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[Gloria Morris <gloriamorris59 AT gmail.com>]

Bev,

Though I'm a lapsed Master Gardener, I've never grown asparagus from 
seed, so this is just from reading. Take it with a grain of salt!!!

Supposedly, asparagus can be transplanted to its permanent bed when it 
is at least 6 inches tall. Here's what I found on an Extension site, 
which may be of some help:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-2-a.html

If you have them growing extremely close together in a flat now, you may 
want to thin them, or else attempt a transplant of the thinned ones now 
(accepting some losses in an effort to save them rather than 
intentionally kill them with thinning). That will reduce the transplant 
shock later as the roots will have the ability to grow larger without 
competition and without becoming severely entangled with their 
neighbors. Transplant shock can be reduced or eliminated if you do not 
have to brutalize the roots at time of transplant - separating entangled 
roots is rough on many species of plants.

Gloria

On 2/13/2010 5:50 PM, EarthNSky wrote:
> I am repotting the cabbages...they were in those little peat pots...the
> first leaves had yellowed and were sloughing.  I still have about half
> to repot, but I did get most things repotted today.  I cleared off part
> of my kitchen table and set up a big tray to catch water.  I've
> positioned my flats in an alternate stacking position over the tray.
> Right now, I've got the asparagus in the stack.  It is colder in the
> kitchen, so that will be a transition to the bedroom, which will be the
> transition to the greenhouse, etc.  Right now, they are in a 4" deep
> flat.  Considering that asparagus roots/crowns are delicate, how large
> should the plants be before I transplant them into deeper containers or
> heel them in somewhere in the garden if it is warm enough?  I need to
> wait until the ground dries out some before they get moved to their
> permanent spot.
>
>
> Gloria Morris wrote:
>    
> > Bev,
> >
> > With the asparagus as tiny as you describe, I think it would be unwise
> > to move them from a 50-90 degree environment to one that could go below
> > freezing. Going from 90 to below freezing is a bit much for seedlings. I
> > would probably choose the 50 degree room for a transition. Is there any
> > way that you could rig up a light for them in that room (any light, even
> > if not a "plant light")?
> >
> > With cabbages growing that large, I'd probably re-pot them if they must
> > stay in the greenhouse a few more weeks. If you do, they should be just
> > fine.
> >
> > Gloria
> >
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