Our asparagus harvest this spring was very disappointing. It is our third year and everything we’ve read told us this would be the first year we would have a full harvest. We harvested some but many of the stalks were thin, not the fat succulent Jersey Giant stalks we had expected. I did a little research yesterday and discovered that we should have added superphosphate to the furrows when we planted the crowns to promote root growth.
Frankly, I think our general problem is that we have not sufficiently amended the soil over the past few years. So far this year we have added organic nitrogen to promote top growth to support photosynthesis but now I’m on a mission to find superphosphate to strengthen the roots. Visits to Lowes and Home Depot resulted in nada. I really need to find a good, comprehensive garden center worthy of my hard-earned $$.
update – I've just read an extension report that says that established asparagus needs no supplemental phosphate amendment. So I guess the lesson here is to just keep reading and doing your research. Therefore, the plan will be to allow the ferns to die back naturally and then top dress the bed in late fall with compost and leaf mulch…and hope for a bumper crop next May.
How about Mahoney's? They used to be on Mem Drive, but you might find one that's not too far (I go to Brighton). http://www.mahoneysgarden.com/ They have a blog, too, for what it's worth…
Research has brought you useful information to review. Always important. MO.