Kitchen Garden Forum

My friend told me her late husband sprinkled a packet of salt over his Asparagus every year just before they started growing. Has anyone else heard of this ? I must admit their Asparagus plants do produce loads of spears.

I wonder if it was Epsom Salts

Ive heard this but not tried it - are they coastal plants originally?

It's what I do and I have always had good results

New one on me, but I do give mine a dressing of wood ash and a friend of mine always collects sea weed for hers. Maybe that's where the salt bit comes in.

Beryl.

I know nothing about Asparagus but here is a mention of salt.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/garde ... -bed.shtml

Very interesting Geoff, many thanks, reassuring to know I am doing most things right. My bed is producing some lovely spears now so I think I will still give the salt a miss though.

Beryl.

Thank you all for your comments. As Asparagus beds go on for many years I can now see one of the advantages of salt in that it kills off any weeds. As I live near the sea I collect seaweed each Autumn, so maybe this year I will fork some into Asparagus bed as well. I thought when my friend told me about the salt it was a fallacy, but obviously not.

I live near the sea too, I wouldn't try forking it into the soil, you may damage the crowns. Use it as a winter mulch and it will rot down.

Beryl.