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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-04-16, Page 5740 Grow youi own asparagus and enjoy it year round "With a Tittle special care and prepara- tion, you can grow your own asparagus and enjoy it year after year," says Asparagus Research Extension Specialist Shalin Khosla of the University of Guelph's hor- ticultural science department. "Asparagus is a perennial crop that can grow in the same garden for 20 to 30 years," he says. Asparagus has a crown consisting of underground sterns Balled rhizgmes. It also has an extensive network of fleshy roots that store the food reserves. Buds - formed on the rhizome - develop in- to edible spears, which if not harvested, develop into the green fern foliage that manufacture food reserves for the next. season. A sunny, frost -free site is ideally suited for asparagus culture. The soil should be well -drained (sandy, sandy loam) with.a pH of 6,0 to 7,0. Ad¢ lime to the soil if the pH is below 6.0. Then incorporate peat moss and a 10-10-10 fertilizer applied at a rate of eight kilograms per 100 square metres in the top 30 centimetres of soil. (Applying a 10-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of eight kg per 100 square metres every spring just before the spears emerge, will help maintain plant vigor and ensure a good stand). Asparagus plants may be started from seed (four years before first harvest) or crowns (three years before first harvest) and both are available from garden centres or nurseries. The cultivars currently available are the Viking lines- derived from Mary Washington. Newer cultivars, Centennial and Lucullus, should be available soon. • If the planting is started from seed, sow the seed in early May in a nursery bed 2.5 ca to four cm deep and five cm, to 10 cm apart in the row. (Sow some radish seed with asparagus to identify the rows since asparagus germinates slowly, T Maintain a weed -free seed bed and water frequently throughout the growing season. Asparagus seedlings will emerge two to four weeks after sowing, depending upon the soil temperature. Allow the seedlings to grow for the full season. The following spring, transplant these seedlings (one year old crowns) to a perma- nent bed. Place the one -year-old crowns, buds up with the roots spread out, at the bottom of a 15 .cm deep trench and cover with two cm to five cm of soiL "The crowns should be planted in early spring before the buds on the crowns break dormancy," Khosla says. A spacing of 30 cm in the rows, with the rows 100 em to 120 cm apart, is optimal for rapid root growth and minimum crowding. Maintain B. good weed control program, together with adequate moisture, throughout the growing period. As tire fern grows, the trenchesare filled in gradually. This controls weeds and prevents suffocation of the plants. Allow the plants to grow for the whole season and permit the fern to overwinter. In the spring of each year, (before the spears emerge in late April or early May) mow down the fern, apply fertilizer and add manure, if it is available. Incorporate these lightly into the soil (five cm deep); avoid deep cultivation to prevent crown damage. Commence harvest in the spring, usually DaiIeflS Affordable Quality Guaranteed at HANK'S SMALL ENGINES Sales & Service LONDESBORO We Have Instock New BOIens Equipment ❑SELF PROPELLED MOWERS ❑TILLERS ❑RIDING MOWERS CI LAWN & GARDEN TRACTORS All BINIEfS Equipment has a 3 year No Fear Warranty • Vibration Free Briggs 8. Stratton Twin Cylinder Enclosed Industrial/ Com- mercial Engine • 5 -Speed Shift -On - The -Go Transmission • Complete Electronic Instrumentation •23 -Inch Turning Radius •Commercial Size 5 - Gallon Fuef Tank ASK FOR A DEMONSTRATION FOR ALL YOUR LAWN AND GARDEN NEEDS, parts, service or new equipment. Give us a call. We take trades (very competitive prices) We service all the Onits we sell and more. 131"1 LATrizDitIPTIM � Onions EI mmaIar SuburbanTroctar, early May, of the third year after the second full season of growth in the permanent bed ( for example, if the permanent bed was . planted in 1985, you will harvest your first crop in spring 1987). In the first year of harvest, only a two to three week harvest period is recommended. A four to six week harvest period is recommended in the second season and a MU harvest of five to six weeks can be car- ried out in subsequent years: Cut off spears at the soil surface or snap them off when they are 15 cm to 25 cm high. At harvest, remove all spears that emerge. After the harvest period, • maintain op - HANK'S SMALL ENGINES SALES AND SERVICE "Our service and experience make a difference" • 523-9202 Hwy. No. 4, LONDESBORO, ONTARIO PAGE -31 timal growing conditions and allow spears to develop into full ferns for the remainder of the growing season. Asparagus beetles can be a major pro- blem in asparagus plantings since the beetles chew the fernthereby decreasing the food manufacturing ability of the plant. A re toiiaiiiended insecticide can control this problem. Two diseases, asparagus rust and Fusarium crown and root rot, are often a problem too. The incidence of these diseases can be reduced by minimizing plant stress such as weed competition, overcutting, deep tillage, moisture deficit, and so on. IRNAMOTAL 1111 Selection! We have 2 PO Ornamental Iron Ideas to choose from 482.5332 *Window Grilles and Guards •Door Grilles and Guards •Archways •Shutters !Fences •Handrails and Railings •Walk Gates and Drive Gates *Columns and Posts •Sign Brackets *Stairways Spiral and Stringer 8 Beautify your home SPIIIAL STAIILW AY •No other stairway takes as little room as a spiral *Dress it up . or leave ,it plain Modular Kit as shown, or CUSTOM FABRICATED to your needs or specifications We can do it all for you! 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