Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mike CHS]

How long does it take for asparagus to grow from seed?

We have gotten small amounts in the second year but it's better to plan on not harvesting anything until the third year. We only use seed to expand or fill in but our seed is free so we always keep the beds full. Asparagus seed is silly expensive if you have to buy it and isn't much cheaper than year old crowns.

Edit to add that if you want some seed we can send you some.

 

[Baymule]

That's good to know. I love asparagus and want an asparagus bed.

 

[Bruce]

We have gotten small amounts in the second year but it's better to plan on not harvesting anything until the third year.

Curious, that is the same timeframe as when you buy crowns. Guess I'll have to harvest some berries! Does it matter when you plant them? And just how is an asparagus berry supposed to plant itself such that the crown is the recommended 8" deep??

 

[farmerjan]

Most "wild" asparagus here is carried from place to place by the birds. They eat the berries... often sitting on a fence and then next thing you know there are asparagus plants coming up all along fence rows. They just poop out the berries and they land on the ground and then the plant grows. So, I am not sure about the planting the crowns 8" deep except that it seems to help to prevent any freezing of the main part of the crown from surface frost heaves and such. And the funny thing is, if you go to dig the wild stuff up to transplant it to a garden, they are way down deep... so somehow the berry seems to root and the roots go deep to form the crown.

 

[Mike CHS]

When we transplanted our crowns, we only planted them 3-5 inches deep and later added dirt to the bed.

We start the seeds indoors and transplant after the last frost date. We do direct seed a few to fill in but they take two or more weeks to sprout.

 

[Mike CHS]

The milder weather has our lettuce plants thriving. We will do a lot of "Wilted Lettuce" just to let us stay caught up with it. Broccoli and cauliflower plants are doing great and since we are supposed to have some freezing weather in a few days, it's time to break out the low tunnels and frost blankets. We got a couple of pounds of onion sets into the ground this afternoon.

 

[Baymule]

I'm sure missing my garden! It will take me awhile to get one going. Right now, I don't even know where to put one. I guess I ought to be buying a few cinder blocks at a time, to make raised beds. Even treated wood won't last long here.

 

[Mike CHS]

I have been calling the ram Jack, just to have something consistent to call him. He hasn't been agressive but I have been making sure he doesn't get crowded. That being said, he got me this morning.

I still haven't figured out exactly what happened but the next time I went out I had a piece of wood in my hand. I'm guessing that he thought the feed that I went out with in the bowl was for him and when I moved it away to put it in the feeder he decided to do what rams do when they aren't happy.

 

[Mike CHS]

I forgot to mention that his name now is Oshi. When I saw him raising his head back the first thing out of my mouth was meant to be "Oh ****!" but I only had time to get out "O shi" by the time he got me.

The forum software changed the second word but I'm sure it will be pretty easy to see what it is.

 

[Baymule]

Oshi!! Hahaha!!! That’s a good belly laugh! Will that be his registered name? Better do a google search, it might be a cuss word in another language, too! Hahaha!

Did you have time to slap his nose?