Improving asparagus garden

How do I improve my asparagus garden?

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##FULL QUESTION## Dear *Gardening Life*, My asparagus garden seems to be producing less and less each year. How do I enrich and improve it? *—Lyndsey Houghton, Pefferlaw, ON*

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##FULL ANSWER## Lyndsey, When harvesting, snap off the asparagus at ground level so you don’t damage the growth beneath the soil. Make sure the area has excellent drainage and keep the soil around the plants well-cultivated and weed-free. Add lots of compost. Always leave a few stalks to turn into ferns and shade out weeds. Keep these on all winter to protect the plants and then cut them back when you see new growth in spring. Keep an eye out for marauding asparagus beetles. Pick them off if you see them, and spray the plants with a teaspoon of soap in a pint of water. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy' Pest eating purple leaf sand cherry Preventing lawn brown spots Keeping plants sturdy Preventing suckers from a cut-down serviceberry tree Best tomato seeds to sow Preventing wind damage to grasses Plants to highlight a pool Reshaping yew tree The best way to replace a lawn Best screening plants for privacy Buying snowberries in Montreal Keeping 'Endless Summer' hydrangea growing strong The proper way to fill planters The proper way to grow hyacinths Boston ivy and rough winters Fast growing shade tree Using black walnut chips under a cedar tree Compatible plants with bell peppers Beneficial plants for roses Growing berries on a firethorn

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