Asparagus bed maintenance

It’s time to do winter maintenance of the asparagus bed: here’s how I did mine.

My two-year-old asparagus crowns were planted in July last year in a raised bed made from sleepers. To keep the chooks and brush turkeys off the bed, we put up a frame (made from poles of an old three-man tent) and threw over a Vege Net.

Asparagus bed is covered to keep out chooks and brush turkeys

From about September onward I picked any spear thicker than a pencil (I don’t think a single one made it as far as the kitchen!) and left thinner ones to grow into ‘ferns’ and perform photosynthesis to feed the crowns. The crowns should increase in diameter each year for up to twenty years and produce many more delicious spears.

The bantam brigade in the asparagus bed

The Vege Net may have prevented a few weed seeds settling as well – the weeds weren’t too scary when I removed the net this winter. I worked on removing the bigger weeds and then the feathered maintenance team arrived. Once the bantam brigade had taken care of the smaller weeds I cut the asparagus fronds at the base and dropped all the cut plant material on top of the crowns as mulch.

Weed the bed and cut down old asparagus stalks

Next step was to add some more mulch (dead leaves trimmed from the banana plants), manure (I used 3 bags of horse manure) and a few handfuls of Maxicrop Seaweed Plant Food. Back on with the net and that should be it until spring.

Add compost and mulch (eg. old banana leaves)

Add manure and complete organic fertiliser

I didn’t water the bed straight away, assuming that the rain would be along shortly (we are in south-east Queensland, after all) and I wasn’t disappointed! I’ll be keeping an eye out for the first glimpse of delicious spears in early September.

Spread it evenly and water well, if rain is not expected

Asparagus is a vegetable that rewards patience. A few years ago I visited my friends’ avocado orchard and extensive vegetable garden. Their 13 year-old asparagus patch was almost choked with 2-3 cm diameter spears all through the 2 m x 3 m bed. After a stroll around the garden, we steamed a couple of dozen freshly picked spears, drizzled over a balsamic vinegar dressing and enjoyed them with a glass of wine. Bliss!

Tags: asparagus, maintenance, vegetables

Posted in Organic Gardening