[Arid_gardener] asparagus planting

[Michelle B]

>Thank you for the asparagus info, GartenArzt.
>I have two places I'm thinking of to plant asparagus: either next to a 6ft 
>tall block wall, east exposure with dappled shade until about 9am then sun 
>all day, or in another plot that gets sun from 9-10 am to sunset in the 
>summer and from sunrise to 4 pm in the winter. Do you think either of 
>these spaces will work well for asparagus? Or is one better than the 
>other? Thank you so much!

Michelle
in Avondale


>Grow in full sun.  It stops producing spears and starts to produce ferns in
>March and April.  The following, taken fron old a_g archives at
>http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/old_archives/arid_gardener/2001-November/007057.html
>may be helpful.
>
>Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer, Maricopa County AZ
>http://home.att.net/~millero/VSG/desert_gardening.htm
>
>
>
>" In the low desert, you can plant asparagus crowns from now [this was
>wrtten in November] until mid February.  But it may be best to wait until
>after January 1 because there won't be much growth until the soil warms.
>Mail order purchases are usually 1-year-old crowns.  Most suppliers refuse
>to ship until after some  hypothetical "frost free date for your area" not
>realizing (or caring) that we often need to push the envelope a little
>because of our very short spring and very hot summer weather.  Another
>problem with mail order is potential freezing in transit if the crowns are
>moist and fleshy.
>
>Male plants produce the thick spears.  With Mary Washington, the traditional
>variety, the male:female ratio is about 50:50.  With the newer, all-male
>"Jersey" hybrids (Jersey Knight, Jersey Giant, Jersey King), all of the
>plants produce thick spears and the yield theoretically should be double for
>the same space and the same number of plants.
>
>Spears should not be harvested until the second year.  Spears will emerge in
>late February and the harvest season is relatively short, probably because
>of the short spring season and also because of the short dormant period.  In
>late fall when the ferns of unharvested plants die back, the stalks should
>be cut off and the entire asparagus row (or bed) should be covered with a
>breathable, organic mulch.
>
>Although asparagus plants are perennial, in my experience the useful life is
>only a few years before the yield starts to decline, unlike temperate
>climates where useful life may be 10-25 years or more.
>
>You can also purchase and grow plants from seed but it will take a year
>longer for the first harvest."
>