# Asparagus in raised beds?



## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Has anyone tried growing asparagus in raised beds? I love the stuff, but am really not too keen on digging a 2-ft.-deep trench in clay ... :teehee:

I was thinking I could fill a 4'x8'x6" bed with compost, put the asparagus crowns on top, then add another 4'x8'x6" layer on top.

The crowns will still be above ground, though ... will planting them smack-dab in the middle of this bed (so they'll be somewhat insulated by 2' of dirt on each side) be sufficient protection from the cold? (I'm in zone 5, SW PA.)


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

I don't know the answers, but I planted mine in a raised bed this year, I dug up last years plants and moved them to the raised bed, I'll mulch them really well for winter and we'll see how they do


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

We have four raised beds of asparagus. They are each 8' by 4' and 8" tall.

They were originally a mix of local soil, peat, sand with compost. Then used for garlic production a couple years with compost added each year. 

Then when we planted the asparagus we added an inch of horse manure.

Now each year we simply add another inch of manure.


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## Fae (Mar 9, 2005)

Ours are in raised beds due to how wet it is here especially in spring. They are doing great.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

OK! This is really good to hear, since I already ordered the plants ... ound:


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

They won't like wet feet. If you haven't made the beds yet, dig as deep as you can with a spade. Don't roto-till or it will merely go back to what it was. Without doing that, you are guaranteed that it will get worse. Whatever you add on top increases the pressure on whatever is under it will compact it worse than it is. Eventually, the roots may go down 8' or more. If the hard base is broken up a bit, that allows the roots a better chance of accomplishing that. Also, the feeder roots don't even begin to form until at least 6" below the surface.

Martin


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I think they will be fine. I didn't do all that digging eather. Mine produce spears as thick as my big toe.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

DH dug trenches, back filled with a bit of compost and we planted 20 crowns yesterday. You're right, planting them in a raised bed would definitely be easier. Fortunately we have a beautiful sandy loam soil, but it was a lot of hard work.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> If you haven't made the beds yet, dig as deep as you can with a spade.


:hysterical:

You don't know my soil. It is pure yellow clay. You don't dig this stuff with a spade; you have to use a mattock (the kind with a pick on one end, to pry out all the rocks). That's why virtually all my gardening is done in raised beds!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

willow_girl said:


> :hysterical:
> 
> You don't know my soil. It is pure yellow clay. You don't dig this stuff with a spade; you have to use a mattock (the kind with a pick on one end, to pry out all the rocks). That's why virtually all my gardening is done in raised beds!


If that hard, use a spud bar or similar to fracture it. If a spade won't dent it water will not penetrate it. If it does, then it's not as hard as you think. Asparagus is almost bulletproof for diseases but root rot is one of the main ones and that's caused by inadequate drainage. Planted in shallow soil, it will survive for awhile but eventually fail. When you see asparagus growing along the roads, it's on the high banks and not in the ditches. 

Growing Asparagus In The Home Garden, HYG-1603-94

Martin


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

My asparagus is in cedar beds, 2 feet tall (for ease of weeding and care). The beds are filled with half compost, 1/2 native soil.

My soil is excellent, but if your soil is impossible, fill the bed with half compost 1/2 course sand.

Asparagus grows wild in my area. Which makes it obvious that cold doesn't bother it. I don't think you need to worry about the cold and raised beds.

Because asparagus is permanent, I've got hardware cloth covering the bottom of the bed to keep gophers out. It cost a lot, but I don't want to have to dig my plants up trying to kill gophers.


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## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

we have had asparagus growing in raised beds for close to 4 yrs now, they do great for us.

one thing I would suggest is make sure you have weed block of some kind down as grass loves to invade it.

DH attached hardware cloth to the bottom of all the 4x16ft boxes to keep the voles/moles out, so far so good.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> If a spade won't dent it water will not penetrate it.


Correcto mundo. The water will sit on the surface until it evaporates. In one place in my garden, I use this to my advantage -- there is a long trench made by a tractor tire which holds 1-2" of water all summer long. If I buy plants and don't have time to get them in the ground right away, I plop them into this sink so they don't dry out.

