Last night, we ate our first asparagus of the season from our patch. It was so sweet and tender. I planted the patch three years ago so this is the first year I can cut it the full season. It still is not huge but am hoping it continues to expand over the years. I first was intimadated about planting asparagus after reading all of the instructions but I found it to not be as difficult as it all seemed. Here is what I have found out with my patch.
The first and most important thing is place it somewhere that you will remember where it is and will not plant something over it. I have mine located next to a fence that edges one side of my garden. The next thing is to buy good one year old crowns from a local nursery or reputable seed catalog. I have both purple and green asparagus and like both of them. After obtaining the crowns, plant them in a trench according to package directions. Keep filling the trench as it grows until it is plant level. Asparagus must be planted deep enough or the spears will come up spindly.
After your asparagus is started, you need to get it established. That means no cutting the first year. The second year you can do a few light cuttings. The third year you can harvest a full 8 weeks. One of the farmers at the local farmer's market told me when the spears consistently get thinner than your little pinkie finger, then it is time to stop harvesting. The plants will then send up spears which eventually get pretty red berries on them. The only other thing to do is once the fronds die back in the fall, cut them to the ground to help with pest control.
When the spears first come up in the spring, they look like the ones you buy in the store. They will be of different widths. Break them off at the ground to harvest them. Our favorite way to cook them is to put a little olive oil in a small pan or aluminum foil, put a little sea salt over the top of them and roast them until just tender. You can also put them on the grill this way. Just make sure they are fully enclosed so they do not get too hard. Eat and enjoy. You will not believe the difference in taste between your home grown ones and store bought.
The first and most important thing is place it somewhere that you will remember where it is and will not plant something over it. I have mine located next to a fence that edges one side of my garden. The next thing is to buy good one year old crowns from a local nursery or reputable seed catalog. I have both purple and green asparagus and like both of them. After obtaining the crowns, plant them in a trench according to package directions. Keep filling the trench as it grows until it is plant level. Asparagus must be planted deep enough or the spears will come up spindly.
After your asparagus is started, you need to get it established. That means no cutting the first year. The second year you can do a few light cuttings. The third year you can harvest a full 8 weeks. One of the farmers at the local farmer's market told me when the spears consistently get thinner than your little pinkie finger, then it is time to stop harvesting. The plants will then send up spears which eventually get pretty red berries on them. The only other thing to do is once the fronds die back in the fall, cut them to the ground to help with pest control.
When the spears first come up in the spring, they look like the ones you buy in the store. They will be of different widths. Break them off at the ground to harvest them. Our favorite way to cook them is to put a little olive oil in a small pan or aluminum foil, put a little sea salt over the top of them and roast them until just tender. You can also put them on the grill this way. Just make sure they are fully enclosed so they do not get too hard. Eat and enjoy. You will not believe the difference in taste between your home grown ones and store bought.
.bmp)
No comments:
Post a Comment