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Strawberries and asparagus are closely connected because of their nature. They have similarities because both plants are early spring crops that become productive after the last frost.
They absorb, aerate, support, and store nutrients at different levels so that they can help increase the nutrients derived in the garden.
Both plants must have a protective covering, especially compost, paper, or sawdust.
It can be spread or left on the ground for reduction of evaporation, prevention of erosion, maintenance of soil temperature, control of weeds, soil enrichment, and hygienic ways of keeping strawberries and asparagus clean.
You are expected to select varieties of strawberries with an elongated horizontal stem arising from the base of the plant (it also forms a spread employing runners) and help manage the runners to keep them in aligned rows to elongate or lengthen the life span of your asparagus strawberry garden.
If you are considering growing asparagus and strawberries to get an encouraging result, you should select self-propagating varieties.
I recommend mid-season strawberries because they will give you a very long harvest season and give you good produce in a raised bed.
Every blooming strawberry possesses a short duration of existence and cannot produce a runner.
Some gardening experts recommend planting asparagus 6 inches deep, but if you decide to stake the plant with strawberries, it is best to plant your asparagus at least 12 inches deep and your strawberries plants 4-6 inches deep. Adopting this method, nutrients will be drawn from the soil at different levels in a raised bed.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to grow asparagus and strawberries on a raised bed:
1# Select Your Varieties
For a good outcome, it is essential to select varieties that are specifically suitable for your climate. For the northern garden, you will need to choose winter-hardy strawberries. Hand-pick winter hardy strawberries that are sold by your local garden.
It is not essentially a surety that the variety will yield well in the environment. Make sure you research well once it is accessible.
When growing asparagus from the seed stage, you will have a more flourishing patch once you start with a year-old or two-year-old crown. Make sure you pick an all-male variety.
Note that asparagus plants are either male or female; it is not solely a male seed. The female crown expends its energy in the production of seeds, which reduces its yield in the following spring.
2# Preparation of the Garden and Optimum Yield
Asparagus prefers well-drained soil. If the soil moisture is excessive, it will undergo decomposition from nutrient-sapping pests and diseases.
Make sure you select your gardening spot carefully. For years, your asparagus will yield in the exact area where you planted it.
You will also need to strategize a region that is 10 feet wide by 20 feet long, or around 200 square feet. Following the above technique, you will have enough space for 50 asparagus plants and 75 strawberry plants.
Make sure you place them on a delicate slope, protecting the plant from late spring frost. To prepare the area for planting, pull up all the weeds. Till or plough the area with a broad fork to release the soil.
Just add 4 inches of finished compost, 1 full gallon of wood ashes, and a gallon of bone meal. To make it productive, fully add all this to the raised bed.
3# Planting Your Bed
Firstly, you plant your asparagus and then place the strawberry plant at the centre of the asparagus in the same row as the asparagus.
Subsequently, the strawberry will identify the marked area between the asparagus, thereby filling the space.
You will also have to thin out the runners. Based on the variety of the strawberry, they can fill all the accessible space in the bed with runners.
Runners can be eliminated back in the earliest portion of the yielding season to stimulate more production of strawberries.
Plant asparagus in a long cut in the ground. Use a plumbing line to make sure the lines are straight. You are expected to dig a 6 inch trench, 12 inches deep. Make sure you place your trenches 2 feet apart. Then enclose the soil up to at least 6 inches.
While preparing the trenches, soak your asparagus crown roots in a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter used for fertilising and conditioning the raised bed.
Conclusion
When you are prepared to cultivate, arrange the plants in flowing lines and put the asparagus crowns over the enclosed trench, allowing the roots to wrap down on both sides of the trench. With this method, you will definitely achieve your aim.
I believe this article is detailed and explanatory enough for you to understand how to grow asparagus and strawberries on a raised bed.
Reference
- Companion and Smart Plants: Scientific Background to Promote Conservation Biological Control
- Companion Planting
- Companion Planting, retrieved from here
