Asparagus Beds?

[Dave]

Since the plants are said to be very deep, should these beds ever be turned? If so what depth is considered safe? Last year I noticed that some of the wood mulch I had applied earlier had compacted into a rather hard "particle board" like layer, so I made some attempt to break that up. To avoid this issue I'm going to try to apply only leaf mulch.

I'm also curious whether using the tree stake type of watering might be more effective for mulched beds than surface watering. I have difficulty judging when a heavily mulched bed needs water. Thanks for any thoughts.

[Ann]

"Dave" expounded:

Don't turn the beds, that'll break up any sprouts coming up from the crowns. Get rid of that wood mulch and mulch with well-rotted manure or your leaf mulch..

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[Dwayne]

How deep did you put the roots when you planted them, or did you inherit the bed? Depending on where you are, the roots could be as deep as 8 inches and as shallow as 4. I never add mulch to my bed. I leave the bed alone until spring. Then I remove the dead plants from the previous year, and sprinkle

10-10-10 on top of the rows and water it in. When I build the bed, I planted the roots on top of about 8 inches of aged manure, with two inches of dirt between the manure and the roots.

I would try to get rid of the hard layer of mulch. I made my bed 80 feet long when I lived in Arkansas. I watered it with a soaker hose every 2nd or

3 rd day for 30 minutes, or until I could stick my finger down into at least 4 inches of mud. During wet seasons, I didn't have to water it as much. I started getting shoots sometimes as early as the end of February there. Now I am in Kansas and don't expect to see anything until after the first of April.

Dwayne