Luckily, since most of my property isn't level, the raised beds tend to gravity-drain. 

My flower garden is planted in clay that was topped off by 6" of composted cow manure. Recently, I dug up some mallow, a species which generally has a very long, thick taproot. In this case, when the taproot hit the clay 'floor,' it made a 90 degree turn and continued growing parallel to the surface!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Since you insist on growing it as if in a container, you should be good for about 5 years in such shallow soil over absolute hardpan. As the plant ages and the crown retreats deeper into the soil, roots in the previous level die. Eventually the whole root system will be in a compact mass about 3" thick below the crown. No problem. Just like worn out strawberry plants, start over with new ones.

Martin


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)




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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Looks good Elkhound! :thumb:



> Since you insist on growing it as if in a container,


Well, I have to work with the site I have to work with. 

The only flat areas on my property were made that way with a bulldozer. There is a small area where a singlewide trailer currently is located, and another larger area near the top of the hill that was intended for a home that was never built. The latter had three layers of terraces cut into the hillside as well as an excavation for a walk-out basement and a small, flat yard. Those are the areas I'm gardening in. For some reason, all the topsoil was stripped off in the excavation and never replaced (or maybe there wasn't much to begin with). 

When I started out, only a few sparse weeds were growing in this expanse of sunbaked yellow clay! Quite a challenge, eh? I quickly hit on the solution of using raised beds for everything. Luckily I have 4 cows producing plentiful quantities of manure! The seepage from the very rich compost in the raised beds has had a beneficial effect on the clay walkways in between, which now are thickly covered in clover. Hard to believe it's the same site! 

So, I'll give the asparagus a shot. Perhaps I'll do a 3-layer bed, which would give the crowns 12" of compost to snuggle down into. If I have to replace them in 3 years, so be it.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

just so you know willow..this bed is 4 years old and i have cut over 100 spears in the last 2 weeks....with many more harvests to come.

who says ya cant grow stuff in rocks and clay and all sorts a woody matter oh and shale too...lol...wood ashes,charcoal and manure..it all is in there.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I mentioned the final solution since you're a farmer and would know what a spud bar or similar is and what it can do. If you have such terribly pure and hard clay, you don't have to till or turn it. All you need do is break or fracture it. I tried to find a U of NC professor who posted photos of how to deal with such soil and how the plants handled it but no joy. A cutaway showed the main roots following the major cracks while small feeders branched off into the clay. Once established with a perennial plant, the cracks can never close again and the plant lives forever. To me, planting a perennial into an almost annual situation is not gardening. If I were to plant asparagus, I would expect it still be producing 100 years from now.

If anyone wonders how asparagus roots grow,......

Root Development of Vegetable Crops: Chapter VI

Martin


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> To me, planting a perennial into an almost annual situation is not gardening.


To each their own. :shrug:


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

willow_girl said:


> To each their own. :shrug:


No problem. That's what a public forum is for. Although you may elect to not accept an answer to your question and do something the correct way, advice given will help considerably more of those who are willing to do it.

Martin


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

As the saying goes.... there's more than one way to skin a cat.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

ound:

Martin, I like ya, but you just have to get the last word, don't ya? 

You are from what, Minnesota? I'm from Michigan. Michigan is _sandy._ If you're lucky, you get sandy loan -- if you're not, it's more like pure beach sand. I have gardened in both. I assume the soil up your way is similar. 

I have _clay._ It is unlike anything I ever encountered before moving here. It is compacted (remember the bulldozer?). It does not drain. _At all._ Dig a hole, or break or fracture the soil, and you will end up with a plant sitting in a 'pot' of clay that will fill up with water that _does not drain._ The plant will become waterlogged and die. How do I know this? Because I lost a lot of plants after I moved here!

I've been 5 years dealing with this, and have learned how to work with the limitations of this site. My flower garden (the part I put in first) is planted in the existing soil, topped off by a foot or so of compost. The section that is on a slope gravity-drains, but the flat part suffers from poor to no drainage, including standing water after hard rains. In those areas, I've resorted to planting only stuff like bee balm, loosestrife and hosta -- plants that can tolerate 'wet feet.' Everything else I've tried in those areas dies. In fact, the asparagus I put in the first year I lived here, planted in a 2-ft.-deep trench, and gradually backfilled -- the standards method -- died out. 

I suppose I could have installed drainage tile or something (actually, in some areas, I have) but raised beds seemed to be a more expedient solution, especially since I have access to an endless source of high-quality compost, thanks to the moo girls. Other techniques may work in other places, but this is what works _here,_ given the limitations of the site, my time and available equipment.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Kazahleenah said:


> As the saying goes.... there's more than one way to skin a cat.


Indeed, one may give you a carcass ready for the cooking pot and another may not be fit for feeding to a hog.

Martin


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

... oh brother.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Willow Girl, advice and answers given on this forum are meant to be for everyone's benefit. You may not be happy with the advice and answers but they may be of great benefit to others. You seem to think that you are the only person in the world who has to garden in clay. News flash! It's been done for thousands of years and people have found ways to do it. Your refusal to accept what has been learned by millions over those year is your own option. Just don't claim that it won't work merely because you won't try it. In this case, you asked advice about how to grow asparagus under your conditions. You were informed as to how other gardeners have accomplished it but refuse to do what has worked for as long as asparagus has been domesticated. For certain, this thread will not help you obtain maximum return for your investments but will help those who may have no choice but to garden under the same circumstances but want the best results for their efforts.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Kazahleenah said:


> ... oh brother.


Now don't you wish that you hadn't let that cat out of the bag?

Martin


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

LOL! 

Not really. It's springtime, so I'm not easily riled up... it's my happy time of year.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Kazahleenah said:


> LOL!
> 
> Not really. It's springtime, so I'm not easily riled up... it's my happy time of year.


For some reason, asparagus is one of the "in" foods this year. Local garden center has stocked and sold more crowns that I've seen since they've been here. And today on MSNBC, there's a segment on "11 Foods To Help You End Bad Moods" and asparagus has the lead picture. HyVee store has been running $1.29 specials for several weeks and finding no shortage of customers including myself. Nothing fresh locally as just emerging.

Martin


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> You were informed as to how other gardeners have accomplished it but refuse to do what has worked for as long as asparagus has been domesticated.


I already tried the conventional method here. It didn't work. The plants came back the first year, but petered out shortly thereafter. (No, I didn't harvest them.) I suspect the crowns rotted. I lost a lot of plants in the first year or two, until I figured out how to manage this site. It was quite the learning curve ... I had been accustomed to trying to keep sandy soil from _losing_ moisture! And planting varieties that would thrive in poor, dry soil. Needless to say, my beloved artemesias did not do well here. ound:

Anyway ... I'm heartened to hear that 5 posters have had success with asparagus in raised beds. Hopefully I'll be the sixth!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

For everyone else reading this and wondering why getting those roots into clay fractures is important, it's due to how asparagus grows. If they can penetrate the subsoil, it's permanent and they create their own drainage system. The roots only live for several years and die leaving humus behind in their place. Then they make new ones in new cracks. That also explains why an asparagus seed starts out on the surface but the crown ends up 6" or more below the surface after a few years. That's also why asparagus can't be grown in shallow containers. It will pull itself down and collapse upon itself. 

Martin


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

Paquebot said:


> For some reason, asparagus is one of the "in" foods this year. Local garden center has stocked and sold more crowns that I've seen since they've been here. And today on MSNBC, there's a segment on "11 Foods To Help You End Bad Moods" and asparagus has the lead picture. HyVee store has been running $1.29 specials for several weeks and finding no shortage of customers including myself. Nothing fresh locally as just emerging.
> 
> Martin



Intresting. I recently read something that said there are minerals or something in dort that makes people feel happy... since I generally garden barefoot, I thought that was why I am so happy in the springtime. That, or the fact that winter is finally over. LOL My own asparagus isn't up yet, but it's been cheap at the farmer market, and I've eating my share of it.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I didn't bother to check the origin of HyVee's asparagus but it was some of the best that I've ever had. Usually that which is store-bought has an inch or two of tough ends. This was tender right to the bottom with no waste. Definitely grown under the best of conditions and picked by someone who cares about the final product. 

