![Get the best from asparagus](https://cdn.magzter.com/1387284923/1679917324/articles/f2Ovd4lk41679982138524/GET-THE-BEST-FROM-ASPARAGUS.jpg)
Q Having taken on a new allotment, we were surprised and delighted to find an established asparagus bed. How should we maintain it?
Patricia Dunn, Nantwich, Cheshire
A This perennial veg is long-lived, and if it is well-cared for it should deliver tasty spears for years to come. Most of us have had to order our dormant crowns and prepare a well-drained, sunny bed by digging in or spreading lots of well-rotted garden compost.
Arriving in spring, the crowns are planted immediately, usually by the traditional method of digging trenches and making ridges along them. The crowns are sat on the ridges, so their fleshy roots can drape outwards and downwards with no breaking or coiling. The aim is to have them 15in (38cm) apart in rows 20in (50cm) apart, with growth buds just at the surface.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Amateur Gardening.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Amateur Gardening.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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![To dig or not to dig?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5171/1457533/srY9Bgqgg1696077695176/TO-DIG-OR-NOT-TO-DIG.jpg)
To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
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The box ball blues
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Save your own seeds
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Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
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A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
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Winter moth prevention
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![Create a winter container](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5171/1457533/Jd1C8L2Ax1696076912753/CREATE-A-WINTER-CONTAINER.jpg)
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
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Lightweight gardening tools
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Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
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Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters