| This spring marks year number 3 for my asparagus. The old ferns have been cut away, but I would like to know when it is safe (weather-wise) for me to pull the old mulch back and fertilize. The last thing I want is for a shoot to come up on a warm day, then freeze. Since it is still February 19, we will likely still have lows in the 20s and more frozen precipitation. I live in zone 7, near Richmond Virginia. Thank you. |
| Asparagus is quite cold hardy, but the safest thing to do is to pull the mulch aside to fertilize and then replace it; when the weather begins to settle remove it gradually as the weather warms. You would also leave it next to the plants so you can replace it should a terribly cold night threaten. Yet another approach is to apply a good portioon of well rotted manure and/or compost in the fall and allow that to provide nourishment for early spring, then side dress a bit later in the spring season with fertilizer. |
