OLD-FASHIONED COMPANION PLANTING

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Whatever your soil source, mix in a winter's output of wood ash or a good sprinkling of ground limestone to add potassium and trace elements and to neutralize acids. Asparagus is not all that picky as to soil pH, but nearly all North American soils are more acidic than it likes, and it will benefit from some ash or lime to sweeten it. It is best to consult your local Cooperative Extension Service or other expert sources for proper lime-application rates for your soil.

However you get it done, dig your bed as deep as you can manage. A yard down is ideal. First, remove the upper layer of dark topsoil and lay it to one side of the trench. Remove the next foot or so of lighter colored semi-rich undersoil and put it on the other side. Then dig out as much clay, sand, rocky marl, or whatever pale, base subsoil you have compost or topsoil to replace. Discard the base soil. Now, refill the trench with alternating shovelfuls of top-soil, compost, and whatever additives you have. Fill in thin layers (stomping well between each layer) to within 18" of the top.

Horseradish and rhubarb both grow taller than strawberries but not as high as asparagus ferns. They are dense and will shade the berry plants so I locate them on the ends or the north (shade) side of the bed. I prefer to locate the bed at the top (north) of the middle garden (with staked tomatoes, tall sunflowers, corn, and pole beans above it. I then set rhubarb plants all along the upper margin and put rhubarb in one or two boxed plots along the sides. I choose the lowest, coolest, and shadiest end of the bed for horseradish. It will grow practically anywhere; in shade, roots will just be smaller.

Planting

Lay out asparagus rows two feet apart. In each row, dig a trench a foot-and-a-half deep and wide, mounding soil in a 6"-high ridge down the center of each. Set a root alongside the ridge every foot and a half to two feet. Starting at the sunniest end of the row, scoop ridge into cones by each crown. Arrange the long roots evenly around the cone, cover with soil, and press firmly into the soil. The top of the first crowns should be a good foot below the surface. As you go down the row, make each mount a little higher, till the last one at the shadiest end of the row is about 6" below ground level. Now, rake soil in until it is level and just covers each crown. Leave it loose. Over early spring, as the shoots appear, rake soil in to cover them until the trench is full. The small first-year fronds will nourish the roots all summer. Keep weeds down and mulch the soil against summer dryness and heat.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print