Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi All,

Has anyone else lost their asparagus bed in the last 12 months ?
Mine was only 8 years old and well established.
It started cropping early in late March last year during the heatwave - then we had two months of cold wet weather, late frosts in May and no more spears were produced and hence no ferns in the summer.
I know last year was the wettest on record for the Durham area, could the weather have been the culprit ?
Other possible problem is that my allotment soil is silty clay so the roots could have been waterlogged although they are in a raised bed.

Good news is I have bought some new year old plants and planted them in a new bed

Are you really sure they are dead? Everything down here in the south is about a month late and mine isn't even beginning to show yet. I'm not looking to see any spears till about the middle/end of May. My plot was flooded this winter but the crowns are in a raised bed. I planted l year crowns of Framlim 8 years ago. If you haven't taken them out be patient you never know.

Beryl.

Hi Andys,
The professional growers are having great difficulty with the Asparagus as it is at least a month late. English Asparagus in the shops at this moment is that grown in tunnels.
In Evesham, Worcestershire, they have a festival of Asparagus and this year without tunnel grown spears the festival couldn't have taken place.
I would leave your Asparagus well alone for the time being and see what happens.
JB.

Thanks Beryl and Johnboy,
You are right, everything is at least a month late this spring.
I will hold my horses and not dig out the old bed yet !
Fingers crossed I might have a crop this year after all.