Question
Hi Catherine-

My Great-aunt is soon to be moved from her acreage to an assisted living center and the acreage will probably be sold at some time in the future.

She was an avid gardener in her younger days and I have permission to take some of her perennials and transplant them at my house. One plant that I have not figured out how to move is her asparagus patch. Instead of the pencil thin stuff I usually see, her's is the thickness of a magic marker so I would really like to move it to my place. Any ideas on how/what time of year to try to move it. Part of it is going to seed right now, do I collect them? The plants I see in store is like a bulb with spider legs, do I dig down and try to find these?

Thanks,
Jim

Answer
Jim,

New asparagus roots take 3 years or more to produce large asparagus.  Your great-aunt probably planted the asparagus many years ago so they had years of growing to get the thickness that they were.  Older asparagus may not transplant very easily so do not be too disappointed if they all do not survive.

I would move the asparagus after the fern has died back in the fall.  Dig as much of the root as you can and make sure you have a well prepared bed ready for them to be put in.  Asparagus like aged manure so dig lots into the area you are going to transplant the asparagus to.

Keep your existing patch of asparagus growing and they will probably get larger over time as well.

Good luck.

Happy Gardening,

Catherine Abbott
www.your-vegetable-gardening-helper.com