Martin


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

Well, add me to the list of those planting asparagus into raised beds this year. We've moved to a 'fringe of the fringe of the suburb' location, turns out it is drained swamp land. When it rains, our flat back yard is standing in water for awhile. 

Built the asparagus bed about 3' high, filled with a nice mix of well-broken down organic cow manure mixed with the compost our garbage hauler blends from yard waste. Time will tell!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

cathleenc said:


> Well, add me to the list of those planting asparagus into raised beds this year. We've moved to a 'fringe of the fringe of the suburb' location, turns out it is drained swamp land. When it rains, our flat back yard is standing in water for awhile.
> 
> Built the asparagus bed about 3' high, filled with a nice mix of well-broken down organic cow manure mixed with the compost our garbage hauler blends from yard waste. Time will tell!


3' is a huge difference from 6". Minimum depth for growing asparagus in a container is 20" as well as 20" diameter. Ideal is 30" depth and 20" diameter. And that's for a single plant and with drain holes. Here, we must consider the OP's plan as growing in a container since the bottom of the bed is the equal to a container without any drain holes. It's already been established that her soil is too hard to grow asparagus conventionally and another 6" isn't going to do much more than delay the inevitable a few years. Others on this thread are growing it in raised beds but none have said that they are doing it atop a strata which is so hard as to be impervious to water. That would be the equal to growing it in a container without a drain and that can't be successfully accomplished with asparagus.

Martin


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

delete


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Yesterday, I cut all the old dried asparagus ferns from my raised bed. I was very thankful for the raised bed. If I'd had to cut all those ferns down at the ground level, I would have been crippled all week.

It's quite nice to cut the plants right down to the dirt while standing up. My knees appreciate the raised bed.

Fat tips of asparagus are just peeking out of the soil. I went today and bought shrimp and intend to have shrimp and asparagus stir fry as soon as the stalks get tall enough to cut.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

oregon woodsmok said:


> Yesterday, I cut all the old dried asparagus ferns from my raised bed. I was very thankful for the raised bed. If I'd had to cut all those ferns down at the ground level, I would have been crippled all week.
> 
> It's quite nice to cut the plants right down to the dirt while standing up. My knees appreciate the raised bed.
> 
> Fat tips of asparagus are just peeking out of the soil. I went today and bought shrimp and intend to have shrimp and asparagus stir fry as soon as the stalks get tall enough to cut.


What's the depth of your bed? Sounds like they are quite above grade if they would be suitable for a mobility-handicapped person. 20" over fair soil sounds like a nice number since that's the minimum for container growing. Bed that neighbor and I established 15 or so years ago was "raised" at the time, one 4" landscape timber high. But trench was well over a foot deep.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

7thswan said:


> delete


I'm curious as to what your fertilizer mix was that was made from herbs. Asparagus has the ability to store a lot of nutrients in its roots. Does your herbal concoction affect the taste of the spears? 

Martin


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Paquebot said:


> I'm curious as to what your fertilizer mix was that was made from herbs. Asparagus has the ability to store a lot of nutrients in its roots. Does your herbal concoction affect the taste of the spears?
> 
> Martin


No it didn't seem to affect the taste. Here is a list of herbs that can be used in any mixture.
Tansy
Nettle
Mint
Hop
Comfrey
Leaves and Fruit of Rasberry
Dandelion
Coltsfoot
Purple coneflower
Soapwort
Sage
Garlic


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

This is the asparagus I cut the other day. Usally I use a compost tea. Last year was my first time using the Herb mix, the asparagus seemed to really like it. I had gotten the info out of a 1998 april/may issue of The Herb Companion.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

[[[[......What's the depth of your bed?......]]]]

Two feet. Five feet wide. Just the right width that I can reach the center.

2 separate beds for asparagus. One for Jersey Knight and one for Purple Passion.

A bed the same height and width for strawberries. Another raised bed under construction right now and going to have built-in cold frames to get the tomatoes and peppers started earlier.

Then, next year, yet another raised bed with sand and compost for root crops.

