Was doing a bit of research on asparagus growing and was chuffed to learn that Taiwan has developed its own method of production which is known as the 'mother stalk method'. The normal method is to cut the plants back to ground level after they go into their 'dormant' stage, but as this stage is temperature triggered (less than 10C)it doesn't happen here and the plant remains green all year round.

As such, the Taiwanese farmer invented a system of allowing 3 or 4 of the main fern fronds to keep growing while cutting back the rest. The asparagus will then shoot up around these 'mother stalks'. This allows for a much longer harvest period - supposedly.

It takes about two years from planting before you can really start to harvest - so there is a bit of patience involved - sorely tested at the beginning when the chickens got in and had a ball digging up my freshly mulched and planted beds of asparagus seedlings.

Meant to be planted 30 cm apart, but not sure on the rows, read somehwere that it was 1.5 metres but thought that sounded a bit excessive.

Weeding is important.

My local nursery guy said they need a lot of water, but he was probably referring to summer - elsewhere they say they don't need a lot of water - in fact, too much can kill them.

So far as nutrients go, they are said to like potassium, which can be provided from banana peels.

Although apsaruagus have been recorded to grow up to 100 years old, their productive lifespan is normally 10-15 years, but only about half that in the tropics - double the production but only half the life - the Jimmy Hendrix of asparagus.

They were were first recorded in Egyptian artwork in 4000BC!

You mentioned that neighbour of yours was growing asparagus - is he/she is using this famous Taiwan mother stalk method?