# Asparagus? anyone?



## wanderboy (Sep 24, 2008)

guys/gals, 

do you pick up asparagus while doing mushroom hunting as well? I saw a couple posts but no photos. I read MI is produced over 1/2 of the US asparagus, and they are fairly to identify. 

r they in season? meijer said so.... :lol:


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## bigrackmack (Aug 10, 2004)

Picked about 3 pounds Friday.....its going........Mack


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## old school (Jun 2, 2008)

Glad this came up. Anyone know much about planting it. I planted 20 2 yr old crowns just like they said, and that was about 2 weeks ago. Nothing:rant: 18 " trench deep trench and all.:rant::rant: NOTHING!


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

although my domestic stuff has started, not much better yet than the wild established plants. Up here, it's been cold....really cold. It will be well into June before we get very much. 

Asparagus here comes up right about when we're picking whites, or just afterwards. 

It likes lots of water, make sure you water your plants well, and give them time, it might take a while to get them started.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

old school said:


> Glad this came up. Anyone know much about planting it. I planted 20 2 yr old crowns just like they said, and that was about 2 weeks ago. Nothing:rant: 18 " trench deep trench and all.:rant::rant: NOTHING!


I am going to assume that you are kidding....not sure. You should be able to start picking in the spring of 2012, maybe some in '11. 

L & O


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Most of my spots are about done already. They are already going to seed and not getting anymore new sprouts. The asparagus farm out our way is just about done for this year as well, I guess it's back to the store bought stuff......... :sad:

I'm not sure how old they are but we did transplant a couple from a lot that going to be cleared for building and did get a few sprigs from them this year.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

I was getting some a few weeks ago and still am. I love the stuff!!!!


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## old school (Jun 2, 2008)

Liver and Onions said:


> I am going to assume that you are kidding....not sure. You should be able to start picking in the spring of 2012, maybe some in '11.
> 
> L & O


Kidding about what? Not at all, planted 20 plants 2 yr old crowns said to dig a trench 18" deep 12 to 18" apart. Cover with 2" soil, water and let them grow. As they glow spread dirt around them until reaching ground level. Should be able to pick it said in 2 yrs.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

This field is about 20 acres. The same farm has a field of about 120 acres just to the east. There is a field to the west owned by another farm of 70+ acres.










This shows the duff from the fern from last year that was chopped this spring. Back in the old days when they worked up the field it was like living in a Texas dust storm every time the wind blew. With the new method of broadcast planting rye and not spraying it off until harvest you seldom see the dust blowing on a field.

They will only pick the tallest of the asparagus leaving the smaller to grow for the next picking. With the cold temps they are not getting the harvest they normally get. Instead of picking the fields every day it has been like every three days.










There is a lot of info in this link about the growing of asparagus.

I think that the asparagus furrows are plowed at 12 inches deep over here. At least that was the depth the last time I helped plant but that has been many moons ago. They also almost completely fill in the furrows right after planting

http://www.asparagus.org/

The asparagus festival is this weekend. If you come over and really want to see how it is grown commercially there are farm tours available. I think the farm that the pictures were taken on might be one of the farms that does tours. If you come and go on a tour look for Carl Fuehring farms.

www.nationalasparagusfestival.org/


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## wanderboy (Sep 24, 2008)

old school said:


> Glad this came up. Anyone know much about planting it. I planted 20 2 yr old crowns just like they said, and that was about 2 weeks ago. Nothing:rant: 18 " trench deep trench and all.:rant::rant: NOTHING!


not sure if this is the issue, but i thought it's usually you plant the crowns in place for 3-5 before you can harvest them, not plant some 2 year old crown and expect them pop up in couple weeks. maybe I read it wrong, then my bad. 

I looked it up online a while back as I was interest to grow them myself (that didn't work out, btw). it required sandy soil, water, good sun. and mostly the north wester part of LP produce for all the facts lined up. 

Any one got some wild asparagus photos? Do they grow in the opening or more like under trees like mushrooms? 

any one know any asparagus farm closer to Macomb county?


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## woodie slayer (Feb 25, 2006)

that stuff grows in ditches all over up here. the crowns i planted came up 1st year but took 3 years to really take hold..now i pick twice a week


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

is actually seeds from domestic plants that birds carried into the wind that took root where ever they landed. 

Because it is not fertilized, rototilled, or weeded, it tends to be stringier, tougher both in palatability and plant tenacity...that's how it grows in ditches. 

It's all been slow this year. Last year was, too. Like I said, June.


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## Michigan Mike (May 21, 2004)

wanderboy said:


> Any one got some wild asparagus photos? Do they grow in the opening or more like under trees like mushrooms?
> 
> any one know any asparagus farm closer to Macomb county?


Hi WB
I'm not to far from you and I usually pick 25 to 30 lbs
a season and have a friend in Macomb that does about the same.

