How to Plant Asparagus in Raised Beds 

Good for you. It's worth the wait.

Did they pop up?

@@Doitallgp they did! 2 harvests so far, and more starting to pop up

Thanks. It is a great plant!

Yes, they are beautiful. I got them from FedCo in Maine.

Good times to watch this ;)

They may dry out and die before then unless you can store them in a cool, slightly humid area. It may be better to go ahead and plant them in fall after your first frost.

@@GardenerScott okay Great Thank You Gardener Scott

Yes, I have. Transplant just like any other seedling. You can plant them a little deeper than the level in the pot. Consider how big they'll get when you space them.

It will take like 5 years to get asparagus from seeds, you are better off buying 1 or 2 [edit] years old asparagus roots they are like at most 2x the price of the already cheap strawberry plants.

That is awesome. The last time I did that they didn't make it from the grill to the house. Too good!

@ Gardner Scott , Hi Gary from AZ , well plants are coming up like my cucumbers wait to the true leaves come out they did very good today I trans planted to a bigger pot do I do the same way set the bigger pots in a little water and still keep them under light with no kids I used your way for soil after seed stater mix I am keeping light about 3 " above plants , so the water in the tray will Wilkie up the water am I doing right so far. thank you Gary

@@GardenerScott 💜💜

I don't recommend anything under the bed, especially plastic. The roots should have full access to the soil underneath unless it's contaminated. I hand water with a hose, but a soaker hose can make it easy.

I have 1/4in hardware cloth under my bed to keep out voles, and soil underneath that. Do you think the roots will go through it?

@@matts2813 Smaller roots can. Bigger roots will shift horizontally.

@GardenerScott do you think it will cause a problem? The bed is 4x8 x 1ft deep with the mesh on the very bottom

@@matts2813 It shouldn't be a big concern. I have mesh under my bed and the asparagus is growing fine.

The main reason for my high beds is so I can work in them while sitting on the edge to ease strain on my back. The asparagus bed needs almost no attention other than watering and occasional weeding so I don't need the height. The soil depth is fine and I did consider future replacement of the boards, but that was secondary.

The plants will be shallower because you don't want to bury them. Over time the roots will grow deep.

I get mine from ranch and farm supply stores, but a few of my local plant nurseries sell small bales too.

That's Lily.

Most online nurseries sell similar varieties. A search of Jersey Knight asparagus has many results. Ordering in late winter is best because they usually ship in early spring for planting.

A general guideline is 5-10 plants per person, more if you eat a lot of asparagus.

While you could harvest the next year, the plants won't have a true two-year-old root system because they were dug up to sell. I would suggest waiting at least until the second year to harvest.

Do you use with all veg plantings?

@@tinae8433 yes, usually composted with chicken manure. Been using the composted manure for maybe a decade, starting producing and adding biochar maybe five years ago. took about three years for the difference to show and then it was astonishing. a 34 lb kohlrabi?!? Holy, I could hardly pick it up.

Definitely. I have two follow-up videos planned. One later this year on how to grow asparagus that will discuss growing, mulching, fertilizing, and cleanup. And one in a year or two to discuss harvesting and continuing care.

How long before you noticed the first sign of growth? I will be planting today.

When planting from seed you can expect a mix of male and female plants. For germination the seeds should have consistent moisture. Drying out for a brief period may be enough to prevent it.

Gardener Scott, thanking you for your helpful tip on the seed germination, so perhap's would you consider that I should remove the poly plastic bags that I have contained the small pots in or just leave where they are within this but keep watch on watering rather than left just in the poly bags watered by just what is made within the bags? Come winter or rather when temperatures greatly drop in November for us, when frost arrives how are asparagus baby seedlings than kept, with the few that I planted from actual plants like those that are shown in your video here, I did a little protection by covering with Forcing Tunnel/clotch that allowed rain water into plants, however already I am putting leaf mold on these plants, learning from your video that this is a benefit for them, as I have been adding this to my compost bin prior to this, which has among other items added have delivered a wonderful conditioned compost from our compost bin, this may have arrived in this lovely state because we had such a hot summer this year! I am thinking about using this for these seeds if they come on or do you think this maybe too rich and need a more sandy type earth? Is there any particular feed that will be better than what I have been using so far on these actual plants? I have found that seaweed fertilizer helped in the summer months but would not apply to seedlings, as I understand that seeds should have enough of their own to enable them to grow and push out of the earth. In trueth I do not know a great deal about these growing matters but love to learn more and greatly appreciate learning from the RU-vid population, as this community is a greatly expanding population, who are like yourself are full of interesting advise and have your own well learned methods. Thanking you once more, Maureen.

It will probably be fine. You'll need more plants. Plan for 12-15 plants per person to get enough for more than one meal.

Thanks! Welcome to the channel.

Hello. It's been almost a year since you planted your asparagus. Do you see anything growing at this point? It may be a bit early too. I am planting mine today so I am hoping to get it established. Hope you are are having good luck! Happy spring!

She certainly has a great sense of humor.

Usually crowns are planted before the last frost.

Thanks! Spears will grow the first year, but you should wait 2-3 years before harvesting. That gives time for the roots to grow and the plant to become strong enough to handle the loss of harvested spears. The spears will turn into plants about 3-ft tall, but they are really light and airy and don't throw much shade.

@@GardenerScott Thanks so much for the reply.

Go ahead and leave them. They can handle cold and may survive the winter okay. If they die back, new ones should emerge later in spring.

@@GardenerScott thank you so very much 💜💜

Yes, they can be moved and transplanted. It's best when they are dormant.

Plenty of time to get your bed and soil ready.

It's better to wait a couple years to harvest. The third year is when I start.

You probably can, but you're right to be concerned it might get too hot. It might be better if you consider adding hoops with shade cloth in summer.

@@GardenerScott Thanks a lot for reply . I did have the shade sails to cover on top already , but only 7’ high if the asparagus go higher I need to redo it . One more question: can I plant two rows like you or just one , my bed same size with yours but mine was block on the other side.

I haven't used pine tar, but linseed oil is a good option.

It should easily penetrate straw and wet newspaper probably stop it. You may need to tear the newspaper if you see mounds develop where they are trying to grow.

A few inches should be okay. You can also consider replanting the asparagus. In early spring, lift out the roots, add more soil and compost, and put the roots back at the higher level.

@@GardenerScott THANK YOU

Took your advise and dug them up and replanted them. I am so glad i did as the bed was full of maple tree roots, I removed enough roots to fill 1 and 1/2 paper yard waste bags.

Glad it was helpful!

They are growing. It is normal for crowns to push through the soil as they grow.

It needs to be wide enough for the roots you're planting.

Gardener Scott thank you so mush for replying so quickly. For that alone I’ve recommended your channel to others! One more question: how many plants do you suggest for an asparagus eating family of 5? I bought 20 roots....

@@highlandscommunityclub1160 I read in another reply from Gardener Scott that he recommends 12-15 plants per person (for more than one meal of asparagus). Each plant yields 6-8 spears.

Thank you very much!

Shallow-rooted plants like strawberries can work, but annuals like lettuce and other greens may be better. New asparagus shoots will spread into new areas of the bed in spring and I don't won't semi-perennial roots and crowns from strawberries to interfere with them.

Yes, the roots are deep and the spears will be buried.

Thanks. I got some Jersey Knight from Stark Bros. seeds online.

@@GardenerScott Great, thank you for your reply! I'll check them out.

I use pressure treated wood.

@@GardenerScott thank you!

I have. All of my plants grew well.

It's in Colorado, but it's not ready for visitation.

You can add other plants like herbs around the edges, but I prefer to leave the central growing area to just asparagus.

It should. The roots can grow deep but two feet should provide room.

You can plant in fall. The potted plants won't go as deep as bare roots, but they are more likely to survive winter in the ground after some new root development. You can try to store them in your refrigerator, being careful that they don't dry out.

@@GardenerScott thank you very much for the information. This is very helpful.

Sure. I have mine in raised beds and they've made it through two 5b winters just fine.

At the three-year point when you can begin harvesting, it is about 3-5 spears per root. That increases each year as the plant gets stronger and the roots spread.

Use whatever you have. More leaves, dried grass, compost. It's best to wait until the third year to harvest. Asparagus is not well suited for pots.

You can. I did that in another bed and it works well.

It does take a lot of energy, but that is normal. It's a big reason why we don't harvest in the first year so new energy can be stored for future growth.

Crushed eggshells don't add as much calcium as many people think. It is not in a form that plants use and does not break down easily.

That's perfectly normal. It takes a week or two for the roots to hydrate and begin growing and another week or two for them to reach the surface, maybe longer if they're deep.

@@GardenerScott as always thank you!!!