DH picked the first 3 spears of asparagus today. I got to eat all
three raw. They were nice and crunchy. The fact that it has been
(and still is) raining for the last couple of days probably helped
them.
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

The Cook wrote:
DH picked the first 3 spears of asparagus today. I got to eat all
three raw. They were nice and crunchy. The fact that it has been
(and still is) raining for the last couple of days probably helped
them.

!!

i am so envious... enjoy!


songbird

Asparagus crowns are a single plant. They do not branch out and make more. The roots get bigger each year and the shoots get bigger each year for several years then it levels off.

It sounds like a couple of your crowns died. Every year you can harvest the shoots for about a month then you must fertilize it and let it grow up big and do not cut it down until frost. It needs that time to make food and store it in the roots for next years crop. Mulch it over winter.

I have been planting asparagus for quite a few years. I put in a few crowns just about every year. If you want enough to make a good batch of spears, you need at least 25 crowns. More is better. I think I have around 40 crowns now and 10 of those are not old enough to harvest this year. I just planted 25 crowns this spring. Maybe in a couple of years we will be loaded with asparagus. As is we have been getting 1.5 pounds every two days for nearly a month now. Its about time for me to let it grow up.

I have one batch that became shaded with the orchard trees and it does not do so well in the shady conditions. It is surviving, but it is two weeks later coming up and doesn't produce like that in the sun. It helps if you can keep the weeds and grass out of the bed too.

PhoenixWench wrote:
....
I have three little purple spears showing too - not quite ready to pick,
but so cute in their purple pride ;-)

sprouts are usually cute. like babies.
at least until they eat something they
shouldn't. or as a plant, spread someplace
where they aren't wanted.


I've been having to water everything daily, as we have had only a light
sprinkle of rain in the past month, and the red flags for fire danger
are all over the Catskill region.

On the plus side, the daily visits with the hose let me admire the tiny
spinach, kale, beet and radish sprouts that all survived that last hard
frost ;-)
If the weather continues as nicely as it has been I'm going to have a
longer than usual growing season - I just hope we get some rain soon or
my poor apple trees are not going to produce. The first blossoms have
already appeared, but nothing like the usual display - maybe they are
holding out for rain?

i hope the recent rains are making it over that
ways? they have been well appreciated here. everything
grows so much better with a good rain and it saves
me doing it. especially any clay gardens i might be
trying to keep at weeding.

one thing nice about having a longer spring season
before planting is that i have had more time to get
out and weed some areas before they put on heavy
overgrowth so i won't have to walk on any of it
again until when i selectively harvest or trim it
back (to feed the worms and to feed the plants with
their own leaves/stems). it looks nicer in bloom
when i don't have to walk on it.

i hope your apple tree comes along well.


songbird