Asparagus

[Minelson]

I noticed that there is asparagus planted in the garden (we moved here last Aug) There is one very tall stalk. How do I make it more? or will more come up? I know nothing about asparagus...but I do know I would like to eat more than one stalk!! lol!
Thanks!

[RonM]

Cut off the long stalk diagonally at ground level and then when it pops up to 4 to 6 inches cut it off adnd eat it, dont let it get too tall, no good.....

[luvrulz]

One stalk of asparagus is just that, one stalk. You have to plant more asparagus crowns in order for more to come up. There might be more planted, but you would see stalks just like you see at the grocery store popping up everywhere! I have lots of asparagus in the ground and I have grown up around it all my life, and I have never seen anyone cut it off and it comes back up - I could be wrong, but I don't think the above info is correct..... Good luck! Hope you have lots more!

[buffalocreek]

I've got 5 rows of asparagus that're 100 yards long and that's barely enough for me.

[Minelson]

Originally Posted by buffalocreek

I've got 5 rows of asparagus that're 100 yards long and that's barely enough for me.

So then you know the frustration I am feeling with just one stalk!! I love asparagus!

[Willowynd]

It takes a few years for them to really get going. My first year I got a few skinny spears but I let them go. Second year I added more crowns and got some skinny (from the new ones) and more thick...I snapped the thick ones and left the skinny ones go. The reason is I want the young ones to fern and the roots to grow stronger and larger. This is the 3rd yar and yesterday I snapped off about 35 or so spears. I will take the thick and the thin ones this year but come fall any thin ones I will let go. I go through in the fall when we are expecting our first frost and cover the bed with a thick layer of manure and shavings. I do not do mine in rows...mine are in a raised circular bed. I plant them closer than most people do...about 2-3 ft apart....but I feed them well. I planted the originals in mostly compost dug deeply into the soil- went down a good 3-4 ft.
Off to steam some asparagus for a snack

My brother gave me some seeds. I'm going to start an asparagus bed. I don't care how much gas it gives me! LOL

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by Minelson

So then you know the frustration I am feeling with just one stalk!! I love asparagus!

How in the world do you eat this much? What do you do with it? Want to send me any recipes? Today, for lunch, I melted butter in a pan and cooked asparagus enough to get some slight browning. It was just heavenly. I did skin the thicker ones. My thin ones are not exactly thin. The thin ones seem really fibrous. The medium ones don't seem fibrous at all. I do peel the really large ones. Some of my are maybe twice the size of my thumb just as they peek out of the ground.

Fresh, uncooked asparagus is wonderful too.

[7thswan]

Mine are in for their 4th year, and that was not enough. Planted another row last summer. I looked out there last night, I'll be eating Asparagus for breakfast!

[whodunit]

I don't know much about asparagus, but ours came up for several weeks. Your one stalk could just be the beginning.

[shawnlee]

The above info of just cut it off is correct.

I bought some property with alot of tall grass and weeds on it ....long story short ,I mowed the entire property of the 3 foot tall grass and weeds ,then where the goodies were planted,unknown to me at the time ,they just looked like more weeds....a bunch of nice spearguts poped right up ,the more I broke off and harvested the more appeared.

It was a nice find to say the least.

[whodunit]

They grow quickly too and can be hard to see sometimes if they are in among other plants. Mine have grown at least an inch in the last two day; maybe more. There are more popped up than there were a couple days ago. I bet last spring we had 3-4 decent servings of them. Had to cut and keep until I had enough. Just left them in the fridge in a cup of water.

[pheasantplucker]

My sis and her husband had an asparagus bed that was maybe 4x40. We all had asparagus throughout the spring as often as we wanted (almost daily) and my sis still had enough that she regularly filled an entire freezer with the stuff each season.

[7thswan]

My neighbor has a round patch, atleast 16' across. I stopped once and asked him how he keeps the grass down. He uses Round- up.I don't remember exactly how, I guess before the shoots come out. His is right by the road, but he did plant it.