Today, we learn the topic of Asparagus container gardening techniques and methods. Asparagus is a perennial plant which is hardy. This plant has the capability to produce green spears which are luscious for up to a span of twenty years. Spears will be harvested after three years of growth when the establishment of the asparagus plant takes place completely. In the starting two years, spears which are open at the top and look like a fern which is appealing to the eye but not edible will be produced. Asparagus will grow very well in full sun and when the soil is light. This article will help you to know how to grow asparagus in the container.
Steps for asparagus container gardening:
Preparation of container for planting asparagus
Start the preparation of your container for the plantation of asparagus when the trees start leafing out. Makes the holes for drainage beneath the plastic container. This container has to be large with a depth of 20-inches and the diameter of 20-inches. The pot has to be turned upside down and a screwdriver has to be placed beneath the pot. Use a hammer to strike the screwdriver for making a hole. The holes have to spaced at a distance of 3-inches from each other in all the directions. Two holes have to be punched on the two sides of the pot starting from 3-inches at the bottom. The pots which are made of plastic are a great choice as they will not involve in the absorption of moisture which the pots made of clay do, and the drainage holes are bit easier to make when using plastic containers. Asparagus is more prone to diseases when exposed to a large amount of moisture.
After that, you will need to add gravel for about two inches to the pot’s bottom. The gravel and the drainage holes which are made to the side of the pot, when combined, will help in keeping the asparagus away from wet feet and the fungus which is contracting.
The pot has to be filled partially with the garden mix soil. A hole has to be made at the center of the soil by making use of a trowel at a depth of about 9 inches and for thrice the width of the crown of the asparagus. This will leave enough space for the root system of the asparagus to spread throughout the pot.
Now you can place an aged compost in the middle of the hole. You can take the compost with a large spoonful. The center of the root ball has to be set at the top of the compost and the roots have to be spread around it. The crown has to be covered with the soil for about two inches. Watering asparagus plants is very important. The asparagus has to be watered in a thorough manner by making use of a watering can. You can see an indentation at the middle of the pot toll the shoots will reach the top level of the soil.
The soil has to be kept moist in an even manner as the crown of the asparagus keeps growing. When the shoots start appearing on the crown, you can slowly cover them with the soil, by leaving for about ½ inch of the uncovered shoots. You can continue to cover the shoots every week or so till they will reach to the top of the level of soil in terms of length. The crowns which are larger will have more numbers of shoots which seem to be appearing as they are emerging from the soil. You can start expecting about 8 to 12 shoots to appear from each individual crown based on the variety.
The plant of asparagus has to be fertilized one time in a month by side dressing the plant by making use of compost. Fertilizing with the help of compost will help in the production of vegetables which are organic. As an alternative, you can also start fertilizing asparagus with the help of a fertilizer which is balanced such as 10-10-10 at the time of spring after the plantation takes place.
You will need to remove any red berries which you see on the asparagus plants which are female. These will fall into the container making space for the weeds which are not considered to be fertile for more plants. The Male asparagus plants will not produce berries. Female plants will produce spears which are thin like a pencil and the male ones will produce the spears which are twice as thick as the ones produced by the female asparagus plants. The process of plantation and growth is similar for both male and female types of asparagus plants.
The asparagus plants have to be cut down to the level of soil by making use of a sharp knife at the end of the fall. This will let the plants to overwinter and will decrease the chances of disease of rust from the formation in the foliage.
Read:How to Grow Artichokes in Pots.
Tips to grow asparagus in containers:
You will need to select the crowns which are of two years old rather than the ones which are one-year-old for the plantation so that the harvest can be done quickly. Nurseries will consist of different types of crowns of asparagus which are of at least two years old.
Asparagus has to be grown in the areas which have warm climates by doing its plantation at the early stages of spring and protecting it from the sun which occurs at the middle of the day and also hot.
Asparagus plants which are the female ones will produce spears which are thinner than the ones which are produced by the male plants though they are tender in an equal way after cooking.
Next comes the harvest of asparagus plants. The asparagus plants have to be harvested after three years of the plantation of the crown. You will need to remove the spears present at the level of the ground by making use of a sharp knife. The spears have to be harvested only for one time in three years. The spears have to be harvested from the time of early stages of spring when the spears are at a length of 8 inches for about 10 weeks.
That’s all folks about Asparagus Container Gardening Tips and Techniques. Happy gardening!.
