I would never have believed asparagus was a plant that would stick around despite all the neglect I give it. Once established, the roots settle down and, although it may not exactly thrive, its ancestral past means it can tough out harsh conditions.
Asparagus is a seaside plant found in sandy soils and rocky outcrops, a native to Europe and western Asia. If you give it plenty of manure, its spears grow fat and thick, but as long as the soil is free-draining, it can soldier on in much thinner stuff.
So asparagus fronds wave cheerily among errant marigolds and a courgette plant that I absentmindedly plonked in the middle of its bed. I had bought some crowns that were on sale in Lidl, a little withered and sorry for themselves – half failed, rotted away or never got going. (Asparagus crowns hate to dry out. Once you receive your package in the post – most asparagus is mail order – you must plant it quickly. If you can’t, keep the crowns in damp newspaper until you can get to your plot.)
Whether you plant on traditional mounds or dig a hole and put the roots in, add homemade compost, organic chicken manure pellets, well-rotted manure or even shop-bought compost. Do this every spring, dressing the bed in a good few centimetres of something rich. This helps keep weeds down and lock moisture in, and ensure plump spears.
Spacing is key: give at least 35-45cm between plants, with 60cm between rows. You’ll need space to weed and harvest, and although asparagus can cope with competition, it doesn’t like it. These are plants for full sun and little else.
If your soil is in the least bit heavy, add grit or sand before planting. The more the merrier, in fact; I can’t stress this enough, these are plants of free-draining conditions. Winter waterlogging is the enemy.
Many companies offer crowns for autumn planting as well as the more traditional spring-planted crowns (try Thompson & Morgan, DT Brown, or Blackmoor). You’ll need to be quick on this one and order now to plant next month, but get it right and the lingering warmth of summer in the soil, plus autumn rain, will mean you can get a march on spring plantings.
Asparagus is a waiting game. You can’t pick for the first two years, so any head start with planting is worthwhile. There is an element of a gamble still. If you know your winters are wet and bitter and you still want to try, cloche them to keep the worst of the rain off.
You’ll find you often get offered a mixture of varieties, mostly modern, all-male cultivars that are proven to crop early and are reliable. Spend time getting the conditions right in the beginning and, even if (like me) you end up ignoring them for a year or two, they won’t mind. There’s something joyous about a plant that sticks by you whatever.
