asparagus from seed

as is typical I have about 50% female plants in my new asparagus bed. I am considering trying to grow some crowns from seed. Partiallyso that I can distribute crowns all over the property and maybe so I can sell them some day. I have plenty of room for a nursery bed. how hard is it to start from seed? any special requirements? does it need cold stratification first?

I found them extremly simple to start from seed.  I have several growing in containers still in Alabama awaiting their trip up here.  They like all grew and I had so many I didn't know what to do with them...the goats fixed some of that for me. 

As I started them in south Alabama I would say no cold needed.  My rhubarb all died from the heat down there...good thought, I will put some rhubarb seed in soil in my window.  I seem to do pretty well with starting plants in the house if I water right.

My pomigranits started from seed will have to stay in Alabama as it is too cold here...zone 5...ick why did we buy this place!

sounds like they would be pretty simple then. thanks.

I'm sure you've said but I can't remember.....where did you move to? it would be hard to go from alabama to a cold climate. I am soooo enjoying our mild fall temps right now here in OK, I just can't imagine it already being nasty cold.

I went from Lower Alabama near the beach to zone 5 in Missouri.  So much I can not grow here.  Going to try sweet cherries and some borderline stuff.  Sure wish someone around here knew more than me... I don't know much at all.

you can grow sweet cherries in zone 5...Traverse City..the cherry capitol ...grows sweet and sour cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and all sorts of stuff..but they have the national cherry festival here in July to celebrate the cherries that they produce..Michigan..

Honestly, i live a zone colder than you..part of my property is zone 4..and the higher areas i grow more tender zone 5 crops ..and i can grow a LOT of stuff.

you'll get used to the area ..if you moved recently..remember up north here we had the coldest winter in 60 years and the second coldest summer in 60 years..so this has been a fluke of really cold bad weather around here..give it a try next year..

i put in two beautiful sweet cherry trees in the spring..and totally expect a crop next year..

read up on how to plant sweet cherries and other fruits..in zone 5..you generally should plant them at the top of a slope so that frost will drain away..mine are on the north side of my houise and have a slig slipe that goes down to a colddamp spot in the ayrd..

in zone 5 you also should be planting windbreaks on the n and west of your property to help protect rops from wind exposure..

roldae nas some good books out on palnting fruits and vegetables..and there are some books such as zone 5 gardening..a book written just for zone 5..the new northern garden is another book for cold weather gardening

It is amazing how much time I spent on this, lol, but here is an idea of what I have to wrk with.

I know what you mean about spending time on things like that! I tend to go a little overboard. but hey. there are worse things to do with your time!  it looks like you you have a nice piece of property there to work with.

how does one go about collecting asparagus seeds.

I bought mine but have seen the berries on plants so guess you would just pick them when ripe. 

I guess I just assumed that I would need only collect the berries on the spent fronds in the fall.  there could be more to it than that I suppose. I know tomatoes have to ferment somewhat.......

if you have an established asparagus bed you will get more volunteer seedlings than you can use. I started another row this spring of plants that sprouted last season from seed.  I did plant some in pots, but that meant  I had to take care of them. The ones I just planted in a new row did better.

so i was told by a local farmer to pick the red berries. when they are bright red, and plant as is. don't take off the berry coating. they should germinate in 10 weeks or so according to him.

picked some wild asparagus berries a couple weeks ago (pics at the link below)

http://wellheeledhills.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/asparagus-berriesseed/