{"id":1377,"date":"2013-08-16T14:14:52","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T18:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1377"},"modified":"2014-07-04T09:48:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-04T13:48:13","slug":"asparagus-the-first-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1377","title":{"rendered":"Asparagus – The First Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

So from time to time I can get a little gung ho when I have a new idea. This is usually when TB runs and hides, hoping he won’t have to help and I won’t make a huge mess.<\/p>\n

Last fall as the garden was winding down I was already thinking about the next year and what we would grow. The first year or two I wanted to stay basic and started growing easy things like tomatoes and cucumbers. Since this went well I thought we should try for things we actually eat. Although we both love the herbs I’m not a big fan of tomatoes and TB doesn’t like cukes. Some of our favorite vegetables are asparagus and artichokes. And that’s where the researching began.<\/p>\n

Artichokes are beautiful and remind me of thistles, which is a big thing is Scottish culture. I was so excited with the idea to plant a bunch of them in an area that is now our front yard. The plants are of course huge and spiky. And there is currently grass in that location that would have to be ripped up and made into a garden bed. I got a big thumbs down from TB on that one.<\/p>\n

Next was asparagus. These are typically grown from crowns that look like an octopus instead of seed. This is a long term crop in that you plant one year but can’t harvest until the second or third year. The good news is that once established the plants will produce asparagus for 15-20 years. What that means is I had to pick a planting spot and stick with it for a long time. So much pressure!<\/p>\n

So last fall I moved a few perennials from around where I tried the potatoes (disaster!) and made that whole bed the spot for asparagus. I vaguely remember making a deal with TB that I would take care of the whole thing for some reason which was a bad idea. The lumber that I used for the raised beds was heavy and it almost didn’t happen. But admitting I am wrong is worse than my arms falling off so it got finished. \u00a0The crowns were planted and we mulched the whole thing with shredded leaves and waited until spring.<\/p>\n

Once spring came I couldn’t wait to see those little spears! \u00a0In NJ asparagus season is late April to late June. \u00a0 The spears grow by pushing up through the soil looking like, well, asparagus! \u00a0It seriously looks like you bought a bunch of spears from the market and just stuck them in the dirt. \u00a0This picture was taken April 5th and I was so excited.<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus<\/a><\/p>\n

And I waited and waited and I did get a few more by the end of April. \u00a0 \u00a0Since I had planted 7 crowns I had hoped to get at least a few spears per plant. \u00a0I had purchased 2 year old crowns in 2012 so in theory, in 2013 they would be 3 years old and I could pick a few. \u00a0If you leave the spears on the plant they grow up into these beautiful ferns, which use photosynthesis to feed the roots and make a stronger plant for next year. \u00a0 So you pick some to eat and leave some for the plant. \u00a0But I had like 5 spears so there was none to pick. \u00a0\u00a0By mid June I \u00a0was sure that I must have messed up somewhere along the way.<\/p>\n

And then it finally happened. \u00a0The “season” was officially over but the plants didn’t care. \u00a0All the sudden spears started shooting up from the ground like this.<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So having left all the spears that had grown so far, by mid July we had a bunch of the lovely ferns. \u00a0They were pretty tall, maybe 4 feet high if held up straight, and had this light ethereal quality.<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So at this point I was pretty happy. \u00a0I didn’t really have enough to harvest any but was pretty confident I hadn’t killed them. \u00a0All 7 crowns had produced spears and next year would be a great harvest. \u00a0End of story, right?<\/p>\n

Except that my asparagus don’t realize that August isn’t “asparagus season”. \u00a0They are supposed to be cool weather plants like lettuce and beets. \u00a0They apparently think that 80 degree weather is just fine for growing. \u00a0Maybe they feel like this is cooler after July being 100 degrees everyday. \u00a0I just went outside to take these photos and try to get a spear count.<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We are somewhere in the 40s on spears. \u00a0It’s hard to count now because the ferns have become so dense! \u00a0The post all the way at the left is 3 1\/2 feet tall to give you some perspective. \u00a0That means that if you stand the ferns up straight we are talking some that are 7 feet tall.<\/p>\n

And there are still more popping up! \u00a0(TB just asked if we could finally pick some)<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So moral of this gardening story: \u00a0don’t give up. \u00a0Sometime you think you may have killed something but instead it is just taking it’s sweet time getting itself together. Maybe these asparagus plants are just rebels that don’t like being told when to grow, which I can totally respect!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So from time to time I can get a little gung ho when I have a new idea. This is usually when TB runs and hides, hoping he won’t have to help and I won’t make a huge mess. Last…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,20],"tags":[214,82],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Asparagus-aug-16-13.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1J4KT-md","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1513,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1513","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":0},"title":"Spring is here. It’s time to garden.","date":"May 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"You may have noticed there have been no seed starting\/winter sowing posts this year. \u00a0No mid February excitement about tiny leaves popping up. \u00a0No posts about Opie knocking dirt everywhere. This year we changed it up a bit for a two main reasons. First, with Lincoln taking up a good\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/IMG_4288.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":840,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=840","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":1},"title":"Mid June Garden Update","date":"June 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The weather around here has been crazy. \u00a0It rains for a week straight then its sunny but in the 50s. \u00a0I went from a fleece at night three days ago to the middle of a 100 degree heat wave today. \u00a0While this is irritating to me, the plants seem very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/side-garden-view-6-20.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2237,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2237","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":2},"title":"Early September Garden Update","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We are in a really weird place as far as the garden is concerned. \u00a0After Labor Day, the entire world posts on Facebook that summer is over so your brain starts thinking it's fall. \u00a0But in real life summer isn't over for weeks. \u00a0And it was 90 something degrees on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Ridiculous-Redhead-asparagus-8.27.14.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2404,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2404","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":3},"title":"It’s seed planting time again!","date":"February 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The holidays are over. \u00a0It's been snowing every other day for weeks. \u00a0The walls are starting to close in. \u00a0Summer seems so far away. But spring is not so very far away. February is one of my favorite times of the year. \u00a0After the fall clean up and the holidays,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Veggie-Seeds-Ridiculous-Redhead-2015.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2841,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2841","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":4},"title":"It is gardening season!!","date":"April 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I walked outside to let Opie out and I checked my asparagus bed to see if anything was coming up.\u00a0 I had 2 spears come up a couple of weeks ago but the snow and freezing temps stopped all progress in it's tracks.\u00a0 \u00a0I counted six little asparagus spears\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1098,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1098","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":5},"title":"Another reason the neighbors think I’m crazy.","date":"February 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It is the time of year where I regularly walk around outside in my yard and look for any signs of life. \u00a0In the five years since I bought this house, there have been many discoveries because you never know what's going to happen. The first year was a complete\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Ridiculous-Redhead-spring-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1377"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}