Melons and squash go on the ground. As do the corn and snow peas.

The geese are in there right now, weeding before planting.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

oregon woodsmok said:


> Two feet. Five feet wide. Just the right width that I can reach the center.
> 
> 2 separate beds for asparagus. One for Jersey Knight and one for Purple Passion.


Your plants could well outlive you under those conditions. I'm trying to convince my neighbor to allow me to convert his raised bed to asparagus. He's got a decent row of it that we planted along the south side of his garage in a bed which was one landscape timber above grade. He recently decided to make a 4'x24' bed 3 timbers high to be level with my lot. Great soil was hauled in as well as 50 gallons of my compost. I've got a lot of seed for Jersey Giants and Jersey Knight mixed. Could harvest 100# off that in a few years. It was his day lililes which invaded and killed my asparagus so he owes me. 

Martin


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

My son loves asparagus and it was the high price and poor quality in the market that got me my raised bed for asparagus. It was pricy to build, but should provide fresh picked asparagus for decades (I hope).

It would never have occurred to me that day lilies would be a threat. It's a good thing I put the day lilies in the orchard, far from the veggie garden.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Willow, 

I dealt with some red clay a few years back that seems similiar to the description you give of your yellow clay to a tee. I partially remedied my situation by applying a load of sand on top and then roto-tilling it in. Afterwards, I applied lots of manure and tilled again and again until it seemed to "blend". This process took years to happen. (Probably a lot more trouble than it's worth.) One could haul in foreign dirt for a raised bed a lot easier I think.


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## hengal (Mar 7, 2005)

willow_girl said:


> ound:
> 
> Martin, I like ya, but you just have to get the last word, don't ya?
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear you have that much trouble. We have nothing but clay here too in our garden but the asparagus has done very well considering. I add organic matter (leaves,compost) to feed the soil and the compaction really isn't bad anymore.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Up front, didn't read all the posts, but wanted to respond :ashamed:



willow_girl said:


> Has anyone tried growing asparagus in raised beds? I love the stuff, but am really not too keen on digging a 2-ft.-deep trench in clay ... :teehee:
> 
> *Yes, been growing them in raised beds for (4) years now. They come up earlier than everyone else's, and are growing just beautifully! In fact, I am about to go harvest some early ones :sing:*
> 
> ...


You should be spreading out the roots, horizontally, and covering the Asparagus plants with 4-6"s of soil (crown should not be exposed). The roots will settle at the depth they prefer after this. I have noticed some of my plants have moved up, some down. Also, my Asparagus has not been deep rooted, but like to spread more horizontally, so 12" deep bed has been just fine! Interesting, that I was reading up on dept of roots, came across this link (had to correct my post since I am only familiar with how Asparagus grows here...):

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-2-a.html

Also, VERY IMPORTANT, your bed shouldn't be built on flat ground, but ground that is slanted so water won't pool beneath your beds. All of my garden beds are on an area that slants, drains to the East, so no issues with flooding or standing water.

Go see the pics of my Asparagus on my HT gardening thread.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

elkhound said:


>


:goodjob: The only difference in my beds, is that my beds have more soil in them and I planted my Asparagus with crowns up, roots spread out in all directions, horizontally, instead of laying them down.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I only want to add it would be wise to check with a local gardening center to ask how deep they recommend Asparagus to be planted where you are. Where I am, it is 4" to 6", but we are in a mild climate...


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

lorichristie said:


> Also, my Asparagus has not been deep rooted, but like to spread more horizontally, so 12" deep bed has been just fine! Interesting, that I was reading up on dept of roots, came across this link (had to correct my post since I am only familiar with how Asparagus grows here...):


Good thing that you did change it as I was coming in with both guns blazing if you didn't! Healthy asparagus may have roots down 10' or more. As a refresher, Root Development of Vegetable Crops: Chapter VI

Martin


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Paquebot said:


> Good thing that you did change it as I was coming in with both guns blazing if you didn't! Healthy asparagus may have roots down 10' or more. As a refresher, Root Development of Vegetable Crops: Chapter VI
> 
> Martin


Yep, just some misinformation I had read, but I can only speak from growing Asparagus in this climate, for how they did in 12" deep beds, over hard-packed soil. I had incredibly happy, tall, beautiful Jersey King, Jersey Knight, and Mary Washington Asparagus varieties.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

lorichristie said:


> Yep, just some misinformation I had read, but I can only speak from growing Asparagus in this climate, for how they did in 12" deep beds, over hard-packed soil. I had incredibly happy, tall, beautiful Jersey King, Jersey Knight, and Mary Washington Asparagus varieties.