It likes the sun and I find it mostly in fields and the edges
of roads and sometimes by ditches, but always growing
in the grass.
I've found most of my spots while driving around and spotting
it in summer and fall.

This is what it will look like in the summer.
*http://www.herbvideos.com/images/asparni.jpg*
*http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/asparagus2.jpg*

Can't miss it in the fall when it's glowing like this!
*http://i.pbase.com/g6/39/752839/2/75412967.FI8CWtU7.jpg*

This is what you are looking for in the spring.
*http://media.photobucket.com/image/Fall%20asparagus%20color/Smallkitchencooking/0424091734.jpg*

*http://www.showshown.com/2006-asparagus/first-asparagus-2006.jpg*

I've never found any difference between store bought and wild
and it's cheap to buy, but just fun to pick as we are out and about.
And it's good stuff!

mike


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## wanderboy (Sep 24, 2008)

Michigan Mike said:


> This is what it will look like in the summer.
> *http://www.herbvideos.com/images/asparni.jpg*
> *http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/asparagus2.jpg*
> 
> ...


thanks Mike! I think I saw something similar while wandering around certain river banks. I'll pay closer attention to taller planets now. :lol:


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

My parents used to take us asparagus picking when I was kid. Been picking it every year since. Once you know what it looks like, you will see it everywhere. Take note in the summer when you see it. Come back next spring and you will see last years dead growth from a distance, easy pickens! I get more then I can handle in my 7 mile drive home from work, and I never venture far from the road. It is all visible while driving. Watch for it as you drive by open grassy fields in the summer and fall. It will be the tallest thing in the field. It is all done in my area for this year.


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## Michigan Mike (May 21, 2004)

wanderboy said:


> thanks Mike! I think I saw something similar while wandering around certain river banks. I'll pay closer attention to taller planets now. :lol:


LOL!
I was getting my last picking in this weekend and found 1
plant that was a little over 6 ft already which is about max ht.
I believe. 

mike


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## susie2005777 (May 29, 2008)

Back in the day, I had plenty of plants and I found the best thing for them was salt..if you sprinkle salt around the plants, they grow much nicer and keeps the other grass away from the plants, which allows the asparagus to get more nutrients in order to grow better. After the initial planting I was picking asparagus 2 years later and the crop just got better as the time went by. Of course, you can not have a farmer around with a plow that decides he don't care if the plants are there or not...or someone that is Roundup happy. At any rate, fresh asparagus~~you can't get much better than that...besides the mushrooms


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## buckey (Apr 18, 2008)

Been planting Jersey Knights for a couple years now (2 year roots) Over 200 planted. Have had a blast just watching them grow and seeing how many shoots you can get off one crown in a growing season.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

I pick it too. It's really good stuff for sure. Didn't really mess with it this much this year though. Was completely obsessed with my morel spots. I've been picking alot of oysters as well. (They make a soup that's really similar to clam chowder too...mmmmmmm!!) Now that I think of it wild asparagus would have been good cooked in it. I'll have to mix the two.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

They generally get around 20 pickings a year off the fields over here. They will pick the fields 4 or 5 times the second year after planting.


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## Roosevelt (Sep 21, 2007)

There's a farm here in Oakland county. The MSU extension? runs it and it's located on Benstein rd. north of Wise rd. in Commerce twp.

From what I gathered it takes a few years for it to come up and be pickable after planting. It's a waste area plant so the less ya mess with it the better, probably.

From my experience the wild stuff is usually more tender than the farm raised or storebought. Other than that no real difference.


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## wanderboy (Sep 24, 2008)

fasthunter said:


> (They make a soup that's really similar to clam chowder too...mmmmmmm!!)


I just recently get into the clam chowder thing, will try to add Oyster mushroom in there test your theory. it would be an interesting combo there... but i am keeping clam in there as well for this meat lover. :lol:




Roosevelt said:


> There's a farm here in Oakland county. The MSU extension? runs it and it's located on Benstein rd. north of Wise rd. in Commerce twp.


thanks, I'll check it out. please ignore my PM, just finish reading the full thread, see you had put down the road already.


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## Witness#11 (May 7, 2009)

Asparagus! Alright, alright, alright!


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

wanderboy said:


> I just recently get into the clam chowder thing, will try to add Oyster mushroom in there test your theory. it would be an interesting combo there... but i am keeping clam in there as well for this meat lover. :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> thanks, I'll check it out. please ignore my PM, just finish reading the full thread, see you had put down the road already.


 Trust me I'm a major meat lover as well. Just cooked some pork ribs on the charcoal grill last night and I'm about to make eggs and bacon for breakfast. It'll be really good with the two mixed as well. They really do have a taste in the cream soup more like clams than mushrooms though. I like em alot.


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## Roosevelt (Sep 21, 2007)

Too late. LOL! Anyhoo, I checked out their website and, according to it, it's the Long family farm on Bogie lake rd. not Benstein.


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