Asparagus

Previous entry on asparagus here.

I'm finally getting over the after effects of shingles, and energetic enough to start paying attention to the garden after, what, nearly three months flat on my back being a misery for everyone. It helps that spring is sprung, and things are beginning to show signs of life. Tomorrows high is forecast as 33 degC, but then August has always has patches of really nice weather, while September reverts a bit to uncertain spring weather.

Asparagus (Mary Washington) starting to come up - much bigger than the seedling size tendrils of last season - but not yet big enough to harvest, tempting as it might be. A few other spindly spears have come up through the 75mm thick layer of mulch put over the patches in late autumn, but this is the fattest spear so far. A bit thinner than a pencil (next time I'll use one to give some scale).

Incidentally, the fronds from all the seedlings did eventually die back in winter, even though new spears were sprouting well into autumn.

Most of these plants have been in for a bit more than a year, but there have been several renewals where transplanted seedlings failed, so some are only 6 or 7 months old.

This will be a good opportunity to see what sort of replanting/replacement is necessary.

I suppose another year of waiting is necessary... in the meantime, I've made the belated discovery that asparagus isn't exactly friendly to gout. Neither are liver or anchovies or sardines or beer - which sort of curtails my diet.

Update  2016/08/27:

The same spear, a day later.

Another, different spear.

Update 2016/08/28:

Other spears of reasonable size are starting to appear through the mulch. You have to look quite hard, though, in the early stages. Presumably the thin ones are from the supplementary plantings.

Update 2016/08/29:

Same spears as above, a day later.

Update 2016/08/31:

Another day.

Looks like they're taking three or four days to reach harvestable length. Pity about thickness.

Update 2016/09/06:

There are 12 sets of spears coming up, 6 in each bed. There should be 13 in each bed.

It's still early days I suppose, and more and more are popping up. Some have put up a second spear, others nothing.

Update 2016/10/02:

Replaced some of the missing plants with newly purchased seedlings. Let's see how these survive.

Update 2016/11/03:

A view of all 4 beds, the original 2 in the foreground.

The major new bed, 18 seedlings, all doing well.

The minor bed, planted with my own seedlings.

Update 2016/12/02:

Update 2017/01/11:

Just about every seedling seems to be growing - some vigorously, a few just hanging in there.