Bitsouttheback/photos/pb.417625838286834.-2207520000.1443228996./876842982365115/?type=3&theater
"... a couple of _tips_ on harvesting asparagus" -- I see what you did there. ;-)
:D
B groaned when she read it :D
Cheers Scott & have a great one mate..
Hello, this is my first time growing asperges and I have a few questions. My ex wife planted my asperges without me knowing some time in late spring.
When do think they'll be ready for harvest? Spring 2017?
I live in Florida, USA and we barely have hard freezes. Do I need to cut them back any in the winters any over the next 2 years?
And I had some spears growing out and got a little excited and cut them out before I remembered I should be waiting 2 years. It was only a few spears off of each plant, not much compared to the number of ferns that is growing. Will they be okay and grow back next spring? What is your opinion on this? Because I read they won't grow back if harvest within the first 2 years because they don't have enough energy yet.
Thank you for your time and opinion
aliestercorum Hi there. Probably is best to let them go for the 2 years before harvesting. I still cut ours back even if they don't die off here. Last 2 years they have after I moved them to a shadier position but the 2 previous they didn't but I cut them back anyway.
Once they're cut back I feed them up with a top dress of compost & or well aged horse manure then cover them with mulch. I also like to feed them up at the start of summer as well to help keep the spear coming.
Hope that helps a bit Mate.
Thank you
They freeze in pots 🇨🇦
I dare say they would up around your neck of the woods John. 👍
Rob, Can you dig up a asparagus plant this time of the year and transplant it. I planted about 20 of them and going to sell the property and wanted to move them to the new property or do I have to buy new crowns.
Hi Greg & sorry I'm a tad slow getting back to you.
Autumn & winter would probably be the best time to move them I think as that's when they start to wind down & go dormant for a few months. 👍
I think it's worth the shot even if you're in the northern hemisphere & are going into spring. As long as you can trim the new growth back & keep the root moist (not wet) while moving them they should bounce back. It might be an idea to let them settle in for a season once you've moved them if they look like they are taking a while to re establish themselves & are only sending up thin spears.
Hope that helps some & good luck with the move mate.
Cheers.
should i pull off the berries then to give the plant more energy for next year?
A lot of folks recommend doing that & I know some that will go as far as pulling out all the female plants & only keep male plants to get better production 👍
Cheers.
thank you! :)
No problem :)
Have a great one.
Can you eat the stock after it has over grown?
The fronds get very tough so we only eat the fresh tips.
I'm in zone 8a, how do I protect my asparagus beds in the winter? Should I cut down the ferns?
Hi Nang. Most will cut the ferns back when they die of & mulch the beds to help protect the crowns a bit from the cold. They are a fairly hardy plant so should bounce back well come spring 👍
Hope that helps some.
Cheers,
Rob
Thank you so much for replying back! I really appreciate your advice 😊
No problem.
Have a great weekend. 👍
You too 🙂
i planted asparagus crowns late winter this year. (i live in coastal florida). the crowns quickly grew spears, and the literature i read said to let this first crop grow into the ferns. i now have several ferns growing in my (raised) bed. i see little yellowish flowers on the ferns. so far, no berries. my questions: should i pull off berries to let the plant's energy go into the plants? and after fall, when the cool weather flickers in, should i cut down the ferns? or let them drop seeds and hope for healthy, plentiful spears next spring?
Some folks recommend taking them off so more energy goes into plant growth. I leave them on ours as I like getting a few seeds form the plants every year.
Sorry it took so long to reply.
Rob.
Hi i am a novice i planted 11 4 year crowns last spring they had ferns all winter, its now march and any advise o things to do now , many thanks
+susiepink1
Hi Susie. I take it you're in a warmer zone like us then. 👍
Ours have kept their ferns on all winter for a few seasons before I moved them into this more sheltered position. I was told by a local gardener to give them a good feed then cut them back when the weather starts to warm up. This will make them send out new spears.
