On 6/19/11 5:51 AM, Mysterious Traveler wrote:
On 06/16/2011 09:26 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
On 6/16/11 1:15 PM, Mysterious Traveler wrote:
Over the past 25 or so years seeds from my Asparagus patch have
blown over to various spots where conditions were right for them
to germinate. Only one place has survived due to harsh conditions
such as we have here in the desert. For places where enough rain
falls and conditions are better than here, Asparagus should be in
everyones garden. It's easy to grow. It can spread under favorable
conditions. There have been times in past years when I've neglected
it and it still thrived. It's cheap to purchase and comes in root
crowns that are already several years old, so just plant and water.
They don't seem to be able to get to much water, and once established
can be drought resistant. This year I've put rock salt around the
Asparagus to keep weeds and grass down and it seems to be working.

Still no rain yet and the temp is only 104 F today. The water well
is running overtime. I relocated a little Hog nose snake down to the
marsh earlier. Box turtles are staying close to the water. Bees are
swarming the stock tank for water.

The watermelons are starting to blossom.

Desert West Texas


I had asparagus growing in the same bed for about 30 years. Then early
in 2005, we had record-breaking rains. The asparagus rotted in the
ground.

In the spring, I noticed asapagus seedlings coming up. By this year, I
hoped to harvest some for my wife and me. Yep, the rainfall this past
winter was exceeded in recent years only by the rainfall in 2005.

Now I again see seedlings.

But we did indeed have artichokes from the back yard this year.

After reading about artichokes on Wikipedia, I'm not sure
they will grow in our climate, even the Northern Star variety
which is supposed to be able to withstand cold better. Soil
conditions here are probably to dry, I'm guessing. How much
soil moisture do you usually have? How much do you usually
water them? I've got enough to water now that with something
that needs abundant water or care might perish. The sun is so
intense here even plants that get enough water don't always
survive.

I run my garden sprinklers once every three days, for about 10 minutes
per valve. The 10 minutes is actually broken into two 5-minutes
sessions to allow the water to penetrate the soil and not run off. In
another month, I'll probably be doing 15 minutes per valve in three
5-minute sessions.

Yes, artichokes prefer a cool summer. Despite all the water and the
fact that it's in part shade, mine goes dormant in July or August, dying
down to the ground. It then resprouts in October, remaining in leaf
through the winter. Buds -- the part you eat -- appear in early spring.


--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary