Asparagus and Alpine Strawberries
GROW IT
- EAT IT
There’s nothing to match the sheer luxury of having your own
asparagus and eating it within minutes of cutting the spears
from your vegetable plot. The short English season means that
really good local asparagus is always in demand, and if you grow
your own you will find it more economical – and more delicious.
If you haven’t planted asparagus before, now is the time to do
it. Asparagus officinalis is a maritime plant and likes sandy soils,
and at the very least the soil needs to be well-drained. But with
good preparation and maintenance you will be rewarded for
many years as asparagus plants can last for decades.
You will need to find a site where it can remain undisturbed.
Make sure it is weed free and thoroughly dug then raked over.
It is possible to raise the plants from seed but this takes much
longer to produce a crop. Usually crowns of one – two years
old are bought, and planted during March to April.
Plant at a depth of 15cm (6 inches), and 45cm (18 inches)
apart, with 60cm (2ft) between rows. Watch out for the
asparagus beetle, its main pest, with a black body and yellow
squared markings. The larvae are grey and yellow and can
be mistaken for ladybird larvae at first. Either hand pick and
destroy them or spray with an insecticidal soap or the pests
will eat all the foliage.
Harvest the spears during a six week period from late April
through May, then give the plants a rest period to build up for
the following year. Give a top dressing of fertiliser at this time,
then in October cut all the ferny top growth down and cover
the rows with well-rotted manure or compost.
Asparagus needs to be eaten fresh, the cut spears trimmed and
just steamed and served with butter as a starter or side dish, or
put into soups and quiches.
Asparagus typically likes sandy soils or at least well drained conditions.
Alpine strawberries
As pretty as they are tasty, dainty alpine strawberries Sow the seed in March or April in trays or pots filled with
(Fragraria vesca) can both decorate the garden and give seed compost, in a greenhouse or indoors. The temperature
you fruit that some people think taste better than the should be fairly warm for germination, at about 20ºC (68ºF).
larger strawberries. Unlike their larger cousins they can be
When the seed comes through, cover it lightly by carefully
grown from seed and they will probably self-seed freely –
sieving with seed compost with a fine mesh. When the
but they are very suitable for growing in containers.
seedlings are big enough to handle, move them into pots
or modules.
Don’t confuse alpine strawberries Plant them out in June or July in a shady but not dry spot,
with the wild type about 30cm (12 inches) apart and allow about the same
The wild strawberry shouldn’t be confused with alpine
distance between plants if they are going into a container.
strawberries – with smaller fruits even than the alpines, they Make sure that they don’t dry out by applying mulch
make runners instead of growing in clumps, are best grown as
round the plants with organic material to retain moisture.
ground cover and allowed to run. Some of the wild woodland
forms don’t even produce any fruit.
Pick your alpine strawberries from June onwards, but make
sure that they are fully ripened to get the full intensity
12
Country Gardener
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