My mother has had an asparagus bed for years. The stalks seem to be getting thinner and thinner. What could be causing this? Thanks for your time. Sincerely, Jane Lefever
Rules for growing asparagus and thick spears by: Old Timer
No disrespect for your mom's age, but she might have had her asparagus bed in a long time. There are a few tried and true rules with growing asparagus, such as:
1. An asparagus plant, or crown last about 25 years then it grows old and it's time to replace it.
2. When first planting, don’t pick any spears the first year, pick one meal the second year, two meals the third year and from them on pick spears for 8 weeks each season. (This means the remaining asparagus stalks are left to go to the ferny leaf stage for photosynthesizing and providing energy for the next year’s growth).
3. Each asparagus plant should produce about 25 spears per season.
4. An asparagus bed should be deeply richly composted to begin with, and each year topped up with a thick layer of compost, plus fertilizer added, such as blood and bone or a good organic mix.
5. They must have plenty of water once the shoots appear in early spring. This keeps them growing fast with thin skin and delicate flavor.
They are my best all time vegetable to eat, I just can't get enough of that flavor!
