Asparagus ?

[Collector]

Our dogs dug up all but 1 of the plants we planted last year so we are starting over in a dog free spot. I tilled and dug a trench to put the crowns in Which brings me to my question. The trench is about 8" deep and we put the crowns and filled about 3" over the top, Now I am worried about spring rain flooding the trench and drowning the roots. We have pretty serious clay here that does not drain well. Does anyone have an idea what we could do to to help the situation, or do you think it shouldnt be a problem. Any advice is welcome.

 

[lesa]

It could be a problem. They do like well-draining soil....What about adding some peat, or loose compost- just to make it less clay-like? It is such a wonderful crop to grow- it is worth trying, no matter what! Hope it grows for you. We just had our first spring asparagus, and I am not kidding when I say it tastes so sweet, it is more like a treat, than a veggie.

 

[curly_kate]

I agree with lesa. Amending the soil is your best bet for success with asparagus.

 

[momofdrew]

I also agree with Lesa... compost or well rotted manure mixed in the trench...asparagas are heavy feeders and the soil only gets one chance to be worked and the plants last 10-15 years or longer so they need a really good bed to start...

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are times I really love my dogs too. Like the time they cornered an armadillo out front and the three of them totally dug up a juniper bush.

The problem could be that the water needs somewhere to drain to. Just digging a trench in clay and filling that with something that drains well could be like putting a pot in there to hold water. I don't know what your situation is or how deep that clay is. If it's like mine, it's way too deep to break through to a layer beneath it. Is there any way you could do something like a French drain to get the water away? If you are up on a hillside that might be possible.

Have you done a seep test? That's where you dig a hole maybe 30" to 36" deep, fill it with water, and see how long it takes it to drain. I tried that and the water drained a lot better than I thought it would. I'd have to look it up to be sure of the right number, but it seems that 4 hours was the critical time for it to be considered well drained. Mine was dry a long time before that and I thought I was in clay.

 

[Teka]

You might want to check out the posts under "Another asparagus question by skeeter9"

There has been discussion of depth to plant, etc.

 

[Collector]

I am backfilling with steer manure/ compost, to give it a good start in life. My concern is what Ridgerunner is talking about, untill the trench is completly Backfilled I am afraid that a large amount of rain water might create a pond. Today I dug a small trench with a hoe on what I am calling the low side of the bed to drain the planting trench if we get a biblical rainstorm lol. Not really sure it needed to be done but once the soil around here gets to much water it starts ponding. The old bed area Had one spindly pathetic little spear sticking up about 3" so I ate it , glad I did it tasted great. Now I am starting the waiting game again untill this bed matures.

 

[ducks4you]

I also agree with Lesa... compost or well rotted manure mixed in the trench...asparagas are heavy feeders and the soil only gets one chance to be worked and the plants last 10-15 years or longer so they need a really good bed to start...

You can ALWAYS make manure tea to fertilize after that fact.