I found this blog post interesting as it deals with growing in a warmer climate
hihort.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/if-you-like-asparagus-you-must-grow.html
Hope that helps some.
+Rob Bob's Backyard Farming many thanks will check out the link
how much daily sun is recommended for asperagus
I've found they can handle full sun here in our subtropical climate Mike. Just need to make sure that they have enough water while establishing themselves I think.
Cheers mate.
I can send you some Y fittings. Let me know if you still need them?
Thanks for the offer.. I ended up sourcing some from a marine supply mob over here.. Looks like they will do the trick..
Really appreciate the offer mate..
Rob..
How often do you water?
These are wicking beds so only need to be filled once every 4-7 days depending on which season we're in.
Here's how the bed was made,
ua-cam.com/video/vAFyB35yVeA/v-deo.html
In a normal bed, you'd need to keep the soil moist as they don't like to dry out. Mulching around the base will also help retain soil moister as well.
Hope that helps some.
Hiya Rob... Does it really take 2 years before I can eat any produce from Asparagus..?
Hi there. It is best to let them mature for a few years before harvesting from them so the crowns can establish themselves. If you start harvesting to early it can sap too much energy from the plant.
Cheers
+Rob Bob's Backyard Farming thanks for the information and quick reply.. J
+Jeff Moore
No Problem Jeff 👍
I wonder whether people who go for the chlorophyll-free white asparagus are also the type of people who take those trendy chlorophyll supplements...
😀
Could be. 😉
I like the white! It's more tender than the green/purple (although I like those, too). I'm much more likely to eat chocolate than chlorophyll pills.
my asparagus are tiny like needles, don't know why :-(
It normally takes the plants a few years to grow to the size you can harvest the spears. How old are yours?
Rob Bob's Backyard Farming & Aquaponics my are the same it's much 2nd year
I bought some seeds bit the seed pods is green not red. I think I was scammed
Sorry to hear that Arnold. Normally when you buy the seeds they come with the berry flesh removed.
Whereabouts do you live?
Aloha cuz hope all is well, hey cuz by chance do you know where I can purchase some 3 year old crowns im 64 so I need them to start making spears now, not to many years left if you know what i mean lol lol, I can always send you a money order to get some, im looking for at least 10 to 15 crowns or what ever it come in a pack of crowns , in hawaii only one time I found it at wall mart but now they no sell them,, Question does the asparagus roots expand there crown head of spears like say when you first saw all the spears on one crown 8 of them, will they have more spears growing out of that same spear head crown of 8 will it grow to 15 spears from that crown later in years. Mahalo for your help if others are reading this and you can send me some crowns of asparagus I would deeply appreciate it mahalo to all. Aloha
+george medeiros
Morning Mr George :-)
Sorry I can't help with where to buy them on the islands mate. Will ask on my FB page for you & send them here to answer if they know.
We have seen more spears come through from the plants every season do the yield does become larger.
Cheers mate.
RobBobs Backyard Farming aloha cuz got a ? can I dig out the crown an make 2 crowns out of one crown head by halfing them and replanting them to get more spears mahalo cuz
I haven't done it myself mate but this link might help
www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/asparagus/propagating-asparagus-plants.htm
Cheers.
i have seed
rob bob my worms are not making worm pee
Ours don't create any leachate either as I like to run the farms dryer than most folks do..
The amount of liquid you get from the farm will come down to how much liquid is in the food you give them..
Some folks will also sprinkle a small amount of water through their farms to make their own worm "pee" & use that on the garden if their farms don't create a lot..
Hope that helps some..
Rob.
can you make a vid about the worms not making worm pee
Have you stop doing aquaponics and not growing anything?
Have been posting every week still. Missed a few while we we're renovating the hose but that's about it.
ua-cam.com/users/bnbob01videos
Dreadful video.
How so?
Was it the sound, video quality or my makeup and hair you didn't know like?