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Asparagus bed design
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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 21 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I know it has to be 'charged' otherwise it will take water and nutrients out of the soil. I sometimes add it to my compost heap or use some liquid from the wormery on it. I always add humus to our soil in the form of compost or run off from the sumps in the woods, which is rich in humus, as our soil is chalky and light. Seems to work quite well. I know manure is better, but don't have easy access to it.

Potassium is the most mobile cation so has to be added as needed pretty well.

 
Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 21 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You ready for a controversial statement?
There is no such thing, or mostly no such thing as humus, unless you mean in the latin sense of organic matter rich topsoil.
Much of what we used to call "humus" is an artifact from the laboratory procedure used to extract organic matter from soil.
Most soil organic matter consists of relatively small compounds, not vast complex ones.

 
Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 21 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I will accept that Slim, but my knowledge of chemistry suggests that if you can provide those small components in a manner in which plants can utilise them, the plants will grow. Having plenty of organic matter as well as trace elements gives the plants the opportunity to pick out the parts that they need. For instance, if you dusted an area with red phosphorus, the plants might not be able to take it up, but provide it in a form they can absorb, and it helps.

 
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 21 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    



white is a bit exciting for fertilizing

 
Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 21 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dpack wrote:


white is a bit exciting for fertilizing


But it would make gardening more exciting.

 
Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 21 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nick wrote:
dpack wrote:


white is a bit exciting for fertilizing


But it would make gardening more exciting.


Very briefly.

 
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 21 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


 
Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 21 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's also very toxic, so I would forgo the excitement.

 
Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Right. Surround created and positioned. Weed control fabric cut back and removed. Soil dug to the depth of one spit, as us gardeners say, old victorian patio removed. Why do I listen to you sods? Six inches of good organic stuff and then six inches of good topsoil on top. Raked smooth as a Zen garden and awaiting crown delivery.

4/6 beds done and dusted. Half a ton of soil left. More compost to be collected.

 
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 11:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    



that sounds good, thing with asparagus is it is hard work but only once

a bit of light weeding, beetle patrol and choosing the most perfect stems is light work for the next few years

 
Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's the wrong time to ask this, but did you refill the beds prior to crown delivery?

 
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 11:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the half ton and more compost on top?

 
Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6614
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I thought was to fill up other raised beds....

 
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

quite deep is a good start for crowns

a trenching tool (other gardening tools exist, but that is my go to trowel for such things)could make a suitable hole fairly easily to give a nice deep nest for each of them

iirc once my seeds had become small crowns i planted then about a foot deep and then top dressed for a while

deep is good, fermented manure is good and can add depth as well as the other vital stuff for sparrowguts(my eldest as a toddler had a problem with the name but no problem snapping them off and eating them )

 
Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 21 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Slim wrote:
I thought was to fill up other raised beds....


This bed is good loam soil, high water table but not heavy, broken up to a depth of about a foot, up to ground level. Then there’s a 12” wood raised surround. In this is perhaps 4-6 inches of compost/organic matter and then a similar depth layer of good topsoil, also blended with compost. No crowns yet. Intend to plant into this, mixing as I go, and top up. I think they’ll be a mixture of one year olds crowns and older, at a depth of 8-10 inches.

I also need to top up some of the other beds. They seem to be bottomless when it comes to wheel barrows of stuff. Not a problem; there’s no rush, the stuff is essentially free, time is something I have and, there’s always a shop to buy vegetables in.

Last edited by Nick on Tue May 18, 21 10:33 am; edited 1 time in total

 
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