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ARRIVING JAN. '08! FENCING, FEED BUNKS, DOG KENNELS We are now stocking products from Powder River, Powder Mountain and Behlen for your fencing needs. Be sure to ask for a quote from Brim's before you buy elsewhere! Special orders welcomed. Asparagus: Arriving Feb. 15 Spring planting is recommended for asparagus roots. In clay soils that have been properly prepared last fall, plant the crowns at soil level or just 1 to 2 inches below and cover with 2 inches of soil. In the fall, cover with 2 more inches of soil. Asparagus crowns migrate to the surface of the soil over time because the new crown grows on top of last years crown, every year. Asparagus beds should be maintained so 3 to 5 inches of soil covers the crowns. Crowns that are cultured too shallow yield spindly spears. Crowns that are cultured too deep tend to grow to the surface more rapidly, and yield of the early crops are adversely affected. For maximum yield it is important to properly orient the crowns when planting, with the crown on top and the roots or "legs" spread in a downward direction. This is most easily achieved by forming a ridge of soil placed in the center of the trench, or individual pyramids of soil placed in the center of the trench so the crowns can be properly "perched" on the ridge of pyramids prior to covering with soil. Never allow two plants to touch in the planting trench. A spacing of 15 to 18 inches is about right. The above planting instructions are especially recommended for growers in western Oregon and Washington, where clay, acidic soils are quite common. If one is blessed with a sandy-loam, well drained soil, then only lime, phosphorous, and bone meal amendments are crucial to success. The addition of organic matter is always helpful. It is best to use fully composted manure. On well drained sandy-loam soils far less preparation is mandatory. Trenches 12 inches wide, 8 inches deep and 4 to 6 feet apart work nicely. We recommend planting and maintaining the same depth as previously mentioned. Once established, asparagus is easy to care for. Asparagus is extremely deep rooted and therefore water and nutrients are not as critical as is the case with lots of crops. At our nursery we have grown test plots of asparagus with no irrigation or fertilizing several years in a row. Our theory has been the asparagus roots lay deep enough to pick up moisture and nutrients on their own. We do water and fertilize nearby crops and in the home garden this is normally the case as well. Oregon State University Extension Service wrote a flier base on information gleaned from "Growing Asparagus in the Garden" by Harwood Hall, Susan Wadea, Ronald Voss, a University of Cal. Publication, leaflet 2754 and "Commercial Growing for Asparagus" U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Farmer’s Bulletin No. 2232. The OSU Ext. flier writes "fertilize annually when harvest has been completed and the plants begin to fern out. Apply manure and 8 to 10 pounds of a complete fertilizer (5-10-10 or 1-10-5) per 100 feet of row. Most irrigation should be done during the "fern season", (late summer) not the harvest season. Jersey Knight: male variety which is more productive Sweet Purple Asparagus: Same vigor and culture—just with great purple color. STRAWBERRIES 101 Plant strawberries in the sunniest area of your garden. They require full sun for most of the day, although some late afternoon shade is tolerable in midsummer. Good water drainage through the soil is essential. Soils with high clay content are typically poorly drained, while sandy soils drain very well. If the soil is heavy and tends to stay wet, it is best to plant on raised beds to improve drainage. An annual 1” layer of compost will help with drainage and soil fertility in both clay and sandy soils. Planting Instructions: Plant your strawberries early in the spring. Frost will not hurt the plants. Position the roots so that they are straight down into the ground. Do not allow them to curl up. Pack the soil around each plant taking care not to disturb the proper depth. Bone meal (phosphorus) at planting time is essential for good root growth and flower formation. About one tablespoon per plant is recommended. Water in well and continue to irrigate, as needed. Plant spacing should be 18" to 24" apart with the rows being 42" to 48" apart. (6@-12@ apart with rows 18@-24@) A patch system can also be used which allows the patch to be intensively planted and picked from each side. Do not make the patch wider than your arms reach! (Runners will fill in the patch quickly and will need to be thinned out annually.) Fertilizing: Ideally, a mulch of organic rich compost should be applied to the site in the fall prior to planting. Wait for growth to start to avoid burning the roots. Without a soil test we recommend a good balanced blend of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulfur. The same fertilizer that works in your vegetable garden will give excellent results on strawberries. Use a 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per 100 square feet. This should be applied in early August when the plants are developing fruit buds. Weed control is essential for strawberries. Cultivate your crop on a regular basis to eliminate weed pressure. Pests: Be sure to bait for slugs in the fall with iron phosphate, known as ASluggo@. It can also be used during the growing season since it is not harmful to edible crops, pets, or birds. Watch for other pest damage such as earwigs, strawberry root weevil and birds. Always use products compatible with your edible crop for insect control. For birds and deer, you may need to cover the rows with a bird netting, or just plant extra! They will exploit your generosity if you let them. Everbearing Varieties: After planting keep all flowers picked off until June 1 - 15. This establishes a strong plant. Plants will flower and fruit the rest of the Summer and Fall until a frost occurs. The original mother plants should be rouged out after the 1st or 2nd year. Treat them like an annual. Keep rejuvenating the bed with runner plants. Spring Crop Varieties: Fertilize and water well the first year to promote good flower bud formation that fall. The first crop is picked the following spring. After harvest the plants go dormant prior to summer and fall growth and fruit set. After the last berry is picked mow the plants off with a lawn mower set just above the crowns at the soil surface. The old leaves left after harvest are going to die anyway and mowing is good sanitation and helps keep fruit rot at a minimum as the planting ages. In the fall thin runners so they are 3" - 5" apart. If possible mow tops off in January or February prior to the spring flush of growth. This helps prevent fruit rot. In our area winter rains often make mowing difficult. We do it when the ground is frozen.
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