asparagus

[Mini Horses]

Maybe just "one" meal?

 

[CrealCritter]

Maybe just "one" meal?

Nope... no doing, too young still. I just started from seed last year. I'll need to baby sit them this year. They really do need another year to get established and build up vigor.

 

[farmerjan]

If there are more than 3 spears from a crown, and the spear is at least finger size, it actually is good to harvest sparsely so that there are not too many spears trying to grow and then go to ferns... it will deplete the roots a little actually, before they actually will feed the crowns. I agree with not "harvesting" a crop but a meal would not hurt if there are a couple of size from each crown...

 

[CrealCritter]

I checked on the asparagus this morning. There's a lot of pencil or smaller diameter sized spears coming up, very few the diameter of a sharpie or larger. Some planted crowns have not sent up spears at all yet, I suspect they will soon though.

I plan on side dressing both sides of the row with barn limed cow manure scrapings from the cattle run-in it needs to be cleaned out anyways. This should feed the roots well with each rain. It's still a little early in the season for asparagus. But thankful for signs of life in the bed.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Asparagus update...

So the early spears got hit with hard freeze and wilted and died back. Had I known, I could have cut some for supper. But crowns are sending up new spears again so that's good. Pretty tough plants that's for sure. I'll harvest sparingly next spring.

Plan is to scrape out the cattle run in and spread out over the bed, sometime next month would be good. If weeds are bad I may do a shallow till along the sides and hand pull up around the ferns, before spreading out cattle scrapings. The I'll just continue to build up the bed with whatever organic matter I can scrape together and apply when the ferns go dormant. I could stand a halfway decent wood chipper, perhaps one might come along.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Left overs at round bales....perfect addition.

 

[R2elk]

Asparagus update...

So the early spears got hit with hard freeze and wilted and died back. Had I known, I could have cut some for supper. But crowns are sending up new spears again so that's good. Pretty tough plants that's for sure. I'll harvest sparingly next spring.

Plan is to scrape out the cattle run in and spread out over the bed, sometime next month would be good. If weeds are bad I may do a shallow till along the sides and hand pull up around the ferns, before spreading out cattle scrapings. The I'll just continue to build up the bed with whatever organic matter I can scrape together and apply when the ferns go dormant. I could stand a halfway decent wood chipper, perhaps one might come along.
View attachment 23089

Jesus is Lord and Christ

At first picking of the early shoots that happen before the end of freezing temps, I do take all shoots big enough to eat because they will freeze back and be lost anyway.

Once killing frosts are over, I leave the young plants alone. I have not noticed any loss of young plants by doing it this way. Whether I harvest the shoot or the frost gets it, the plant recovers for me.

 

[CrealCritter]

At first picking of the early shoots that happen before the end of freezing temps, I do take all shoots big enough to eat because they will freeze back and be lost anyway.

Once killing frosts are over, I leave the young plants alone. I have not noticed any loss of young plants by doing it this way. Whether I harvest the shoot or the frost gets it, the plant recovers for me.

Thank You for the info

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I would say we had a very high crown survival transplant rate from last fall. I seen 2 skips but little spears poking up so many 100% success rate. Hopefully you can see the ferns popping up in the row. Some are nearly 5 foot tall, the largest being, maybe slightly smaller in diameter than my pinky finger. Hopefully they grow well this summer and I'll be able to harvest sparingly early next spring.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Supposed to harvest April through May, it's March 17th, so about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Martha Washington has a sweet nutty taste and is way different than store-bought. My opinion... Martha Washington grown from seed is most definitely worth the effort, it's what I remember asparagus tasting like

Jesus is Lord and Christ