Asparagus!

[Chuck52]

We had three inches of snow on the ground less than two weeks ago, and my ground is still so soggy from finally thawing and then rain, rain, rain that I can't walk on the grass without sinking. Yesterday it was in the 70's and today it's 82. I was able to work some of my raised beds yesterday, even though they are pretty wet, so I was out near one of the asparagus beds. This one is 8-9 years old and very productive even though the idiot who maintains it does a poor job. I had my weed torch out to burn some residue in my raised beds and since the grass and weeds were coming back on the asparagus beds I figured I'd flame them again. Then I saw purple! Here it is only the end of March and the asparagus is already coming up. I counted 8 spears this morning and there are probably more up now. Glad I saw them before I lit the torch....I prefer my asparagus lightly steamed, or grilled with garlic, not charred.

Chuck

 

[magicheater]

Where do you live Chuck? I just put in an irrigated asparagus bed last year with one year old roots and it did VERY well. With this early spring I don't know when mine will come up, usually in May, maybe april this year! We have been very dry and lots of stuff is slow. How many roots ya got in the ground? I am extending mine this year, another 40 or so.

 

[Chuck52]

I'm smack in the middle of Missouri. The old bed is a mix of Mary Washington and one of the Jersey hybrids. I planted it about 8-9 years ago following the simple instructions on an Ohio State site. I've never had to irrigate it though we have had some dry years in that period...seems like it's getting wetter here, on avaerage. This year it's so wet I just this week managed to get my onions in the ground and the potatoes are still in the bag. I was surprised the asparagus started so early, since we had snow on the ground just a couple weeks ago. Last year we had a really early warm spell and I don't think the asparagus was any earlier than thie year....go figure!

I have the old bed, which is about 25 feet long...I probably used a couple dozen roots in it. I also have a bed I planted about four years ago. It is two 25 foot beds, and I planted it at about an 18" spacing with what was supposed to be all Jersey Knight. However, I got a few berry-producing plants in there. If you have any berry producers you'll probably note that you find asparagus plants in interesting places eventually!

Chuck

 

[dave1949]

Chuck, Who says there is no GW? I am seeing little green leaf tips on our wild blackberry brambles this week.

We are supposed to get some good warm, drying weather tomorrow. I think I will cut off last years asparagus stalks and do a bit of weeding. It is a one year old bed this year, so I hope to get a few stalks for eating.

I want to try starting some elderberry plants from cuttings. The plants are volunteers hanging on out in the woods. Probably the seeds were spread from the homestead that was here many years ago. They are showing some signs of bud swells on the main stems now, I guess it is time.
Dave.

 

[magicheater]

I've never had to irrigate it though we have had some dry years in that period...

Chuck

I am using piped downspout water as an experiment, not that it actually needs it. My idea is that there may be more production with xtra water. Asparagus grows wild in the ditches here!

 

[dmccarty]

We are in the the 80's today. Tomorrow is going to be *** 88 ***!

Last weekend I lit the wood stove because it was cold.

The average last freeze data for us is 4/15. Last year we had a freeze on 4/15 which really punished the fruit orchards. This year it was so cold that the daffodils did not pop up until mid March.

I will finish cleaning up the garden tomorrow and Saturday. I noticed some weeds had sprouted up last week and I needed to go pull them. The danged things already have gone to seed. These seeds on these weeds launch when you touch the plants. Hate em. They just have grown, well like weeds. Super duper weeds this year.

Later,
Dan

 

[jeffinsgf]

I planted a couple dozen crowns last Spring. I've been watching the spot anxiously for the past couple weeks. Finally found the first spear this morning.

Chuck, you around Columbia? I'm in Springfield. We've been a little drier and warmer than you, but our March temps were far below our normal. 84 yesterday. Supposed to be the same today and tomorrow, but more rain tomorrow night.

 

[Chuck52]

Jeff,

I'm just outside Columbia. I hope the rain stays away until Saturday. I'm supposed to be getting a load of compost today and I need at least a day or two to move it around. I won't be able to use my tractor and rear scoop unless I want to tear up even more of my muddy ground.

