I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of crops you don't have to plant
every year, so I've bought some asparagus, after much searching. It's a
ferny looking thing in a 1 quart.

The more I read about asparagus, the more confused I get. I'm in
Atlanta, 7b, and this seems to need a hard freeze and is a cool season crop.

I've got a pretty sunny spot, but away from the irrigation. Or I can
plant along a low retaining wall. How high does this get? Or perhaps it
would be best to put it in a container? How deep? I'd like to not make a
mistake that I might not realize for a couple years!

On another note, I'm depressed to find the big box stores are
carrying a lot less drip irrigation supplies than the sundry lot they
had last year. I had to go to 4 stores just to find drippers! The
collection of timers however, has exploded. I was looking at a $24 Toro
timer/valve that was wireless and also could connect to a moisture
sensor and had multiple time options. $24, Zow! Must be lawn care that
is driving all this technology. I suppose next they'll have one that
tweets.

Jeff

Jeff Thies wrote:
I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of crops you don't have to plant
every year, so I've bought some asparagus, after much searching. It's
a ferny looking thing in a 1 quart.

You have one crown.


The more I read about asparagus, the more confused I get. I'm in
Atlanta, 7b, and this seems to need a hard freeze and is a cool
season crop.

It is not a coll season crop and it does not need a hard freeze. Whether it
would tolerate one I cannot say from experience. The new shoots start in
spring (this is what you eat some of) and you let these grow up through
summer. In autumn the tops will die and when they are all brown you cut
them off at ground level. If you then mulch the roots I would expect that
they would take quite cold conditions as they are dormant. Then next spring
the shoots start from the roots again. It is essential to not cut the
spears too long as you need plenty of healthy tops to grow to make food to
store in the roots for next year. This is particularly important for new
plants, depending on the age of your crowns you do not cut the first year or
two.

I've got a pretty sunny spot, but away from the irrigation. Or I can
plant along a low retaining wall. How high does this get?

About 2m (6-7ft). It needs full sun. Find a place where it can be left
alone for 10 years or more.

Or perhaps
it would be best to put it in a container? How deep? I'd like to not
make a mistake that I might not realize for a couple years!

Not in a container. It has deep roots and needs to spread and to be fed
regularly, preferably with magic horse pucks. One crown is not much use,
estimate vary but a dozen or two would be more like it for a small family.
You can propagate it from seeds as well as buying crowns but it takes
longer.


David

In article , says...

It is not a coll season crop and it does not need a hard freeze. Whether it
would tolerate one I cannot say from experience. The new shoots start in

Asparagus is grown in Zone 5 Ontario. Hard freezes are us...

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Jeff Thies wrote:
I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of crops you don't have to plant
every year, so I've bought some asparagus, after much searching. It's
a ferny looking thing in a 1 quart.

You have one crown.


The more I read about asparagus, the more confused I get. I'm in
Atlanta, 7b, and this seems to need a hard freeze and is a cool
season crop.

It is not a coll season crop and it does not need a hard freeze. Whether it
would tolerate one I cannot say from experience. The new shoots start in
spring (this is what you eat some of) and you let these grow up through
summer. In autumn the tops will die and when they are all brown you cut
them off at ground level. If you then mulch the roots I would expect that
they would take quite cold conditions as they are dormant. Then next spring
the shoots start from the roots again. It is essential to not cut the
spears too long as you need plenty of healthy tops to grow to make food to
store in the roots for next year. This is particularly important for new
plants, depending on the age of your crowns you do not cut the first year or
two.

I've got a pretty sunny spot, but away from the irrigation. Or I can
plant along a low retaining wall. How high does this get?

About 2m (6-7ft). It needs full sun. Find a place where it can be left
alone for 10 years or more.

Or perhaps
it would be best to put it in a container? How deep? I'd like to not
make a mistake that I might not realize for a couple years!

Not in a container. It has deep roots and needs to spread and to be fed
regularly, preferably with magic horse pucks. One crown is not much use,
estimate vary but a dozen or two would be more like it for a small family.
You can propagate it from seeds as well as buying crowns but it takes
longer.


David

What's a "magic horse puck"?

--
Enjoy Life... Dan

Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

Dan L. wrote:
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Jeff Thies wrote:
I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of crops you don't have to plant
every year, so I've bought some asparagus, after much searching. It's
a ferny looking thing in a 1 quart.
You have one crown.

The more I read about asparagus, the more confused I get. I'm in
Atlanta, 7b, and this seems to need a hard freeze and is a cool
season crop.
It is not a coll season crop and it does not need a hard freeze. Whether it
would tolerate one I cannot say from experience. The new shoots start in
spring (this is what you eat some of) and you let these grow up through
summer. In autumn the tops will die and when they are all brown you cut
them off at ground level. If you then mulch the roots I would expect that
they would take quite cold conditions as they are dormant. Then next spring
the shoots start from the roots again. It is essential to not cut the
spears too long as you need plenty of healthy tops to grow to make food to
store in the roots for next year. This is particularly important for new
plants, depending on the age of your crowns you do not cut the first year or
two.

