Asparagus: The Annual Disappearing Act

It's not that the work slows down in autumn, it's just that the type of work changes.  There's a lot of clean-up, mulching, pruning, and general putting-to-rest to do.  

Winter is on its way, but there's still no time to play.

At the moment, my focus is on asparagus.  The ferns have yellowed and died.  This means that the plants have made all food they can to support the root systems, so I can now cut them back.  This task is a much bigger undertaking than it was last fall.  We have twice as much asparagus growing now, so the work has doubled.

I have to cut them back for several reasons.  First of all, the ferns can harbor pests and diseases.  In our case, I've found quite a few slugs attached to the bases of the stems.  This is a plus for the chickens.  I like to throw them a few asparagus tops here and there so that they can enjoy the slimy snacks.  They tend to leave the actual ferns alone.  Secondly, it's a lot easier to mulch the rows with the ferns out of the way.  Mulching is extremely important in the fall.  It protects the crowns from heaving out of the ground as it freezes and warms, and it suppresses the early spring weeds.  And finally, if I were to let the ferns remain, they would shade out and slow down the emergence of new spears in the spring.

Although this job is long and tedious, it is very satisfying work.  When I'm all done, the asparagus field will look like nothing more than rows of golden straw.  It will all be weeded, mulched, and prepped for spring's arrival.

The Grand Asparagus Post

Dear Walker Plants (formerly Walker Brothers),
We ordered another five-hundred asparagus crowns from you this spring.  You told us that they would be shipped out on the 21st.  You shipped them out on the 22nd.  You told us we would recieve them on the 22nd.  We recieved them on the24th.  But I ain't mad atcha.  You sent us about fifty extra crowns, and they arrived in great condition.  Nobody's perfect.

Sincerely,
Fat Bear Farm

No, I didn't send the above letter, but maybe I will.  I was so anxious to start planting that I got a  little nervous when things didn't go exactly according to plan.  I'm starting to think that tracking packages online isn't such a good idea.  I found myself checking every few hours to see if the box had left NJ, then MD, then Roanoke.  In the end, everything was fine.

These are the prepared trenches with crowns all lined up.  Notice the rocks?  I have plans for them.

Here is one of the smaller crowns.  We planted Jersey Knight.

 I hoed one side of the soil into the trench, then topped off the middle with manure.  Later, I knocked the other side of the soil into the middle.

This is our tried and true method to keep weeds at bay.  Last year we rototilled the pathways, but no need to do that this year because the weeds and grass aren't so extreme.  I put down a layer of cardboard.

 On top of the cardboard goes a layer of straw.  I would normally water it down (and water in the crowns) at this point to keep the straw from blowing away, but the wind was low and it's supposed to rain starting tonight for three days straight.

Last year, we filled the trenches bit by bit (a few inches at a time) as most sources suggest.  We also dug the trenches about one foot deep.  It took forever, and we didn't get to mulch until fall.  We ended up with a ton of weeds because we waited so long to mulch.  We went a different route this time.  I went ahead and covered the crowns with about four to six inches of soil and manure.  They should have no problem coming up through that.  I will go through in a few weeks and add more manure.  If some crowns look like they need to be buried deeper, I'll add more manure accordingly.  I've read that research shows (too bad I didn't keep track of my sources) that this method will be fine.  Planting was about two-hundred times easier this year than it was last year.  I'm thrilled.

We depend on the ABC store for our cardboard.  They're a dependable supplier, and they love it when Ben comes to pick up the boxes so that they don't have to deal with them.  We still need several hundred more boxes, so I'll be mulching throughout the next few weeks.  No biggie.

...And those rocks

I gathered the rocks from the field.   I got two loads!  *Note to self: learn more about geology.

So I could finally put a boarder around the not-so-circular herb circle.

I added chicken manure and a ton of leaves to this bed last fall, and I put down some well-rotted horse manure late in the winter.  It still needs a lot of work.  I'm going to add some more rotted manure this spring and mulch it well after all the herbs are in   This herb circle is one of my favorite projects right now.  When I get to start painting the hen house in about a week, that will also be a favorite project.  The girls are growing fast.  Must take more pictures of them.

Work in Progress: New Kitchen Garden

I've been working on the backyard veggie garden since last autumn.  Now that all the beds are beautifully dug, I'm mulching between the rows with newspaper and straw to keep the weeds down, the moisture up, and the worms happy.  We did something similar in the asparagus field, but used cardboard instead of newspaper.  Newspaper is tricky.  It flies away with the slightest breeze.  So when working with newspaper as mulch, remember that water is your friend.  I spray the newspaper with a hose after laying every few sheets, and it does the trick until I can get the straw down.

 I love using this method.  I would normally till up the earth before putting down the mulch, but I think it's okay that I skipped this step because the grass hasn't started growing yet.

I was thrilled to see this morning that the Columbine I transplanted during the driest days of last summer has come back!  Also, the artichokes and basil in the greenhouse have germinated.  It has been a pretty good day.