Planting Asparagus in New Raised Bed

Sunny and 80 plus degrees today here in South Central PA so I thought I would take advantage of the weather and build a new raised bed for asparagus. I am making my bed 8 by 3ft and 6 inches deep so I went to the local box store and picked up 3- 2 by 8's that are 6 inches wide. They cut one into 3ft pieces per my request at no charge. I use untreated pine boards so I don't have to worry about chemicals leaching into the soil.

I predrilled three holes at each end on the outside of the 8ft boards and then preceded to screw them to the 3ft pieces to form my box. I found a level, sunny spot to place the bed and loosened the ground underneath then filled it with 1 part compost, 1 part peat moss and 1 part vermiculite.

Planting asparagus crowns is different then planting seeds or plants. You need to dig a trench around 8 inches deep in rows that are 4ft apart but since I am limited in my bed I made the trenches around 6 inches deep and 8 inches apart. Lay the asparagus crowns in the bottom of the trench by spreading the roots out and sitting the crown up. Cover with 2-3 inches of soil. After the asparagus emerges in the furrow, gradually fill and cover the vegetation. Eventually the furrow should be level with the surrounding soil.

You don't always get asparagus the first year and if you do it is suggested that you only harvest lightly and so on with each year until the 4th to 6th year. All of these instructions are on the package that I purchased at my local garden center.

 I am planting as many prennial fruits and vegetables in my backyard garden as space allows so I can enjoy the benefit of my labor for years to come.  If you like asparagus you may want to give it a try.

Happy Gardening!