Asparagus update

So here we have the Asparagus fern in all its glory. Those pesky north westerly winds have provided a jaunty angle to my ferns at present.

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I'm updating now so that you can see how huge these things get.

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Hand weeding continues a pace. It's boring and difficult but at least it takes a really long time. Last weekend I was in the middle of those ferns it started to drizzle. I didn't realise it was raining until after I'd come back out!

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It's about time to mulch and feed the plants. By the time they get to this size they have taken a lot of food from the soil. Now is the time to replace that in regular increments throughout the summer. It also keeps weeds down.

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Just weeding, feeding and waiting now.

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More mulch required later in the autumn to keep the worst of the cold weather off them.
(pics to follow)

Aspargus update

At the beginning of the warmest, dries April I've known for some time the Asparagus started to emerge from under the winter mulch. I carefully cleared all the mulch away and look what I found.

So by late April as the warm dry weather continued most of my Asparagus is already past the eating point so I can stop sitting on my hands and enjoy the wonder of this strange but very delicious early cropping vegetable.

This is the Anniversary of the Asparagus being planted. They were cute little one year old roots when we put them in last year. This year we can take a few stems but what's the point? As Smoky said. "A taste of honey is worse than none at all".

Next year we'll be able to eat loads of this stuff and I'll be sure to post some nice inventive recipes.

This year I just get to water and feed and nurture my crop. It's tantalising.

Patience grasshopper.

December.


January.


February.


March Hello little fellas!





Asparagus from seed. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all this. I have 20 plants ready for harvesting next May.

I'll have to split it up and harden it off and then I can see me turning up to friends houses with this stuff all year. I'll create a rash of asparagus beds in Essex and the surrounding area. Well that's a happy plan.

It will be three years before you can eat this stuff but then you get Asparagus for two whole months for the next 20 years. Fair exchange is no robbery right?

Worth the wait.

So what was supposed to be the most exciting part of this veggie year turned out to be a bit of an after thought. Such is life, and I am reminded that life goes on every day despite everything.


So in rather short order here is the planting of the mighty Asparagus. I can't wait for the first crop. It will be in May 2011. I'm not kidding. This is a marathon not a sprint and the inclusion of the Asparagus on the bottom plot finally caps off the total transformation of the bottom plot to perennial plants. With some judicious mulching I'll hardly have to weed the bottom plot at all.

(Yeah right!)


I'm burying weapons of mass destruction in 4 ten feet long silos!



Once the trenches have been dug I part filled them with well rotted horse poop.





Then I dropped some soil back on top and hoed up the sides of the bottom of the trench.





Plant your Asparagus over the mound



and spread out the roots.


Cover with finely sieved soil. Now....................WAIT TWO YEARS!


The crops will start growing straight away.



Aawww look.

Don't bee fooled see that stone next to it.....



Tiny!



I need a manicure!


By the end of summer these tiny little shoots will grow into ferns about four feet high and about three feet across. I have to let them grow and die back this year and again next year and only at that stage can I start to crop them.

I've got 20 plants (10 early and 10 late cropping) so If you know me well and live local I'll almost definitely be dropping off Asparagus when I visit! But not any time soon.