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General Information	Asparagus Troubles
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Asparagus
Sowing Time	Planting Time	Soil	Spacing	Cutting / Lifting Time	Storage	Cooking
Ferny foliage in summer but grown for its young shoots (spears) which appear in the spring. Will take two years for the first crop. Plant one year old crowns. Can be grown from seed but takes three years for cropping to begin. Plants will live for 8 to 20 years. Cut down stems in autumn. Do not remove spears during the first year. In the second year, once the spears are 4-5 ins they should be cut about 3 ins below the soil surface. Stop cutting mid June to allow the spears to develop for next year.
Mid March to end April	Mid March to end April	Soil type is not important as long as it is well drained and in a sunny, sheltered position.	Spread the crowns out over a 3ins deep mound in an 8ins deep trench about 12ins wide. Cover with 2ins soil and fill the trench gradually	Mid April to mid June	Will keep in a food bag in the fridge for up to three days but best to eat within an hour of cutting. Can be frozen.	Wash the spears and peel away the skin below the tips. Keep in a bowl of cold water until all spears are prepared. Tie into a bundle with string and trim the ends to level the bundle. Place upright in a pan of boiling, salted water. Cover and boil for 10-15 mins. Drain and serve. Alternatively steam.

Asparagus Troubles
Trouble	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention
Asparagus Beetle	Stems and leaves are eaten.	Spray with liquid Derris	None
Frost	Crop turns black and dies	None	Cover the crop with fleece if frost is expected
Rust	Reddish-brown sports appear on leaves during the summer.	Remove and burn affected shoots as soon as spots appear	None
Slugs	Spears are eaten.	Sprinkle area with slug pellets or add nematodes to your soil	Keep area clear of rubbish
Spindly Spears	Thin shoots produced instead of the usual thick spears.	None	Usually caused by cutting too long into the season. Don't harvest after mid June.
Violet Root Rot	Roots covered with purple mould, leaves turn yellow and die.	If bad start again in a new site and don't grow root crops in the same area. If possible isolate healthy plants.	None
Wind Rock	In exposed sites roots are loosened which can lead to rotting.	None	Provide support to stems or build windbreaks around the site

General Information	Asparagus Troubles
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