Asparagus

Q. I want to plant asparagus this year but I’m having a difficult time finding the right one for our climate zone. I your book Southern Calfornia Gardening Month to Month you recommend several UC 157 verities and also California 500. Do you know where I can buy either of those? Does Jersey King do well in our area (it is for sale in all of the garden catalogs I have)?

A. It’s easy to grow a good crop here if you plant the roots correctly in the first place. (My new organic book gives step-by-step details on page 106, additional pointers on page 362.) Asparagus needs full sun and prefers rich, sandy, soil, but I’ve seen it grown successfully in heavy soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in at planting time and regular additions of horse manure and stable bedding thereafter. Top the bed with a layer of manure in February instead of fall. Asparagus is a crop that thrives on manure and February a better time to apply it here so one doesn’t upset winter dormancy. But the final necessity is massive quantities of water, easy to provide in an El Nino year like we’re having right now. Not so easy during dry years.

Jersey King is not a good asparagus variety for our mild Mediterranean climate. Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply carries UC 157 asparagus as bundled plants in bareroot form. Peaceful Valley also carries many excellent organic substances that are recommended in my new all-organic month-by-month garden book. Address:
P.O. Box 2209, 125 Clydesdale Court, Grass Valley, CA 95945 • Tel (530) 272-4769
Order Toll Free (888) 784-1722 • Email helpdesk@groworganic.com