1st Asparagus Crop

[smoker pete]

It takes 3 years before Asparagus can be harvested.  Like most gardeners I chose to plant 2 year old roots last spring in order to get a crop this year.  The Asparagus in last year's summer garden is the fern looking plants in the first planter box against the fence.  The Asparagus fern is used to store energy into the roots for the following year.



In the winter the dead fern tops are cut down and the Asparagus sprouts new spears in the spring that if left alone will turn into a fern again.  Instead, the delicious spears are harvested for consumption.  The roots continue to produce new spears and I will continue to eat them for a couple of months.  Around April/May the spears are no longer harvested and they grow tall into a fern type plant.  The rest of the summer is spent storing energy back into the roots for next year.  The Asparagus roots will produce a crop for 12 - 15 years ...



When the spears get around 8-9" tall I will be harvesting my first Asparagus crop!!!  Love Asparagus ...    You can see in the photos where last year's fern type tops were cut.

[Pam Gould]

most exellent...do they need to be in the sun  a lot? Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[Smokin Don]

SP great looking garden area!! Sure wish I still had my asparagus bed, love that stuff! A Dalmatian I had then loved it too and would eat it out of the garden, she also usually got my first ripe tomato. I built a workshop over my garden so there went my asparagus. Hope you know those photos are a little cruel!  Snow on the ground and cold here!! Don

[smoker pete]

most exellent...do they need to be in the sun  a lot? Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

I'm no expert Pam but yes I believe they need to be in the sun.  My ex Brother-in-Law used to have have asparagus in his garden in Reno, NV (elevation ~ 4,000 ft) which gets cold and snow and it grew very well in the Spring.

[Pam Gould]

Smoker Pete..they take and springkle salt over the asparagus gardens here..it kills off the weeds but give the right nutrients to the asparagus. Do you do that too?  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[teesquare]

The "Farm to Table" movement - comes "close to home"....   Looks good Pete!

[drholly]

Great garden! Many years ago I traveled around North Dakota photgraphing (with film in those days  ) abandoned farms (loved the old buildings and equipment.) I regularly came acrross asparagus patches - those things grow forever! Almost always came home with a bunch for dinner. Thanks for the excellent explanation for how they grow.

David

[bbqchef]

The previous owners had a large patch of asparagus here that they had cultivated for 10 + years but it got destroyed when the new septic system was installed a few years ago. I wish it was still here!

Nothing like garden-fresh asparagus!

[RAD]

I also love asparagus but never grew any. I grilled some tonight but what is your favorite way to make it?

[smokeasaurus]

I like it wrapped in bacon......

[sparky]

love the green sticks.  nice job buddy.   

[RAD]

I like it wrapped in bacon......

Oh, that is good

[smoker pete]

I also love asparagus but never grew any. I grilled some tonight but what is your favorite way to make it?

I like to grill asparagus with EVOO, steam, sauté, stir fry, bake, broil, etc ... It's all good !!!  If I had to pick my favorite I might have to pick steamed.  I like mine on the Al Dente side but SWMBO prefers hers a little more on the mushy side.  Guess who wins   

About 20 miles away in the Delta and Stockton, CA there is a yearly Asparagus Festival where they serve everything Asparagus. California currently produces more than 40 million pounds of asparagus yearly on 12,500 acres.  In San Joaquin County, where I live, they produce approximately 40 percent of the state's asparagus.

We used to be able to buy a lug of asparagus for about $4 ... but those days are gone!

[DK117]

I like it wrapped in bacon......

Oh, that is good

Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto,  salt (careful not to overdo), oil, 15 minutes at 400.  WOW.

DK117

[RAD]

I also love asparagus but never grew any. I grilled some tonight but what is your favorite way to make it?

 I like mine on the Al Dente side but SWMBO prefers hers a little more on the mushy side.  Guess who wins   

Hear that, live that. 

Interesting article for those of us who experience this 

 http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/why-pee-smells-funny-eat-asparagus