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  • From: "GlenEcoFarm" <Glenecofarm AT planetcomm.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] organic asparagus
  • Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:15:29 -0400

One clarification from Christine Burkholder:
The asparagus ferns should not be cut off until they are dead--in the winter or early spring.
I heard that one commercial grower regularly disks his asparagus patch in the early spring before the asparagus shoots up. The only problem with this is compaction of the soil if the ground is wet and not frozen.


From: "John Ferree" <john AT seldomseenfarm.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 5:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] organic asparagus


we've got two 5' beds that are 100' long. planted on 30" centers and
~18 inches. if i recall that is a good deal denser than recommended.
haven't had a problem with yields at that density. in fact, i think it
compete out weeds. you actually get a closed canopy. we harvest as
long as is needed, then hit it with a mower as low as possible. then
everything shoots up and closes canopy very quickly and suppresses
weeds. we then mow the edges the rest of the season. if weeds are
abig problem while still picking, we will go in with a chopping hoe to
knock perennial weeds back. for a home scale this has worked well for
us. . . we're also burning residues in march. (z5-6) our perennial
weeds there tend to be goldenrod, canadian thistle, cottonwood (trees).
we did mulch the first year, but had crazy spears with the free tree
trimmer mulch. . . and that mulch tends to have a good deal of walnut in
it here.

i have also heard of people using a rotary tiller to scar the surface of
the ground in the same manner that we mow. Flaming might be another
option if you have fewer grasses than we do.

john

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