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25 Nov 16 Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

Has anybody tried to grow asparagus from seed. I have tried this year. Live around Bundaberg Qld. In total I have planted out approx. 30 little seedlings. Very delicate little things. A bit of heavy rain and they snap off. A little hit up with fertilizer killed a couple. Even over watering has killed a few I feel. I have 8 plants left. Any tips on whether to grow them out of the direct sunlight and rain. Some plants have grown to 10-12" high, some are struggling at 2-3", although sprouted a couple of weeks later than the bigger one. Last year my 1 yr old crowns up grew and grew. Finding it hard to get these seedlings powering along.

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25 Nov 16 John (Australia - temperate climate)

Years ago I worked at a wholesale nursey where we propagated asparagus crowns for sale. The soil was sandy and we did not have any irrigation, only the rain. Our germination rate was very high. Maybe the seedlings are rotting if the soil is too wet. We sowed the seed in the Spring and sold the crowns the following winter. We did not thin or transplant the seedlings. Retry sowing with slightly raised soil to ensure good drainage. Trust this helps. John

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23 Dec 16 Mike (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Thanks John - Better to explain my position. I had planted out crowns last year (in a raised boxed garden bed) and had some berries fall on the crown and on the soil next to the crown. Also on the soil outside the box. This year in Sept the berries germinated. I transplanted the very small seedlings to the garden bed next to the boxed bed. This a red soil - can become very wet when we receive 2-3-6 inches of rain in a day. Also it is exposed to the sun, rain and wind. From the experience this year I know now I should have put them in pots and protected them a lot more. A few weeks ago I transplanted the smaller ones into pots and placed near a tree for some shade and protection. Today I transplanted them back to the garden and constructed a shade cloth cover for them to protect them from the sun. I have done this as we are going away for 7 days and my daughter will forget to water them and they will probably all die.

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