Asparagus on Hold

Guelph Millenium

It's that DeDaaah moment: my own asparagus.  But this is not a tale of unbridled triumphalism. Oh no.  I've been through too much for that.  The long and the short is not to believe those merchants of false hope when they tell you that modern varieties of asparagus can be planted out in the autumn (fall).   One year I tried it.  Three rows - three varieties - two year old hands.  I poured my heart and soul,  together with copious amounts of well rotted farmyard manure, into preparing a bed for them. It was a complete now show.

Guelph Eclipse

Any sensible person would have admitted defeat and adopted another strategy.  But not I.  I went and bought another three the following year (from a different source). 5 or six per row.  That was two years ago.

Purple variety. Pacific?

Last year I detected one plant per row.  Ever so carefully I weeded around them as if they were babies surrounded gnashing lions.  Would they survive a second winter on the plot?  As the first three pictures attest, Yes they would!  For another year I am not cutting any but encouraging them to grow stronger.

Guelph Millenium with label

Also last year I sowed asparagus from seed  (Connovers Collosal) and overwintered outdoors in the shade of our house.  It was not collosal (yet) but it has produced tiny tiny shoots this spring.  So now I have something to fill the rest of the rows with their solitary specimens. Here's how the bed looked just before planting.

One day I will get to taste home grown asparagus. If I hold on long enough!

And by the way: Spring is the time to plant out asparagus in Scotland.