This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
Friday, May 03, 2013
asparagus
This is my first real harvest of asparagus. Enough for a nice meal.
15 comments:
Anonymous
said...
How old is your bed? I just started one this year. On a side note, I saw my first fiddlehead this am. I put 3 plants in last fall. Can't wait to see more. Kathy from Needham
I planted Asparagus crowns two years ago. (only 6 mounds, since I have an average size garden. Last year I got about 15 stalks which I let fern over. This year I only have about 12 stalks from 4 of the mounds and they are as thick as my fingers. Is this normal? I thought I should get more shoots this year but be thinner. I snapped a few off however and they are tender and delicious. Do I let them fern over another year or should I start picking? Will the other two mounds ever produce?
Yum,Yum. When I was younger I didn't like Asparagus, probably because the first time I had it, it had been boiled to a sloppy mess, so I gave it a miss. Now I really appreciate its verdant delicate flavour. I should plan to find room for a bed, perhaps less potatoes. Enjoy! Marian (LondonUK)
I'm not sure I know enough about asparagus to answer. Maybe someone else can add to this answer.
From my reading, planting depth can affect stalk thickness. The deeper the planting, the thicker the stalks. Maybe yours are planted deep, giving thicker stalks. Mine are probably a bit shallow.
This year, my active crowns started with little-finger thickness stalks, which I picked. After 2 harvests, the stalks are now thicker - like the photos in this post. I am leaving thumb thickness stalks to grow.
In my bed, I planted lots of crowns (25, I think) 4 years ago in a bed about 3 x 5 feet. Some crowns grew and got bigger, others never came up, others came up but haven't grown much over time. Last spring I expanded the bed a foot (to 4 by 5 feet) and put in about 8 more crowns of purple asparagus. Now I have about 5 or 6 very active green crowns - the second year purple ones are still small, as are a few of the 4-yr green crowns.
My new purple crowns and several less active green ones (these are in shadier parts of the bed) are producing only a few pencil thin stalks so far and I haven't picked these. I am thinking that these green crowns likely will not establish. So that gives you a much better percentage of establishing than me.... (I think I over-planted my bed.)
I hate to tell you to keep picking, because over-picking too early can weaken the plants and make it hard to recover..... I was cautious and waited 4 years, so that's what I am thinking.
I am planning to add some fish emulsion and compost side dressing soon, now that I have finished harvesting.
When I was younger, we children would search the wilds in search of wild strawberries (so sweet). We also would gather rangy stalks of wild asparagus (so different than what is in the produce department of the supermarket).
This makes me want to see if fresh domestic is comparable to the wild.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply about my asparagus. I really appreciate it since you have so many followers and are probably so busy. I will take your advice and leave them to fern one more year. I now have a total of 21 stalks, but I will also add the compost and fish emulsion, following your example. I guess I can;t do much about the planting depth, I will just have to eat fat asparagus! LOL
Thank you so much Kathy! I know you are busy with your gardens and many followers! I will take your advice on the asparagus and let it fern one more year and also add more compost and fish emulsion. Not sure what to do about the planting depth so I guess I will just add fat asparagus!
This is my first real harvest of asparagus. Enough for a nice meal.
15 comments:
How old is your bed? I just started one this year. On a side note, I saw my first fiddlehead this am. I put 3 plants in last fall. Can't wait to see more.
Kathy from Needham
I started my bed in spring 2009, so its 4 years old. I think its taken a little longer than usual to establish.
I planted Asparagus crowns two years ago. (only 6 mounds, since I have an average size garden. Last year I got about 15 stalks which I let fern over. This year I only have about 12 stalks from 4 of the mounds and they are as thick as my fingers. Is this normal? I thought I should get more shoots this year but be thinner. I snapped a few off however and they are tender and delicious. Do I let them fern over another year or should I start picking? Will the other two mounds ever produce?
Brilliant! Yum. :)
This is my 4th year too, but mine are from seed so its right on schedule.
Yum,Yum. When I was younger I didn't like Asparagus, probably because the first time I had it, it had been boiled to a sloppy mess, so I gave it a miss. Now I really appreciate its verdant delicate flavour. I should plan to find room for a bed, perhaps less potatoes. Enjoy!
Marian (LondonUK)
Fresh, home grown asparagus is the best ... takes time to get a bed of it going, but once you do, it will last 10 or more years.
I'm glad for your asparagus harvest. I've never grown it. I'm too impatient.I can't wait that long.
Stephanie,
I'm not sure I know enough about asparagus to answer. Maybe someone else can add to this answer.
From my reading, planting depth can affect stalk thickness. The deeper the planting, the thicker the stalks. Maybe yours are planted deep, giving thicker stalks. Mine are probably a bit shallow.
This year, my active crowns started with little-finger thickness stalks, which I picked. After 2 harvests, the stalks are now thicker - like the photos in this post. I am leaving thumb thickness stalks to grow.
In my bed, I planted lots of crowns (25, I think) 4 years ago in a bed about 3 x 5 feet. Some crowns grew and got bigger, others never came up, others came up but haven't grown much over time. Last spring I expanded the bed a foot (to 4 by 5 feet) and put in about 8 more crowns of purple asparagus. Now I have about 5 or 6 very active green crowns - the second year purple ones are still small, as are a few of the 4-yr green crowns.
My new purple crowns and several less active green ones (these are in shadier parts of the bed) are producing only a few pencil thin stalks so far and I haven't picked these. I am thinking that these green crowns likely will not establish. So that gives you a much better percentage of establishing than me.... (I think I over-planted my bed.)
I hate to tell you to keep picking, because over-picking too early can weaken the plants and make it hard to recover..... I was cautious and waited 4 years, so that's what I am thinking.
I am planning to add some fish emulsion and compost side dressing soon, now that I have finished harvesting.
im still a year out on my first harvest of asparagus. this post gives me hope!
Seriously! These are beautiful. Enjoy every bite!
When I was younger, we children would search the wilds in search of wild strawberries (so sweet). We also would gather rangy stalks of wild asparagus (so different than what is in the produce department of the supermarket).
This makes me want to see if fresh domestic is comparable to the wild.
That asparagus looks good. I've never tried growing it myself. I wonder how it would do growing in a container?
Susanne
From the Market to the Plate
Putting Words Down On Paper
Kathy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply about my asparagus. I really appreciate it since you have so many followers and are probably so busy. I will take your advice and leave them to fern one more year. I now have a total of 21 stalks, but I will also add the compost and fish emulsion, following your example. I guess I can;t do much about the planting depth, I will just have to eat fat asparagus! LOL
Thank you so much Kathy! I know you are busy with your gardens and many followers! I will take your advice on the asparagus and let it fern one more year and also add more compost and fish emulsion. Not sure what to do about the planting depth so I guess I will just add fat asparagus!
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