Much depends upon how long you wish to grow them. Your supposed 12" is twice what the OP plans and life of the plants will be in proportion to that. Minimum established for container gardening is 20" with 30" being the suggested. If you can guarantee that your asparagus roots are not penetrating any deeper than 12", then you are still 8" below the minimum regardless of your location or soil conditions. And if that underlying soil is soft enough to penetrate with a spud bar, then your bed is much deeper than 12". 

Martin


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Paquebot said:


> Much depends upon how long you wish to grow them. Your supposed 12" is twice what the OP plans and life of the plants will be in proportion to that. Minimum established for container gardening is 20" with 30" being the suggested. If you can guarantee that your asparagus roots are not penetrating any deeper than 12", then you are still 8" below the minimum regardless of your location or soil conditions. And if that underlying soil is soft enough to penetrate with a spud bar, then your bed is much deeper than 12".
> 
> Martin


According to what I just read, the roots MUST be extending deeper than the beds, so you are right.

I am often amazed how some plants can thrive in our hardpack soil. You are 100% correct that the roots must be penetrating the soil beneath. I also did an experiment to test the overall quality of our native soil with great results. I dug holes, planted Comfrey, and Artichokes, in our native soil. I only used the native soil mixed w/Compost in those holes, then didn't feed them last year, to see how they grew. Those were the 1st Comfrey's up, and the Artichokes are doing fantastic! One is 4 feet tall, already, too, so I am thrilled :sing: That means those roots are going way down and digging the native soil...

Also, I don't block the ground beneath my beds, so yes, veggies that exceed the dept of the beds, have roots extending into the native soil.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

lorichristie said:


> :goodjob: The only difference in my beds, is that my beds have more soil in them and I planted my Asparagus with crowns up, roots spread out in all directions, horizontally, instead of laying them down.


i hate to say this but i did stand up and spread out when i planted the roots.i opened all the packages and made sure i had all the same amount or as close as possible to being even...guess i was being anal...lol..so i just snapped a picture to show them spaced out...lol...is it me or do raised bed dirt shrink....i filled bed up and now its down a couple inches on one side.

i hope you start a new thread on your garden for this year.

how about your root cellar?

p.s. i take tons of pictures and use them as a way of documenting my homestead when i am old i can look back and dream and remember the days gone by.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

All disturbed soil shrinks as it reverts back to its original structure. If it consists of a lot of organic matter, it will shrink more than if only soil. 

Martin


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

Paquebot said:


> All disturbed soil shrinks as it reverts back to its original structure. If it consists of a lot of organic matter, it will shrink more than if only soil.
> 
> Martin


what ya think about ground oak leaves in asparagus beds.

was also thinking of adding chunks of charcoal....not ashes..any thoughts


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Oak leaves initially would be just slightly acidic but will neutralize as they break down. They have the same amount of nutrients as cow manure and a higher amount of nitrogen than typical barnyard animal manures. And when they are used up, the humus which remains is a conditioner which will last for centuries. 

Charcoal is good for retaining nutrients but the nutrients have to be added to the soil in order for that to happen since it has little NPK value of its own. It's carbon just like the humus left over after oak leaves are used up but bigger pieces.

Martin


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## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

Raised beds have worked great for me. Different situation than clay, I have an incredibly high water table plus the field floods every second year on average.
All the books said they'd rot.
I planted them in raised beds 5 years ago. They've been flooded (in early fall dormancy) three times, and they are just getting better with each year.
My suggestion is do what you can, and just keep mulching with organic materials (grass, leaves, manure and compost). They'll do better than some suggest.


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