asparaguys!

asparaguy’s!

so last year I bought and planted second year starts in the spring at the old garden. when the skinny twigs started to surface it was difficult letting them sprout and bloom to ferns as everyone suggested I do. some of them I did nibble at, but most I just watched flower to beautiful little asparagus trees ornamented with red pods by the end of summer. A couple weeks before I had to transplant them (due to the move and also wanting to see if you could successfully grow asparagus in containers.. yes! and yay!)

I mulched the stalks/ferns and left them on the ground, covered with a little soil and left alone until the big move. i used a plastic tub from target (loving these for gardening, got three more this summer for less than 5 bucks, and just punched some holes in the bottom. This ones smaller but got some this year and they're 40 liters! its equivalent at the gardening store would easily cost $30-50. I’ve also used gallon drums left over from work, and just about anything else I can find. And aside from them being pretty darn cute, im all for saving and recycling things..)

the little guys made their big move late summer/fall last year. i starting by lining one of those tubs with thin wire mesh incase the patch got too large or, as im sure I will want to re-plant it (hopefully in the not so far future) at my own homestead, it’ll make for easy removal from the plastic tub. Gave it a heavy watering and topped with compost then left it to sit all winter. (*a few sprouts did continue to grow after the transplant so i was hopeful and keep my fingers crossed this was a promising sign of the season to come!  -see below)

It's been said that asparagus welcomes the first day of spring with its first sprout, and sure enough just a day before the first calendar day of spring, a tiny bud said hello. I was a little worried as it looked a little color-less, but by ‘spring’ it was green and purple and three or four more had joined the little guy. Some were thick and perfect and a few were skinny and lanky. But are they not the most amazing things ive tasted in a long time. And every couple days I have enough to grab on my way out the door to work to toss into a salad or to munch on when I get home (below is this years). And they're in a freakin' container! So exciting y’all.  

I encourage you to try the same way if youre limited on space or are interested in container gardening with something out of the ordinary! Asparagus does take a few years to be productive and become hearty enough to eat, so you have to be patient the first few years and just let them be. I know its hard, but like most things, its worth the wait!

 *some pictures from last year.. hope this inspires some of you to make the most of the space you have! although i lucked out this year with additional space, i was sad to give up the years of amazing, expanding garden space (below) that i had put my heart and soul into.

the spring bed last year, newly tilled and planted. an existing herb patch from the year before got turned into a spiral and went in the back right corner, potatoes in front of that, brussels lined the curve of the herb spiral , peas went beside it at the little teepee, and the asparagus bed was planted below the peas. kale and broccoli plants went in the left side of the bed and baby radish, lettuces, and beets are beginning to sprout here. i toyed with containers a little last year too

the view a little later in the season, the second bed in the back freshly tilled and ready for late spring/summer planted

they went right below the peas in the last plot, bought a total of four second year starts






you can see the little enchanted asparagus forest hiding (middle left) in the early bed of peas, radishes, lettuces, beets, flowers, brussels, and potatotes

*first little man last year! aint' he precious!

now they sit happily tucked away with parsley and the blooming fig tree and a few energizing crystals on the front porch of the tree house

 

*awesome containers for gardening!