Spring 2010 Cornish Gardener 27

With a little patience you’ll reap the rewards

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sparagus, once thought of as a luxury vegetable, is now

available in most British supermarkets all year round. Quite often, however, it is rather tasteless and tired, having been imported from various parts of the world. If you want the true taste of asparagus then you need to look for British-grown varieties, or, better still, Cornish-grown varieties.

The season for local produce is short – May and June – and as top chefs throughout the country relish the delicate shoots, they may be in short supply. Asparagus is grown on a small scale by a handful of producers in the county who produce a much-sought-after crop, sold at farmers’ markets and to local restaurants.

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ornwall also has several sites where wild asparagus grows,

including the appropriately named Asparagus Island off Kynance Cove. If you can’t find the fresh produce or discover wild plants, then the best thing to do is to grow your own. It isn’t a difficult crop, providing you have patience and the time to prepare and maintain an asparagus bed. The initial outlay will be well compensated for by a crop for the next eight to ten years

once you begin to cut. Pick a sunny and sheltered spot, preferably a site which has been well manured in the previous autumn. Lime is necessary on very acidic soil.

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uy one-year-old crowns to plant in April or later if the weather is bad.

You may see two- or three- year-old ones but these can be difficult. As the crowns must not dry out, plant as soon as possible after you buy them or keep them covered. Prepare the site by digging a trench about nine to ten inches deep and a foot wide. At the bottom of this trench make a ridge about three inches high. Place the crowns on this, spreading out the roots. Take care not to damage them. Cover the roots with about two inches of well-sifted soil. Over the summer gradually fill in the trench as the plant grows. Ideally the bed should be level by autumn.

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eep well watered. Don’t pick shoots which appear the first year. Let the plants produce their feathery foliage which will die down in autumn. Do this again the next year. The crop won’t be ready to harvest until two years after planting if you have chosen year-old crowns. Meanwhile, keep the beds weed free.

HAVE a go at growing your own delicious asparagus

When the exciting time to harvest comes, which in Cornwall can be in late April, cut the asparagus when the shoots are about six inches high, using a sharp serrated knife and cutting three inches below the soil. Don’t cut any more after mid June to help the plant regain its energy.

Each plant can produce up to 25 spears so ten crowns are probably sufficient for a family, unless there are fanatical

asparagus eaters about. Try to grow several varieties to compare size and tastes.

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he variety most commonly on offer is Connovers Colossal, but

many catalogues now offer alternatives, including Jersey Giant and Jersey Knight, Backlim and Gijnlim, the latter which is said to crop heavily one year after planting. There are also many American and European varieties.

Dig deep for charity

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GEOFF Oswald in his jam-packed greenhouse in St Austell

een amateur gardener Geoff Oswald has opened his garden for charity for the last 15 years, selling a huge variety of home-grown

plants and raising thousands of pounds. This year, the event takes place on Sunday, May 9, with a large selection of plants, including geraniums, impatiens, fuchsias, bedding plants and perennials, on sale. Refreshments are also available throughout the day. Geoff’s garden, at 47 South Street, St Austell, (opposite the new town centre), will be open from 10am-5pm with all proceeds going to St Austell Lions Club and St Austell Soroptimist charities. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32