Magic,

Where you at? I've seen wild asparagus in Tennessee and in Oklahomee...I lived in both astates in previous lives. The only "wild" asparagus I've seen around here is probably from the seeds of my plants. One bed is near my little fruit plot, where I've got raspberries and blueberries, and have had strawberries in the past. I've got raised beds in there with a fence to keep the deer out, and the holes in the concrete blocks I make the beds from seem to attract asparagus seeds. It is amazing how hard it is to pull those ferns up.

Dave,

Speaking of wild fruits, do you have gooseberries and raspberries there? We have lots of wild gooseberries, but I've also planted some tame varieties. I just started black and red raspberries a couple years ago, and last year I found black raspberries growing along a fence row. I thought they might be from seeds from my tame berries, but then I realized I had no berries when these apparently wild canes must have started.

I think there are elderberries in Missouri, too, but I don't recall seeing any. Are you trying for fruit, or just for decorative shrubs?

Both my tame and wild blackberries are leafing out. I wish I'd cut back the wild canes last year as the thicket will be over my head this year....again. It is so dense I can only collect part of the fruit.

Chuck

 

[dave1949]

Jeff,

I'm just outside Columbia. I hope the rain stays away until Saturday. I'm supposed to be getting a load of compost today and I need at least a day or two to move it around. I won't be able to use my tractor and rear scoop unless I want to tear up even more of my muddy ground.

Magic,

Where you at? I've seen wild asparagus in Tennessee and in Oklahomee...I lived in both astates in previous lives. The only "wild" asparagus I've seen around here is probably from the seeds of my plants. One bed is near my little fruit plot, where I've got raspberries and blueberries, and have had strawberries in the past. I've got raised beds in there with a fence to keep the deer out, and the holes in the concrete blocks I make the beds from seem to attract asparagus seeds. It is amazing how hard it is to pull those ferns up.

Dave,

Speaking of wild fruits, do you have gooseberries and raspberries there? We have lots of wild gooseberries, but I've also planted some tame varieties. I just started black and red raspberries a couple years ago, and last year I found black raspberries growing along a fence row. I thought they might be from seeds from my tame berries, but then I realized I had no berries when these apparently wild canes must have started.

I think there are elderberries in Missouri, too, but I don't recall seeing any. Are you trying for fruit, or just for decorative shrubs?

Both my tame and wild blackberries are leafing out. I wish I'd cut back the wild canes last year as the thicket will be over my head this year....again. It is so dense I can only collect part of the fruit.

Chuck

Hi Chuck,

I don't have any gooseberries but I think they can be grown here. We have a few volunteer red raspberries.

When I cleaned out the skidder trails to make them walkable, the blackberries just appeared once the sunlight got to them. They are very common around here. I don't do anything for them except push them back with the FEL bucket when they start overgrowing the trail. Rough up the soil a bit, keep the trees off them and they come back just fine. We pick what Mother nature throws our way

I think blackberries fruit on two year old canes. The fox, coyotes, grouse, turkeys and our dog get the low-hanging fruit. The prickers can be a challenge if you have to wade in, but it's worth it

We use the elderberries for the juice. It can be frozen, used in a pie, cooked down to syrup, some make tasty elderberry wine but I never have. I have a small press now if they come good this year. Last year, like everything else was poor. The year before we picked three 5gal. buckets. I would like to have more if I can propagate them from cuttings.

Like Magic says, we had volunteer asparagus in NW Ohio. It would grow on grassy ditch banks; every road had a ditch beside it. Folks would drive along slowly until they spotted some then cut a mess. They didn't spray the ditches for weeds. If needed they would drop a sickle bar mower down and give them a trim to keep the grass healthy.
Dave.

 

[MarkV]

I am surprised you are seeing asparagus that far north already. We have a couple of hundred plants in a bed here in N. Georgia. I haven't seen anything yet but I mulch with pine straw pretty heavy and they may not have cleared that. We are hoping for a better garden this year. Last year didn't seem like anyone in the area had good crops.

MarkV