Monday, April 15, 2013

Asparagus and Spider Condos


I am so excited to harvest our three year old asparagus patch. For those that do not know; asparagus is planted in late fall / early winter with the first shoots appearing the next spring. Conventional wisdom says you should not harvest asparagus the first two springs to allow the crowns to get well established. I have been very patient with our asparagus patch the last two springs (okay, I ate one or two shoots) but this year, asparagus is on the menu. Our asparagus patch should produce every spring for the next 20 years or so. I plan on putting in two more beds this fall.

History lesson:

Asparagus is pictured in an ancient Egyptian stone carving from 3000 BC as an offering to the gods. The Romans would harvest it in the spring and carry it high into the alps to freeze it. They would keep it there until the feast of Epicurus. Asparagus is known to some as "sparrow-grass". It is a good companion plant for tomatoes. I am going to plant a tomato in the middle of my asparagus bed this year and see if they do well together. 





The peas I planted in early march are finally coming up. I am not having a good germination rate. I believe this is due to a very bad cold snap we had after I planted. I love peas, so I hope I get a good harvest this spring.







This plant is so hardy. I put a spade shovel in the middle of it early this spring and harvested about half of the roots. It doesn't care at all. Russian Comfrey belongs in everyone's garden. It is a dynamic accumulator, bringing hard to reach nutrients to the surface and into your compost. It can also be used as a shredded mulch or side dressing. 








I planted a few thousand white clover seeds a couple weeks ago. They are coming up all over an area where I killed the grass off. I hope they spread everywhere.







Seeking roommate, preferably a fly or other soft bodied insect to share a one bedroom condo with sunroof and large attached deck. Situated in a small community of early spring flowers. Praying mantis need not apply. 






4 comments:

  1. Loved the spider bit! Very clever

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  2. Thank you. I just wanted to get a pic of the flower and I saw him chilling in there. I wonder if the spider is waiting for a pollinator to come by.

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  3. hi! I'm waiting for my asparagus to pop up after planting it last summer. Very excited. but tell me: is there a reason for planting the white clover around the asparagus?

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  4. Hello. If you are talking about the ground cover in the asparagus picture that is ground ivy or creeping charlie (Glecoma hederacea). It is in the mint family and I have it all over the yard. It doesn't seem to hurt my asparagus. The white clover is planted in another area of the yard where I killed the grass back over the winter. Hope this helps.

    Patrick

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