Asparagus question

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

So i bought a bunch of asparagus crowns last spring and wasn’t able to plant them. I kept them in a cool dark place all year. They seem to be in the same condition i purchased them but i don’t want to take the time to plant them to find out 2 years later they were bad. I already had a bad experience with picking the wrong site here at our new house!!

Any experience with asparagus?

Thanks!

 

[1cock2hens]

my ex bought some/ left it under the porch in a bucket that was full of junk. When I found it the next year some was still doing just fine, I planted it and it grew.

 

[PirateGirl]

ooo.... I am following this because I also purchased asparagus to plant last year however it never made it in the ground

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

my ex bought some/ left it under the porch in a bucket that was full of junk. When I found it the next year some was still doing just fine, I planted it and it grew.

And how did you determine it was “doing just fine?”

 

[Beer can]

So i bought a bunch of asparagus crowns last spring and wasn’t able to plant them. I kept them in a cool dark place all year. They seem to be in the same condition i purchased them but i don’t want to take the time to plant them to find out 2 years later they were bad. I already had a bad experience with picking the wrong site here at our new house!!

Any experience with asparagus?

Thanks!

Just plant them this spring and see if they come up, they could still be good, extended dormancy. It doesn't take two yrs for them to come up, they grow every yr, just thin frilly things when they are young. Depending how old the roots are, and the variety it can take a few yrs to be able to harvest.
The bigger hybrids you may be able to harvest at a couple yrs. I planted a bunch of two yr old roots of Martha Washington's and I didn't start getting picking them till after I think four yrs.

 

[1cock2hens]

it wasnt rotted, it didnt look any kind of weird to me, so i planted it. space isnt an issue for me, I have more then enough property to plant anything i find

 

[Beer can]

Not asparagus but I have a small paper bag of potato multiplier onions I somehow forgot to plant last yr. They are actually just in a cupboard room temp now since the fall before last when I dug them up. They look fine maybe a little shriveled , surprised they didn't go rotton. I'm going to plant them in the spring. If they grow and I bet they will those potato onions must hold the record for the longest storage onions.

 

[andalusn]

I tend to agree that you should plan them and see. If you really need to talk to someone try your local extension office and ask for the Master Gardener person or their phone number.

 

[Loveak9]

If you are not sure if they are in
Correct location or still good. You can always plant them in a bucket-pot to see if they grow. If they grow replant them in a full sun area. If it was me I would plant then in the ground and see what happens.

 

[littledog]

If they don't look mouldy, rotten or dried out, they're probably still good. I would go ahead and plant them and see what happens. Plant them soon! Like before Spring really gets going in your area, 3 to 4 inches deep in good composted soil with no weeds, and give them a thin layer of mulch on top if you're still getting frost. This way, if they are still good, they could start producing next year instead of the year after.

I'm no master asparagus expert, but I've grown it for years, only because we were lucky enough that when we bought our place, it already had an established asparagus area. I've occasionally dug up corms and transplanted them to even out things between bare spots/spreading plants, but other than that I've done practically nothing except harvest like crazy in spring and summer, water in mid-summer, spread compost/manure in late summer, let them go to seed so they'll hopefully increase in early fall, then mow the stalks to the ground in late fall and spread mulch.

I don't even weed the area very severely - just pull the most invasive weeds in the early season when the asparagus are first coming up, then run the lawnmover after each time I harvest, which is twice or three times per week from April - July.
Once they're established, it's super easy to get an amazing crop year after year.

You can freeze them, to use in stews and soups. They're also really good pickled.