Grow better asparagus, potatoes and onions with this organic soil preparation

If you like asparagus, potatoes and onions this is good. It’s time to plant and they are easy to grow. If you haven’t tried it yet, let’s give it a try. If you’ve grown these plants before, maybe I have some tips that will make your job easier and provide better yield and flavor.

The most important step

Preparing the bed is the most important step and I’ve learned the hard way that some planting recommendations aren’t that good. These three wonderful vegetables must be planted in the same soil preparation.

To the existing soil (whether sandy or clay), add large amounts of compost, rock minerals and life agents. Amounts can vary depending on budget, but this is what I normally use: 4-6 inches of compost, 40-80 pounds of lava sand and Azomite (rock minerals are most useful ), and 20 pounds of both dry molasses and whole ground cornmeal.

I call these two sugars life agents because they stimulate life (microbes) in the soil. Why do I call cornmeal a sugar? It turns into sugar quickly and efficiently, stimulating beneficial microbes, especially the Trichoderma fungus. This beneficial fungus is very effective in stopping disease pathogens. You can make soil mixes to create raised beds, but it’s much easier and just as effective to just mix the above products into the existing soil.

How to plant

Now plant. For asparagus, forget to dig a trench. Just dig holes in the new beds deep enough every 18-24 inches to place the rhizomes / fleshy roots about 4 inches into the soil – after they’ve been soaked in Garrett Juice for about 30 minutes. Water well and cover the area with 2 to 3 inches of shredded native tree residue.

You can cut the seed potatoes into golf ball sized pieces or leave them whole, then plant them the same way you planted the asparagus.

All about onions

Onions are planted a little differently. The grafts are laid out shallower – deep enough to stand upright, but not deeper. Shallow planting seems to help the onions grow taller. A little trick with onions is to apply corn gluten meal to the beds before applying the mulch. The onions will grow better and the weeds will be considerably reduced. This technique also works for asparagus and potatoes.

Resources

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