I've got a pretty sunny spot, but away from the irrigation. Or I can
plant along a low retaining wall. How high does this get?
About 2m (6-7ft). It needs full sun. Find a place where it can be left
alone for 10 years or more.

Or perhaps
it would be best to put it in a container? How deep? I'd like to not
make a mistake that I might not realize for a couple years!
Not in a container. It has deep roots and needs to spread and to be fed
regularly, preferably with magic horse pucks. One crown is not much use,
estimate vary but a dozen or two would be more like it for a small family.
You can propagate it from seeds as well as buying crowns but it takes
longer.


David

What's a "magic horse puck"?

What do you imagine the possibilities to be? You'll want to watch what
you may be stepping into. (BTW, thanks David...)

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

Dan L. wrote:
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Jeff Thies wrote:
I'm somewhat enamored with the idea of crops you don't have to plant
every year, so I've bought some asparagus, after much searching. It's
a ferny looking thing in a 1 quart.
You have one crown.

The more I read about asparagus, the more confused I get. I'm in
Atlanta, 7b, and this seems to need a hard freeze and is a cool
season crop.
It is not a coll season crop and it does not need a hard freeze. Whether
it
would tolerate one I cannot say from experience. The new shoots start in
spring (this is what you eat some of) and you let these grow up through
summer. In autumn the tops will die and when they are all brown you cut
them off at ground level. If you then mulch the roots I would expect that
they would take quite cold conditions as they are dormant. Then next
spring
the shoots start from the roots again. It is essential to not cut the
spears too long as you need plenty of healthy tops to grow to make food to
store in the roots for next year. This is particularly important for new
plants, depending on the age of your crowns you do not cut the first year
or
two.

I've got a pretty sunny spot, but away from the irrigation. Or I can
plant along a low retaining wall. How high does this get?
About 2m (6-7ft). It needs full sun. Find a place where it can be left
alone for 10 years or more.

Or perhaps
it would be best to put it in a container? How deep? I'd like to not
make a mistake that I might not realize for a couple years!
Not in a container. It has deep roots and needs to spread and to be fed
regularly, preferably with magic horse pucks. One crown is not much use,
estimate vary but a dozen or two would be more like it for a small family.
You can propagate it from seeds as well as buying crowns but it takes
longer.


David

What's a "magic horse puck"?

What do you imagine the possibilities to be? You'll want to watch what
you may be stepping into. (BTW, thanks David...)

Jeff

Sounds like another name for a meadow wafer, or pasture pastry ;O)
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Billy wrote:

Sounds like another name for a meadow wafer, or pasture pastry ;O)
--

I prefer "Heifer Dust."

For the two people who haven't heard it, a (probably fake) garden tale:

Harry Truman was looking out a White House window one fine spring day and
remarked, "Looks like it's time to get the gardeners to spread some manure
on the lawns."
Daughter: "Mommy, can't you get him to say 'fertilizer?' "
Bess: "Honey, it's taken me twenty years to get him to say 'manure!' "


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Harry Truman on manure, circa 1973
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...0501-4,00.html

Una

In article ,
Gary Woods wrote:

Billy wrote:

Sounds like another name for a meadow wafer, or pasture pastry ;O)
--

I prefer "Heifer Dust."

For the two people who haven't heard it, a (probably fake) garden tale:

Harry Truman was looking out a White House window one fine spring day and
remarked, "Looks like it's time to get the gardeners to spread some manure
on the lawns."
Daughter: "Mommy, can't you get him to say 'fertilizer?' "
Bess: "Honey, it's taken me twenty years to get him to say 'manure!' "


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

I am going to have ergonomic issues just kill filling you folks, I
wonder if laughing hard is is is

Bovine bingo
Bovine bingo is a traditional rural fundraising game that is often
played at country fetes and summer fairs, usually for fundraising
purposes.
Bovine bingo is not really a form of bingo, but a form of lottery. The
game is set up by marking out a grid of rectangles on an enclosed land
area, such as a paddock or farm field. This is usually done by chalking
lines. The grid cells are then numbered or otherwise identified in some
way, and chances are sold on each cell. A cow (or other livestock
animal) is then let loose within the enclosure. Where the first
"cowflop" (defecation) lands determines the winner. Another popular
variation of this game takes place during parades, usually with horses.
Same rules apply, however.
The game is sometimes controversial because of the stress the animal may
be exposed to.
The game is also known as "Cow Chip Bingo", "Cowpie Bingo", "Fertilizer
Lottery", "Cow Patty Bingo", "Cow Pat Lottery", or "Bossy Bingo."
External links
? "Cow Patty Bingo (Cow Chip Bingo; Cowpie Bingo; Bovine Bingo:
Bossy Bingo; Fertilizer Lottery)", Barry Popik's collection of citations
(including this wikipedia article)
Categories: Game stubs | Cattle | Lotteries

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?

http://www.thesunmagazine.org/ many stars

Bill who putters wrote:

Bovine bingo is a traditional rural fundraising game that is often
played at country fetes and summer fairs, usually for fundraising
purposes.
A must stop at the Altamont (Albany County NY) fair.
The cow du jour is usually loaned from the 4-H barn nearby.



Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G