Subject: Asparagus

From: [email-masked] (Polar)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 03:01:39 GMT

How much of the asparagus is one supposed to allow to go into fern?  
I was told a certain amount is necessary, to "feed" the roots.

Thanks for any info.

Polar

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From: [email-masked] (sonny hays-eberts)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 08:33:58 -0700

> I was told a certain amount is necessary, to "feed" the roots.

you harvest your asparagus for a short period in the early spring, about
four weeks. spears that develop after that should be allowed to grow and
die back. i clean up my old ones in late jan or february.

-- 
like the forest's fight for sunlight, it takes root in every tree
pulled upwards by the magnet, believing they are free
         -- genesis

sonny hays-eberts
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Tom Sherwood)
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 03:32:51 GMT

Polar ([email-masked]) wrote:
: How much of the asparagus is one supposed to allow to go into fern?  
: I was told a certain amount is necessary, to "feed" the roots.

I take any spear that is bigger than a pencil.  In early spring, that is 
most of them.  As the season progresses, the general size of the spears 
decreases.  I figure that means that the roots are running out of stored 
food.  I let all the small ones go to leaf.  Some larger ones always seem 
to get away, especially when there is a hot spell.

As long as we're on the topic of asparagus, does anyone have information 
about the asparagus beetle.  They start appearing on my plants about this 
time of year.  If I don't pick'n'squish frequently, they really get out 
of control and there little babies do a lot of damage.

Tom