Monday, July 30, 2012

Asparagus - from seed to spear



Last summer I bought some asparagus seed to give it a go in the garden. The seed germinated and we repotted it several times over the following months.  Over the summer I kept it outside in the sunshine but put it under shade cloth as the cooler weather set it. The plants sent up fern like fronds in summer which yellowed during the autumn. Looking at them  last weekend, I realised that a couple of the plants thought that spring was just around the corner and were starting to send up new spears. 
Time to plant out. The problem is that it has taken me this long to decide where to put them where they can stay for the long term. As I usually rotate things around the vege garden, I had decided that it was not the place to put them.  The spot where we put potatoes in last season seemed like a good option but we have had some persistent little rabbits who somehow survived the myxomatosis spread of last spring. Solution, build a little fence around the asparagus section. It is not exactly the most aesthetic looking addition to the garden so perhaps it will need to be replaced with something more permanent and pleasing to the eye one day. For now it serves it purpose. So in went the 16 plants I had grown.
Now we sit and wait and somehow resist the temptation to harvest any spears at all this season.  We will have to wait until next spring for a 50% harvest of the crop to allow the crowns to develop. Meanwhile if you see me drooling while looking over the fence, you’ll know why.

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