I hope I'm only overthinking things, but my asparagus hasn't shown itself yet. I've had it for the past 2 springs but I hadn't written down the date I first snapped one off and ate it...

Did I overpick last year and kill them off or are they just not happening in zone 5 yet??

And for me, I am planting them for the first time this year. I assume I would wait til next year to see spears or if I do get some I should let them go til next year. My growing season is (for perennials) mid april to Sept.

The first year I had mine tyhe "spears" were about the size of a bamboo skewer.
I let them go ferny and got decent spears the following year.

It has been up here for about 10 days now.
Rather dry here , do you water it?

I do, but haven't needed to yet this spring.
My friend tells me hers are up, so I think I overpicked....
BUT my friend says I can divide from hers!
It's good to have friends.

Crittergarden, did you have fronds left growing after you stopped harvesting last year? If you did, I think you'll be fine and your asparagus will start coming up soon, mine is up early this year (my bed is at least 6 years old), but normally doesn't come up until May. (the fronds that keep growing into the fall are what "feed" the roots for next year's growth). What I've read in various places, and the rule I follow, is to not pick anything smaller than a pencil.

No.
Not thinking ahead, I ATE everything that presented itself....

But now I realize the errors of my ways and will TRY to restrain myself................

Good Luck It will be hard , fresh asparagus is soooo... good

crittergarden said:No.
Not thinking ahead, I ATE everything that presented itself....

lol, well, with asparagus that is understandable! I guess the key is to plant enough that you can make yourself sick on it and still leave enough to survive for the next year...

I actually just made my first picking tonight, which is extremely (like about a month) early here.. we had such mild weather last month, then things got colder again so I covered the asparagus patch with "floating row cover" (Reemay or the like) to protect it a little. DH could not believe it when I walked in with this bunch... and I swear it was about the best asparagus I've ever eaten, not sure if it is actually sweeter and tastier when it grows in cold weather, or if we're just that starved for fresh garden veggies...

Yes, I eat a lot while I'm in the yard. Asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, greens, soon blueberries, too!
YUM!

Anybody try that purple asparagus yet? I've got regular asparagus coming up, it's 2 years old later this year, so I have never harvested it - but maybe this year! But am curious about the purple stuffn Does it stay purple after cooking? How is the flavor?

By the way, I have had asparagus available in my local stores for a month or so now, and buy and eat it all the time. My favorite recipe is a crustless spinach quiche recipe that I substitute asparagus in. In fact, tomorrows breakfast will be that recipe with asparagus and morel mushrooms.~Jan

philljm said:Anybody try that purple asparagus yet? I've got regular asparagus coming up, it's 2 years old later this year, so I have never harvested it - but maybe this year! But am curious about the purple stuffn Does it stay purple after cooking? How is the flavor?

By the way, I have had asparagus available in my local stores for a month or so now, and buy and eat it all the time. My favorite recipe is a crustless spinach quiche recipe that I substitute asparagus in. In fact, tomorrows breakfast will be that recipe with asparagus and morel mushrooms.~Jan

Ummmmm.... wanna share that recipe? Sounds YUMMY!
I just received my first order of the purple asparagus, so in a coupla years I can answer your questions....

And BTW, I found that I DO have an asparagus plant that hasn't ever been harvested
I had loaned it to a neighbor for his deck and he never noticed it in its harvesting phase, only when It got ferny.

Jan, I have some of the purple asparagus in my patch -- it turns green when you cook it, haven't really noticed any difference in flavor... it's all delicious!

I can not take credit for inventing this recipe, I got the basis for it from www.allrecipes.com and it quickly became one of my favorites - and I can get 4 meals from it.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/c...

I use this recipe to make my own concoctions - I am one of those cooks that never makes some things like chili, lasagna, and quiche - the same way twice.

So the basis of my recipe is eggs, cheese (cheddar, and/or whatever other types I have on hand, including parmesan, etc) , meat (left over chopped bacon, browned sausage, deli turkey breast, etc) and some veggies - which are first sauteed to remove any excess moisture (especially spinach) - spinach or asparagus + mushrooms and onion, green pepper, etc.

Todays quiche was spinach, orange sweet pepper, vidalia onion, smoked salt, Morel mushrooms, turkey breast, cheddar cheese and egg whites.

It looked GREAT when I removed it from the oven. Then I went upstairs to take a shower while my breakfast cooled. And when I returned - my Molly-dog had 'licked the platter clean'. No breakfast for me today!

Thanks for the purple asparagus info. I think if I ever see some, I will pick it up - otherwise I will be happy with my regular, fantastic tasting green stuff ~Jan

I have been battling asparagus for sometime now....I invested a ton of $$ and planted a big bed (eternally optimistic!!!) and have been at war with the soil ever since!!! Our pH here is about 5.5-6 and asparagus need a minimum of 6.5/7. I do put Dolomite down at least twice a year which seems to help...but I fear fertilizing it with nitrogen (which it needs) which will decrease the pH.

Today I am going to foliar feed with Potassium Nitrate...I have been told it works wonders.... will let you guys know.

I do have a lot of purple, too...and am told they are higher in antioxidants...but they taste the same!

I just got a couple of tiny purples. Nowhere near ready to pick yet.
And a friend shared some green with me, so next year I'll be fed.

Have you tried coffee for the acid?
And compost for the nitrogen?

I'm not terribly experienced with the acid/base issue, but I always try the most gentle thing first - like a doctor.

BTW....I had a good chinwag with a Soil Expert from the University here....we wagged on and on about Asparagus. He suggested that I 'goose' my plants with a foliar feeding of Potassium Nitrate - at about 2% solution. After the asparagus I sprayed my newly rooted cuttings in the gh with a 1% solution and 2 days later I see a lot of growth/improvement.

Caution: not to be used randomly. He suggested once every couple of months.....

Thanks for the tip!

asparagus tip?