Learn How To Plant Asparagus

Were I writing to Nova Scotians, I ought not to omit to give instructions as to which end of the Asparagus the eater ought to use; for, I know a gentleman of that country, who, being at New York, on his first trip from home, began eating at the stem in place of the point.

Writing, as I now do, to those, whose country produces, with the least degree of trouble, the finest Asparagus that I ever saw, and probably the finest in the world, no description of the plant, or of its uses, is necessary. But, some remarks on its propagation and cultivation are not wholly unnecessary; for, though it demands less trouble in America than elsewhere, it demands some; and, in proportion as it is valuable and esteemed, it is desirable that the means of procuring it should be well and generally understood.

It is propagated from seed. Gather the seed, when it is dead ripe. Sow it thinly in drills a foot asunder, and two inches deep, three weeks, or about, before the frost sets in. Press the earth well down upon the seed and, as soon as the frost sets in, but not before, cover the ground with muck, or litter, a foot deep, and lay some boards, or poles, to prevent its blowing off.

As soon as the frost breaks up in the spring, take <!–more-memberlock–>off the litter; and you will have the plants quickly up. When the plants are fairly up, thin them to four inches asunder; for, they will be four times as strong at this distance as if they stood close.

Keep them clean, and hoe deeply between them all the summer.
To have beds of Asparagus, there are two ways of going to work: first, sowing the seed in the beds, at once; and, second, making the beds, and removing the plants into them. It is desirable to have the beds about four feet wide, that you may cut the asparagus by going in the paths between them, and not trample the beds.

As to the first method, if the soil have a dry bottom, trench in the manner described earlier in a previous article; but, in this case, where there is a root always penetrating downward, do not content yourself with a clean trench two feet deep; but, before you turn your top earth into this trench, put some good manure into it, and dig it into this bottom part; and then you will have manure at two feet and nine inches from the surface.

Your ground being ready, lay out your beds, four feet wide, with a path two feet wide between each two beds. In the fall, having made all the ground right strong with manure, draw the earth to six inches deep from the top of the beds into the paths, which will then form high ridges.

Then draw your drills afoot apart, and sow your seed, as before directed. When they are up, in spring, thin them to a foot apart. Thus you will have them a foot apart all over the bed. Keep the plants clean all summer; and, when the haulm is yellow in the fall, cut them off near, or close, to the ground; but, let the haulm be quite dead first; yet, do it before the frost actually sets in.

When you have cut off the haulm, lay some litter upon the bed till spring, to prevent the frost from being too long coming out of the ground in spring.

When the frost breaks up, throw some wood ashes, or, some other manure about an inch deep over the bed, having first loosened the top of the bed with a fork.

Upon this manure, throw earth over the bed, out of the paths, three inches thick, and break it very fine at the time. In the fall, cut down the haulm again as before; repeat the winter operation of littering; and, in the spring again fork up, put on ashes or good mould, and the other three inches deep of earth out of the paths.

Thus you bring the beds to be an inch or two higher than the paths; and this year, if your work have all been well done, you may have some asparagus to eat.

The next fall, and every succeeding fall, cut down the haulm and cover with litter as before; and, in the spring, of this third year, put on ashes again, or other fine manure, and throw over the beds the earth that will come out of the paths dug six inches deep.
This will make the paths six inches lower than the beds, and that is a great convenience for weeding, and for cutting the Asparagus. After this, you are to cut down the haulm in the fall, cover with litter during winter, fork up and occasionally manure in the spring, to keep the ground constantly free from weeds, to dig the paths up every fall, and keep them clear from weeds in summer.

The second method of making the beds is, to begin with plants, instead of seed. The plants (raised as above stated) may be planted in the beds at one year old, or older, if it so happen.

