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Feeding the Asparagus

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 17:41

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Latest post from MARKSVEGPLOT – a blog about food and gardening in England”

This is what my Asparagus looked like in August:

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The ferns are about 8 feet tall and bending over under their own weight. (The brick is an aid to stability!).

This is what it looks like now. I leave a few inches of each stalk sticking up, so that I can see where the crowns are.

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If the Asparagus is to build up its strength for another good crop next year, it needs some attention during the Winter. After I have cut down the fern (usually late October or early November), I cultivate the soil around the plants, removing any moss and weeds, and then I add a generous sprinkling of Growmore general-purpose plant food:

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I have used Growmore in my garden for years and years. In fact I probably used it when I first started gardening, back in the 1980s, having learned about it from my Dad, who always used it too. Being a balanced fertiliser it is generally useful throughout the garden, for flowers, vegetables and fruit. You can get it in liquid form, but I always buy the granular one. The granular type is my favourite because you can apply it quickly and easily in whatever quantity you need, without having to dilute a measured volume of it in water or anything. The light-coloured granules are easy to see, so you can tell where you have applied it – which is not possible with the liquid one. I apply the Growmore by hand, and then work it into the soil with a hand-fork. At this time of year there is certainly no need to water it in!

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Later – probably during the Christmas holiday, if the weather allows – I will add a good layer of home-made compost to the Asparagus bed. This will complete the preparations and then all I have to do is wait… (until April or May). If I feed the Asparagus now, it will feed me next year!