Freshly-picked asparagusCredit:Robin Powell
Decades later, the asparagus patch at Riversdale was still renowned, and during World War I, the resident Twynams sold the harvest to raise money for the Red Cross, earning a write-up in another Sydney paper.
But when volunteers began to resurrect the garden at Riversdale in 2009, four decades after the National Trust acquired the property, there was no asparagus to be found.
Research by volunteers uncovered evidence that Edward Twynam, husband of Emily, had once arranged for a crate of asparagus crowns to be sent by rail to their daughter Mary, at Tuggeranong Homestead, just south of Canberra.
The Riversdale gardeners noticed asparagus growing wild in the orchard at Tuggeranong and concluded it must have been the offspring of those 19th century crowns. They dug some up, and an asparagus patch is once again flourishing at Riversdale.
Asparagus can be grown in a pot, if it’s a big one, though it will be exhausted after three or four years.
Because asparagus plants can be productive for so long, it’s worth doing a good job on the bed where they will live. Choose full sun, dig in lots of organic matter to make a deep, rich, crumbly soil, and check that the pH is 6.5 to 7.
Dig a deep trench and form mounds in the trench 40cm apart. Drape the roots of the crown over the mound so that the crown sits just below the soil surface. Backfill and water well. (Asparagus can be grown in a pot, if it’s a big one, though it will be exhausted after three or four years.)
In spring, the plant sends up spears that are harvested when they are about as long as a pencil. The shoots can be cut for about six weeks, but then should be allowed to grow into a tall ferny bush. Once the ferny growth yellows and dies in autumn or winter, the plant can be cut back to the ground to rest over the winter.
COVID-19 has affected opening times of Riversdale, Tuggeranong Homestead and other National Trust properties. Check websites and phone ahead to confirm opening times.
July 24, 2020 at 01:00PM
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Want to grow asparagus? Here are the best ... tips - Sydney Morning Herald
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