Growing Gardens

with Anita Morton

Dig for Victory

This winter, why not think about putting in a bed of asparagus? It is rather a lot of work to prepare a planting site for this delicious vegetable, but you will be rewarded with fresh asparagus every spring for the next 20 years, so it's well worth the effort.

Site your asparagus bed where it will receive full sun in the morning, but will get some afternoon shade. Asparagus needs a deep, friable soil, so you will need to dig deeply and incorporate a lot of organic matter.

The classic method is to dig a trench 40 to 60cm deep and fill it up with well-rotted manure - cow manure is best, but horse or sheep is also good - then back fill with soil, so that you end up with a raised bed. It will subside quite a bit, so let it settle for a few weeks before you plant. Asparagus likes a pH between 6 and 7, so a little lime should be raked into the surface soil a week before planting.

The best older variety is Mary Washington, a hardy plant that produces reasonable crops of spears. A new variety that has impressed me is UC 157, a hybrid that produces masses of thick spears. Whichever you decide to plant, give the crowns one year to establish themselves before you start cutting the spears.

In the first year of harvesting, cut the shoots for one month and then leave the regrowth to mature so that it can build up its reserves. In all subsequent years you can cut for two months, before letting the plant grow on until the foliage dies back naturally in late autumn. Trim off the dead stalks and top-dress the bed with a thick layer of compost, and remember to start watering again in September.

Lismore Garden Club News

The Lismore Garden Club social outing for June will be a mystery morning trip.

Watch this space for further details.

If you have been distracted and haven't planted your spring flowering annuals or winter vegies yet, this is your last call. You should start immediately to prepare the soil by selecting a sunny location and turning in some compost or well rotted animal manure and a dusting of dolomite. It's too late to plant seed, as they would take too long to mature, so purchase seedlings and you will have a head start. After planting the seedlings be sure to water in with Seasol, as this will ensure a good beginning. Don't forget to scatter some snail bait around as snails just love tender new seedlings. There will be no need to cover the seedlings - the winter sun is not hot enough to bother them. Just be sure to water them with tepid water a couple of times a week. A week after planting, fertilise with half strength Aquasol. What to plant now

Flowers: Alyssum, calendula, candytuft, forget-me-not, linaria, nasturtium, rose and spring flowering bulbs.

Vegies: Broadbean, lettuce, silverbeet, beetroot, cabbage, carrot, parsnip, parsley, radish, tomato and turnip.

Gardening tip: Do not fertilise house plants or in fact most garden plants in winter as they can not use lots of plant food in cold weather, the only exception is to use a little half strength liquid fertiliser to give your young plants a start in life (as indicated above.)

Finally: "Where flowers bloom so does hope." (Ladybird Johnson.)