Q. I’ve been getting e-mails about preparing asparagus
ready for winter. They recommend cutting the stems 2″ above the ground, then
apply compost then mulch. Is that what I
should be doing to get the plants ready for winter?
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| When temperatures get cold and start to freeze, asparagus will turn brown, the tops die. Sometimes they stay green all winter long if we have a warm winter. |
A. That’s not what I liked to do with asparagus. I found
that 2 inches of “stubble” created by cutting the stems above ground interfered
with my work getting ready for next year’s spring crop. I preferred to cut this
woody stem growth about an inch below the soil surface with a thick
knife or asparagus knife on about January 1.
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| I prefer to cut the spears when I harvest them and sort them in the shed or kitchen. I find that the asparagus stubble scattered in the field interferes with walking and harvesting. https://www.harryepstein.com/asparagus-knife-usa-weeder.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2sqOBhCGARIsAPuPK0jTKUY5H9kiydW_sFC5-Nf8fPNb1csto5wpHWzPw97TMJAXE-aI5SoaAjRlEALw_wcB |
If we have a cold winter these
stems (called fronds) freeze and turn yellow. With a warm winter they stay
green.
- Don’t
reapply asparagus stems as a mulch to your old asparagus bed or to any
vegetables due to allelopathy. I would burn it instead.
Regardless of how they appear in
the winter these ferns still need to be cut back to get ready for next year’s
production. After they are cut and in late winter, a fertilizer such as rich compost or regular compost
plus a mineral fertilizer high in nitrogen, needs to be applied. Asparagus loves rich soil.
Bare Soil Warms Faster
Bare soil warms up faster than a
cold winter soil covered in mulch. A warmer soil means an earlier asparagus
spear harvest. If you can keep an eye on your asparagus emergence, then apply
the mulch when you first start seeing spears if you want early production and not
earlier than this. Next year’s production can start as early as January. If you
want production later in the spring, then mulch them immediately after you
apply the compost or manure.