how and when to plant asparagus crown !!!

[N8R]

hi everyone was at a garden center yesterday and brought some asparagus crowns extremely cheap (£1.50 for 12 crowns ) i really like it but have no idea how to plant it or even if it will be ok at this time of year ???i have a bed of well fertile well drained soil to dedicate to them but have heard some rather contradicting views on the best way to plant it so please any advice would be well received as i know alot of your are experts thanks so much n8r,,, :) :) ???

[N8R]

[Trevor_D]

In an ideal world, you should have planted them in early spring (or wait until late autumn). Perhaps that's why they were cheap?

But you'd be better off planting them now than waiting. The usual advice is to dig a shallow-ish trench, make a mound of earth in the centre and drape the asparagus over that, with the roots spread out. Then back-fill. Keep it well watered and mulch in the autumn.

Good luck!

[Alimo]

That is very cheap - make sure the roots are kept moist before you get them in.

Alison

[tonybloke]

like this
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,57554.msg587439/topicseen.html#msg587439

[tugboat]

 my advice to anyone is to avoid buying asparagus from garden centres as they have a tendency to display the
plants on racks for months on end in warm surroundings and get really dried out and hence dead,i would buy
from a reputable horticultural company that actually grows them themselves.I have seen the same with horseradish
displayed in many garden centres and it is a complete waste of money

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've had similar experiences. A good place for asparagus is http://www.asparagus-in-kent.co.uk/ .

[Weed-Digga]

At 1.50 (sorry no Pound sign!! ) for 12 it's worth giving it a go, even if only some are OK you'll feel like you've got a bargain  :)

Weed-Digga

[grotbag]

how i did mine was .dig a 12" deep trench with a mound at the bottom drape roots over mound ,backfill till roots are covered and as the plants grow keep backfilling till soil is level.

[Alimo]

Robert - that's where I got mine from.  Fantastic plants.

Alison

[cacran]

I already have a bed with about six asparagus plants. They seem to be too widely spaced and I would like to plant some in between. The trouble is, I only locate the plants when they are up and growing. I guess I should put some markets in. Would I damage the plants root systems if I tried, next winter, to plant some in between?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not significantly. Just put sticks in while the old ones are dying back, then dig holes and put them in.

[cacran]

Thanks Robert :)