Asparagus Not Coming Up in Third Year

Asparagus Started From Seed in a Trench

Q. I had an 8' x 1' garden box patch of asparagus which this year would have been the 3rd year of growth. Everything was fine the first 2 years but nothing grew this year. I pulled up several roots and noticed they are like straw - empty in the middle. I do not think I overwatered. The only thing I did different was I started emptying my daily coffee grinds in the garden patch. Do you have any idea what happened or was the cause?

A. The coffee grounds would not have made any great difference either way. Asparagus can be planted from crowns or seed. I have had great luck both ways and particularly like starting asparagus from seed.

We use an irrigation trencher and set it at its deepest setting, usually about 18 inches deep. We then backfill the trench about 8 to 10 inches with heavily amended soil from the trench, minus large rocks. The soil taken from the trench is heavily amended with compost made from animal manure, in our case horse manure.

This compost is left to finish composting for about 4 to 6 months. This means this mixture of manure and plant waste is turned regularly and watered so that everything breaks down together. This finished or nearly finished compost is added to the soil removed from the trench in a mixture of about 3 to 1, compost to soil.

This compost/soil mixture is then added to the trench as I stated above. On top of this layer we will spread a high phosphorus fertilizer such as triple super phosphate to enhance root development. We will spread about one hand full of this phosphorus fertilizer every 3 to 4 feet in the trench.

Asparagus crowns are then placed in the trench and covered with amended soil from the trench. This is usually about a 50/50 mixture of compost and soil minus large rocks. If you leave large rocks in the trench above the crown it can cause crooked spears.

It is important to dig the trench or bed much deeper than the crowns or you will create perched water table just above the unamended soil. This perched water table can drown the asparagus crowns and cause them to rot.

From your description that is what it sounds like. I would be careful planting asparagus in that same location. I would find a new spot and dig a trench or bed much deeper than you need to for drainage.