Asparagus - move it or improve the bed?

CelticRambler

About twelve years ago, I planted half a dozen asparagus plants in what seemed like a good place at the time. It wasn't, and it still isn't! The plants consistently produce a few spears each every year - with next to no intervention on my part - frequently running to seed if I'm not around to pick them at the right time.

This winter, I'm re-organising the whole garden and would ideally like to move these asparagus plants to an area (and soil-type) that makes it easier to manage them, but "the books" say that asparagus doesn't take kindly to being moved.

Does anyone have any first-hand experience of moving old established plants to a new location; or failing that, any suggestions on how to improve the bed as it is? Soil type where they are is desperately dry most of the year, with heavy, heavy, heavy clay, and I don't mean "soily-clay" I mean "slimy-grey-make-pottery-out-of-it clay"

The Continental Op

They don't really move that well, young crowns move OK and old ones often grow again if moved really carefully but they take so long to get going and recover its not really worth it. Used to grow an acre of it in the UK on a very sandy soil. Have it growing very well here in a clay soil but raised the bed about 4 inches to get it out of the wet we have. Basically improved the soil as best I could with deep digging and loads and loads of garden compost laid the new crowns on slight raised ridges (only couple of inches up) on the soil then covered with some decent soil. Near the sea so when I can be bothered mulch with about 3-4 inches of fresh seaweed (salt isn't an issue for asparagus). iirc I think I even dug a couple of barrows full of beach sand into the soil when making the beds. We also have a clay you can make pots with.

In the UK used to use vast quantities of mushroom compost on some of the asparagus because it was free. Some asparagus plants were grown from seed and in the long run weren't any less productive than the bought in crowns. Can't remember all the names of the different varieties now but they are worth researching as there are some differences is spear size and seeding. btw grew all the asparagus in the UK on the flat, you really don't need raised beds but on a wet clay soil they are going to help.

CelticRambler

The Continental Op wrote: »

you really don't need raised beds but on a wet clay soil they are going to help.

My problem (in this part of the garden) is a dry clay soil! It's almost the highest point in the property (and surrounding land) and after a long dry spell, any rain we get runs straight off the top and down to the lower end of the garden. It's great for growing Provencal herbs, but desperate for everything else.

However, part of the current redesign is to correct that and create a new passive irrigation system of berms and trenches, fed from a pond (or tanks) a few metres away from where the asparagus is at the moment.

The Continental Op

Asparagus really doesn't want it wet at all that will rot the crowns. I don't think its current location is as bad as you think. Start digging up the asparagus and you'll see what a massive root system it can have. Because you shouldn't really be digging in an asparagus bed (well digging docks out with a fork damages the crowns) then the thing to do is mulch mulch and mulch again.

CelticRambler

The Continental Op wrote: »

Asparagus really doesn't want it wet at all that will rot the crowns. I don't think its current location is as bad as you think.

That's kind of the problem: I think the plants are happy enough (they're showing no signs of wanting to die, unlike so many other plants in that area) but they're now right in the area through which I need to divert water so that it flows to where it's really needed.

How close to the crowns can I dig without upsetting them? Even if I leave them in place, I'll need to do some groundwork in the vicinity, which was supposed to include a deep basin as well as a new all-weather path.

The Continental Op

CelticRambler wrote: »

That's kind of the problem: I think the plants are happy enough (they're showing no signs of wanting to die, unlike so many other plants in that area) but they're now right in the area through which I need to divert water so that it flows to where it's really needed.

How close to the crowns can I dig without upsetting them? Even if I leave them in place, I'll need to do some groundwork in the vicinity, which was supposed to include a deep basin as well as a new all-weather path.

Ideally you shouldn't go anywhere near the crowns but provided you keep say a foot away from the centers you should get away with it. This isn't a commercial crop so you can bear a year without asparagus while it recovers (maybe ). If you damage the crowns where the buds are produced that can be the end of them.