Woo Hoo! Asparagus!

Why am I so excited about the asparagus you ask? Because growing asparagus is a long term investment of time, energy and space. The Old Farmer's Almanac gives a nice, concise description of the process that's worth the quick read if you're interested.

 

The Hubby built me simple boxes out of plywood and we filled it with good soil, not the weird clay stuff from the yard that holds water like a sponge.  I picked up asparagus crowns from Home Depot, soaked them, and planted them in a trench.  I didn't really fuss over them.  I weeded and watered them sporadically, cut the dead foliage in the fall, and piled on a layer of manure in the spring. 

 

We've spent two years being amazed at how cool they look coming up from the ground, thin, green asparagus that would eventually get better as the summer progressed.  But this is year three, which means we can finally harvest the asparagus.  And I have to say I don't remember them ever being this big and thick coming up.  I can only hope that we get twenty years of asparagus from this patch.  For now right, I'm just happy to finally be able to eat it!