Asparagus

Asparagus rocks my world. Shooting straight up from the ground in early spring, it reaches towards the sky and announces the beginning of the food growing season in New England.

Several years ago, when I apprenticed at Hay House Organic Farm in Old Saybrook, CT, my favorite April task was to harvest the asparagus so that we could eat delicious asparagus and cilantro omellettes for lunch. Yummmm. I have been seriously desiring my own asparagus bed ever since.

Asparagus is a tricky perennial veggie to grow, taking 2-3 years of tenderness and lovin' before you can harvest. But, once the bed is established, you will have the delicious green stalks for years to come.



This year, I was determined to start my own (small) asparagus bed, so I ordered crowns which arrived at my doorstep last week. They were just the cutest little buggers; the crowns are simply the root system of a one year old plant. Starting with the crown is easier than starting the plant from seed and allows you to start harvesting the shoots a year earlier.

I was so nervous to put the crowns into the ground this early in the season; they looked so vulnerable and it is still cold. Since they are dormant, they are supposed to be able to handle some spring frost. So, I dug two 15" trenches, 4 feet apart. I put some homemade compost at the bottom, and made little mounds 12 inches apart from eachother. I drapped each root system over a mound. I tucked them in with about 2" inches of soil, and wished them luck. As they grow, I will continue to add soil until the trench is even.



Asparagus roots and my roots.