Asparagus – After Much Anticipation

Here in zone five my asparagus started coming up a few days after the daffodils bloomed. They poked through their (very thin) thatch of mulch like soldiers; bless them. The emerging asparagus shoots are my own personal precursor of spring. More than the daffodils, the chives, or even the crocus, those showoffs.

I don't know if it's that asparagus is edible, or that they are so spare. Those sturdy stalks of green, bracing for the chill after a long winter in the dark. There's a pervasive utility about them that appeals to me. Anyway, I've gathered enough for a couple of nice side dishes and am off to the kitchen.

If you haven't tried planting asparagus in your garden and you can give them a cold winter, they really are a treat. My first try was with a starter set of roots that ended up in the discount bin, being at the very end of the planting season. I snatched them up and planted them the same day in rich, sandy soil. They've rewarded me with bountiful harvests from the third year on, and need very little in the way of care. I let some shoots grow into ferns for nourishment, and make sure that they get something to eat a few times over the season.

They need some space, but offer a great deal in return.