Can You Put Mulch Over Asparagus?

Yes. Mulch should be loose enough for water percolation. Straw, pine needles, pine shavings or bark mulch work well as mulch choices.

What do you cover asparagus with?

Protect perennial asparagus plants from cold temperature damage by mulching the asparagus bed with compost, aged manure, or straw before freezing weather or snow arrives. Asparagus crowns can produce tasty spears for 20 years or longer if given the right care and nutrients.

What can I put on my asparagus bed?

Asparagus can be fertilized in early spring before the spears emerge. An application of 1 to 1.5 pounds of an all-purpose garden fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, per 100 square feet should be adequate.

How do you manage an asparagus bed?

How to Take Care of Asparagus Plants

1. Prepare the soil. Work the soil a foot or more deep; growing asparagus in raised beds is a useful way to achieve the proper depth.
2. Fertilize as recommended.
3. Water regularly.
4. Maintain weeds.
5. Watch for disease and insect damage.
6. Prepare the ferns for winter.
7. Mulch twice a year.

Should I cover my asparagus with straw?

Straw is one good mulching option for asparagus. Other good options include pine needles, sawdust, and dry leaves.

Should I mulch my asparagus bed?

Yes. Mulch should be loose enough for water percolation. Straw, pine needles, pine shavings or bark mulch work well as mulch choices.

What kind of mulch is best for asparagus?

Some suitable types of mulch for asparagus include manure, compost, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, straw, hay, bark mulch and bark chippings. Don’t use landscape fabric or black plastic, which traps asparagus shoots, and don’t use grass clippings that have been sprayed with broadleaf herbicides.

What can you not plant near asparagus?

There are two main crops to avoid growing alongside asparagus:

• Alliums. Alliums like leeks, garlic, and onion sharing the soil with asparagus are said to stunt its growth.
• Potatoes. Asparagus, on the other hand, stunts the growth of potatoes when they share the same space.

How long will an asparagus bed last?

The patience is well worth it, though, as asparagus beds can be productive for 15, 20, sometimes up to 30 years. Because asparagus stays productive for so long, it’s important to plant the best variety available for your area.

When should asparagus be cut back?

fall
Ideally, asparagus should be cut back in the fall but it is important that you wait until all of the foliage has died back and turned brown or yellow. This will normally happen after the first frost, but it can happen without frost in areas that do not receive frost.

When should I clean my asparagus bed?

In order to get the most out of your plantings of asparagus and strawberries, the foliage needs to be trimmed, weeds removed, and a top-dressing of compost applied. This is best done in late winter-early spring before the new shoots of asparagus start to show and the strawberry plants start to leaf out.

Do you cut back asparagus for winter?

Answer: The asparagus foliage can be cut back to the ground after it has been destroyed by cold temperatures in fall. However, it is generally recommended that the dead foliage be allowed to stand over winter. The dead debris will catch and hold snow.

Does asparagus like grass clippings?

Asparagus loves a deep, loose mulch. Although pine needles may work for this purpose, they make the soil more acidic as they decay. Asparagus grows best in alkaline soil, so I’d suggest you use shredded grass clippings, decaying straw, well-rotted sawdust or compost as the mulching material.

Are coffee grounds good for asparagus?

* Coffee grounds alone would be too acidic, but if you’re mixing them in with other kitchen waste and especially yard waste like leaves, they’re fine. Asparagus prefers a soil pH between 6.5 and 7, which is mildly acidic. Coffee grounds can run 5 or less on the pH scale by themselves.

Are wood chips good mulch for asparagus?

Good mulching materials include sawdust, wood chips, shavings and ground corncobs. These materials shut out weed growth, but still permit asparagus to come up. Caution: if applied too early, it may tend to keep the soil cool.

What is the best fertilizer for asparagus?

The best fertilizer for asparagus will feature a balanced formula that contains equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, such as a 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 blend. Beginning in the fourth year, apply fertilizer after the final harvest in late spring or early summer, instead of a spring application.

How do you top dress asparagus?

Keep your asparagus patch performing well by top-dressing every spring with 2 to 3 inches of composted manure, followed by a 2-inch layer of loose organic mulch. Shredded arborist’s woodchips, straw and finished compost are all good choices.

Should I cover my asparagus?

For asparagus, it’s ideal to cover the beds with about four to six inches of mulch over the crowns. Here are the asparagus stalks once they are covered with compost – the crowns underneath are now well protected.

Can you plant on top of asparagus?

You can plant them in rows on another end of your asparagus bed to eventually provide free pollen to beneficial insects who help asparagus flowers produce. Those pollinators also attract birds that eat seeds and help produce more asparagus plants. Better yet, birds eat beetles or other pests.

Can I plant flowers in my asparagus bed?

Flowers that coexist well with asparagus include marigolds, nasturtiums, and members of the Aster family. The most interesting combination of companion plants for asparagus that I have read about was asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, and horseradish. This sounds like the makings of a fabulous dinner.

Does asparagus like sun or shade?

Full sun
Growing Conditions
Site – Full sun is ideal. Asparagus needs at least 8 hours of sun per day. Since asparagus is a long-lived perennial, do not plant where trees or tall shrubs might eventually shade the plants or compete for nutrients and water.