From: nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen)
Subject: Re: Asparagus
Organization: NRL
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 20:50:53 GMT

I don't know if I'm doing it right, but my 3.5-year old asparagus bed is thriving so
far.  Note, however, that my climate is different from Austin's, so maybe different
techniques should be used. Anyway, here are my amateur suggestions:

In article <1992Oct13.141654.19092@awdprime.austin.ibm.com>, dave@voyager.austin.ibm.com writes:
> 	1.) Do I need to protect it from frost by covering it or
> 	do I prune it back to some level and let the stubs freeze.
> 	Basically what do I do w/ it this winter. 

I leave the foliage on at least until it's completely brown and dry. Since there are
lots of berries (I'm a victim of the "supermale" asparagus breeding screw-up a couple of \
years ago), I like to leave them around for the birds to eat. Plus, the birds like to
hang out in the foliage in winter.  I haven't really bothered to mulch my bed with 
the usual stuff, but I did put a layer of horse manure + sawdust over it during the
past couple of falls so maybe that functioned as a mulch. Also the winters here 
weren't all that severe, as I recall. I finally cut off the foliage some time in winter or
early spring, when it really looks ratty and the berries are mostly gone. 
> 
> 	2.) Can/should I thin it in the spring. Currently, its growing
> 	like weeds in rather thick bunches.

NO way, unless you mean cutting off the foliage rather than thinning out the new
stalks?  The stalks sprout from the crowns, which spread out with time, but I don't
know if one can treat asparagus like a perennial and divide the crown for propagation.
> 
> 	3.) Will pruning it in some fashion improve growth/production.

The roots are fed by the foliage, like bulbs, so you shouldn't cut off the foliage
until it's dead. Mine is a jungle by now but seems to really like it. They are 
supposed to be heavy feeders, though, so putting on lots of composted manure should 
help. I also use foliar feeding (fish emulsion/seaweed spray) once the foliage gets
going. 
> 
> 	4.) How to harvest ? Just lop it off at the base when its
> 	thick enough and before it sprouts leaves.

I've seen conflicting advice: some say to cut it off just below the top of the soil, 
while others say never cut asparagus at all but rather snap it off. I prefer the 
cutting method because it seems to leave a cleaner break and is easier for me. Is this a 
well-established bed, or a new one?  The "rules" say to only cut for a month or so 
during the 3rd spring after crowns are planted, then up to 2 months? in subsequent
years. Supposedly you should stop cutting when all the new stalks are pencil-thin, 
but my asparagus put out a mix of thick and thin throughout the season so that 
indicator didn't work for me. I'm also not convinced that the thin ones are the best;
sometimes they are the woodiest, in my limited experience. The optimum length for 
cutting is supposed to be 6-8 inches; I've eaten longer ones that were OK, but usually
not much over 10 inches. 
> 
> Any advice is welcome.

Keep a keen eye out for asparagus beetles, if they are endemic to your area.  It seems
like the difference between a happy, healthy bed and a devastated one can rest solely
on vigilance against these pests. Here they show up soon around May 1 (soon after the
asparagus starts to get edible) and keep popping up for months thereafter. Handpick
adults, eggs, and larvae; I haven't found ANYTHING that eats the darn bugs, and I 
don't want to use chemical warfare. Good luck!                     jtk
> 
> Thanks,
> 	dave
  _____________________________________________________________________________
>   Dave Baukus			Inet	:	dave@voyager.austin.ibm.com
> 
> 
Judy Karpen
karpen@nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil