Question
Hi-
On a vacant lot that I purchased is an asparagus patch. The neighbor that would pick the asparagus (the previous owner did not like it) told me how to care for it. He said to mow it short in the spring then in the late summer/early fall spray the patch with salt water. Is this the right thing to do? Also, the bed is all matted down and has a lot of weeds, I thought of rototilling it this fall to break it up a little, will this harm it? I live in Iowa and already have several spears coming up
Thanks

Answer
Jim:
If the patch is producing well, then I guess your neighbor's method has been working. The salt water is probably to suppress the weeds, which it sounds like is not working. I think mowing it down in spring is a bit late, and summer too early. Actually, I don't know how you would mow asparagus, it sounds like he never allowed the ferns to fully mature.

Asparagus does not compete well with weeds, so I can't imagine that it is growing well in the condition you describe. Rototilling would kill the asparagus, but if it is really bad, you may need to dig the bed up, remove the asparagus, then til to kill the weeds. You would have to do this 2-3 times, one month apart. Then you could prepare a new bed and replant the asparagus crowns.

Asparagus appreciates a well-drained soil. Though it likes moisture, it cannot be waterlogged, and it does tolerate drought well. It is best to leave the ferns until late fall so that they can make plenty of food for the roots for a good crop next spring. The ferns get quite tall, if you leave them until they get brown you can just break them off at ground level.