Plant them at the same depth that is pointed out for depositing the seed. And, in all other respects, proceed as in the case of a bed begun with seed. As to the time of beginning to cut, some say the third year, some the fourth, and some even the fifth. There can be no fixed time; for, so much depends on the soil and treatment. Asparagus, like other things, ought to be used when it comes in perfection, and not before.

All that has here been said proceeds upon the supposition that the soil has a dry bottom. If a wet bottom, sow, or plant, at the top of the ground, and, in all other respects proceed as in the case of a dry bottom; except, that the earth to cover the bed with must, time after time, be dug out of the paths, which will, at last, make the paths into ditches, three feet deep from the tops of the beds.

By these means the roots of the plants will be kept some years longer from reaching the cold, sour soil, at the bottom; for, whenever they reach that, the plants, like all others, cease to flourish, and begin to decay.

As to the time that asparagus beds will last, that depends on the soil. Having a dry bottom and good management, they will probably last three generations, and if that be not enough to compensate the trouble of making them, it would be difficult to find a compensation.

The general cause of the decay of Asparagus beds is, negligence; and, particularly, the want of attention to keep them clear of weeds, which, without doubt, are the greatest enemies of the plants.

These send their roots down deep; but, they rely also on the ground at the surface. The Lucerne, which will send its roots down thirty feet into a dry bottom, and will live in vigor for an age, if kept clean at top; will, though in the best and most suitable soil in the world, perish in a few years, if grass and weeds be suffered to grow amongst it on the surface.

Sea sand, where it can be had, is as good as ashes, except the beds are very near the sea; and there it is of little use. With regard to sorts, I do not know that there is any difference, except such as climate produces. It is very certain,
that, to whatever cause owing, the Asparagus here, though so little care is, in general, taken of it, is far superior to that in England.

From our frequently meeting with it at a great distance from all houses, there is reason to suppose, that it is a natural weed of the country; and, therefore, it may differ from the English sort, as the Charlock and some other weeds do.

In England the Charlock has a leaf like that of the white turnip; here it has a leaf the color of that of an early York cabbage; that is to say, of a blue green color. There may be a difference between the Asparagus of America and that of Europe: at any rate, I will ascertain the fact; for I will carry some seed to England.

As to the space which the beds ought to occupy, that must depend on the size of the family, who are to eat the Asparagus. Plenty, however, is always a blessing when the commodity is a good one. About six beds across one of the Plats will be sufficient for any family. They might be at the west end of Plat, No. 6, that being the warmest. Asparagus may be had in winter with the greatest facility.

There are but few things that are worth the trouble of a hotbed for the purpose of having them to eat in their opposite season; but, Asparagus is worth it. And this is the way to have it for the table, even in February, that month of snow and of north westerners.

Sow some seed in the garden, in the manner before described, the rows a foot asunder, and the plants four inches apart in the row. Keep them clean, and manure them the first year. Cut the haulm off in the fall. Do not cover them during winter. In the spring fork up the ground, manure it again; and, in the fall cut off the haulm again.

Just before the frost sets in, take up as many plants as you will want for your hot-bed. Dig each plant up without tearing it about; and put them all carefully on a cellar floor, cover them over about half a foot thick with fresh ground, and lay some straw upon that to prevent the earth from drying too much.

In January prepare dung for a hot-bed. When the heat has sufficiently risen, put on earth. Upon this earth put your plants, straightening out their roots in every direction. Let the crowns of the roots be about 7 inches apart all over the bed, which, being a bed four feet wide and nine feet long, will contain 180 plants.

Cover the plants over with fine earth, so that the surface of this earth be six inches above the crowns of the plants. Proceed as to air, shelter, and covering, in the same way as directed for the cabbage plants.

In about twelve, or fourteen days, you may begin to cut asparagus for the table; and, if you take proper cares and keep your heat up by a lining, you may have a regular supply for a month, When the plants have done bearing here, they are of no use, and may be thrown away.

Of all the things that are forced in hot-beds, none give so little trouble as Asparagus, and none is so well worth great deal of trouble.