Last spring (April 2012) we built new raised beds in our orchard. One of these beds was the home to about 52 Jersey Giant asparagus plants! We ordered a truck load of topsoil in and began to fill the beds and plant! To keep the asparagus company we planted our family's vegetables in the bed too. In 2012 we did not harvest any of the asparagus. It needed to grow and go to seed to put energy back into the roots. For winter we mulched about 3/4 of the asparagus with flax straw before running out of time before the snow came. It did not seem to matter whether or not the asparagus was mulched as we finally had a good amount of snowfall this winter to cover the ground!
In May 2013, we eagerly watched our asparagus begin to grow. Wow, this stuff sure grows fast! We have now harvested about a dozen spears just for our family's enjoyment. We will only harvest sparingly this year as the plants are still quite young. The asparagus sure tasted yummy cooked with some butter flavoured olive oil and seasoned with garlic, dill, and sea salt! The goal is to start having asparagus for sale spring of 2014! Keep tuned for more details in May 2014.
In May 2013, we eagerly watched our asparagus begin to grow. Wow, this stuff sure grows fast! We have now harvested about a dozen spears just for our family's enjoyment. We will only harvest sparingly this year as the plants are still quite young. The asparagus sure tasted yummy cooked with some butter flavoured olive oil and seasoned with garlic, dill, and sea salt! The goal is to start having asparagus for sale spring of 2014! Keep tuned for more details in May 2014.