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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 8:21:58 GMT -5
That lets me out. The old bed has young plants, seedlings, in it, and I do not want to lose them. I trowelled one of them up last month and the crown was only about three inches deep, thick like macaroni.
The new beds will do--I don't think I planted any of them deep enough, but they seem to be growing. Keeping weeds and grass out is the big problem.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 14, 2019 8:27:35 GMT -5
Keeping weeds and grass out is the big problem. I have always heard that so I am careful to keep my asparagus bed weeded during the harvest time and then I mulch heavily with straw or grass clippings to keep the weed suppressed during the summer. When the fronds turn brown at the end of summer I cut them down and add more mulch for over the winter. I used a small hand held "claw" or scratcher a few weeks ago after a rain when the soil was soft to remove the weeds that had popped up. I scratched lightly so as not to injure any growing spears but it popped the small weeds out by their roots.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 14, 2019 22:42:59 GMT -5
If one has something like a Mantis tiller where tines can be reversed, clearing off an asparagus bed would be no problem. If one can vastly disturb the too 2", that will make most weeds sorry that they grew there. Planting instructions are usually to set the crowns 6" deep. If set shallower, I don't know of any formula for how long it would take for the roots to get that deep naturally. Stick to 2" of tilling and should be OK.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Gianna on Jun 18, 2019 7:24:46 GMT -5
Next time there is any excavating done in your area, stop and look at what's under your garden. It will make you better appreciate what a simple plant can do when it's thirsty. My property is on a hillside and native soil is clay which is good for avos and lemons. But it's more difficult to garden in. Previous owners have brought in top soil in some beds. One batch was a really nice loam, but another was more silt with little clay in it. I also brought in a major load of topsoil (13 dump trucks) when we had to fill in a large swimming pool. I brought in the best I could find, and it is from 2 to 4 feet deep. 'They' said I only needed a foot, but I wanted more. I've also been applying compost and mulch for years now, going from zero worms, to a good populations when it's moist. It's quite nice for growing things now. But in other parts of the yard, the soil is somewhat of a patchwork quilt.
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Post by Gianna on Jun 18, 2019 7:36:15 GMT -5
The past few years I've been going more and more to a no-till style of gardening. One of the things I take advantage of is the organic matter of the root systems of the plants I grow. Root systems are extensive as noted. While I use compost on top, and deep layers of mulch, I dont dig stuff into the soil anymore. But I do take advantage of leaving mature roots in the soil. Except for grasses, I no longer pull weeds - instead I cut them off at the ground level leaving behind all their roots in the soil. I do this with crop plants too. I leave behind all the roots of peppers, various cole crops, etc. Some cole crops have come back with a fresh flush of leaves. Not a bad thing. I got a second growth of broccoli which was a pleasant surprise.
Keeping my soil this way (no to minimal till), when planting transplants (I never direct seed anymore) I dig a small hole just large enough for the rootball, and water it in. The plants I grow directly in the ground have been doing very well like this. I cant tell much of a difference to when I used to turn my soil and work stuff in.
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