THE Asparagus spears keep pushing their heads above ground only to be frozen by the recurring frosts. Last night it was not meant to freeze but once again the temperatures drifted slowly down past a reasonable temperature. Our patch of land is the lowest for miles around so it gathers here. Like gas seeking the low lands.The spears go an opaque watery green then their heads begin to droop and they wilt back down. It sets the plant back, slowing it down, but hopefully not killing it off though the rot going back down into the crown is not a good thing.
I have been weeding every day down in the asparagus patch trying to eliminate much of the grass mat and thistle. The asparagus is left to go to fern for much of the summer resulting in a lot of flowering weed. After harvest the plants are covered in compost and this year I am going to experiment with a ground cover that might suppress the weeds and when it dies in the winter will provide a mulch.
Many ground covers release additional nutrients when they die and though I am still researching this idea Austrian Peas are the running favorites. (Mainly because I still have some in the seed store – behind the couch).
Each of these beds has over a hundred crowns so keeping this patch weed free is a job in itself. Asparagus hates competition.
The ducklings are growing and almost ready for their outside door to be opened. So after I have finished dressing the airbnb for tomorrows guest and after the weeding and then the sowing of the Monday seeds, I will rake their run of the dried weeds and introduce the ducklings to a very well protected outside world.
They are so big – they have quite dwarfed the chicks who are still so tiny and cosy in their big tub with the heated floor.
And now that I have written all that needs to be done today I had better get busy and make it happen.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
WEATHER: Maybe this mornings freeze was the last one this spring. Lets’s hope so. Tonight will be a lot warmer.
Monday 04/30 0% / 0 in
Sunny to partly cloudy. High 74F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Monday Night 04/30 0% / 0 in
A clear sky. Low 51F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Sun
5:52 AM 7:48 PM
Moon
Full, 100% visible 8:33 PM 6:35 AM
The Kitchen's Garden 
39 responses to “SAD FROZEN ASPARAGUS”
Awww
😦 I heavily, heavily mulch my asparagus with hay to suppress weeds. Will also help with frostbite.
Yes. Though with over 200 feet of asparagus beds that is a lot of mulch and if I even had that much it would take me days and days to get it all
Covered- so I do it once a year when the fern begins.
Yes. Though round here the animals get first dibs on the hay- and it is scarce
Straw strewn all over the bed might help when there is danger of frost. But I’m with you in hoping this cold last night (here too in the Blue Ridge) will be the last. I chatted with a retired meteorologist yesterday who said we can’t say so yet. We have to get through 2 more weeks, but this week will be real lovely springtime. Hooray for that. I hope more stalks will pop right up.
If I could even buy straw at this tome of year that would be about 20 bales – I did it one year and then fought wheat for that summer. I mulch with compost when I am done and people have finished eating the Spears
cloches are the answer …\i think…I am no gardener but you gotta protect those little asparagas
They will grow back
Phew, 5 big beds, big job! I do hope you get enough for an asparagus and poached farmy egg breakfast or two. My mouth is watering now. Those ducklings are going to enjoy their first swim in a bigger tub. Laura
Actually there are seven – two
More out of the shot in a separate plot- and about 40 foot long
I was thinking along the same lines with regard to warm coats for the asparagus.
Thos ducks do look big – I’d forgotten how fast they grow.
I usually use oat straw but this year everything has been eaten. The asparagus has to wait until the end of its season this year.
That is a HUGE asparagus bed. A job of Sisyphus to keep it weeded. I hope the ground cover experiment works out.
Those ducks must eat like pigs to grow so fast! They were just beansie last week.
They are growing at the speed of light!
We used to grow asparagus-several plots of it. Always hard to catch before the heads get sprouting. When we first moved to Wisconsin, heard about people having secret places to pick it-it grows wild in the ditches. A pain, but a short time living. OH! and those Japanese beetles-the shiny ones, love it. Boo Hiss.
Japanese beetles are a menace – another plague we have not had for a while- boo- hiss indeed.
Wow Girl, that is some stunning beds and sorry about the frosts.. hat lifted to you for keeping up on those beds as much as you do, that is a lot of work 🙂 Love the ducklings, I have two hens sitting on full nests right now and a third that is starting up. I am very hopefully that the last one will start soon enough. Each one normally hatches 8 to 12 for me.. with four hens this year, I should have a good amount of duck to put in the freezer later this year.
Sounds good!
Sad sad asparagus…. Maybe you will have a longer later season now….. The ducks are so huge! and Tima yesterday!!! so un-lady like, tsk tsk tsk. How did the ‘learning’ go with the planting? You can do it, that we all know….
This past winter I did a lot of cover crops in and amongst my veg and I have to say I am heartily pleased with the results. I used cereal grasses (wheat, oats) and crimson clover in combination. The clover, of course, feeds the pollinators when it blooms, and allows the rhizobium bacteria to fix nitrogen. As your peas would. The cereal grasses gave me such lovely tilth. Covers are kind of a pain because around here, nothing ever freezes quite enough to die, so I have to make sure nothing sets seed etc, but my goodness – I am really happy with my soil this spring. I’ve also used flowering buckwheat in the summer and wow, the amount of beneficial bugs that pulls in is tremendous. On my little plot it is quite a dance to keep all this stuff going but I’m determined to do it, because it improves the soil so much. And, no weeds.
Sadly, my asparagus has bitten the dust – it never performed well. Going to try it in a new place.
Cheers, Elizabeth
Crimson clover takes over here too so I only use it for the pig pastures. Oats are my favorite. I promise I will do better this autumn though – often I am so tired of the gardening by then!
All my asparagus died this year from our very long and prolonged drought. Even the wild asparagus died out. So sad.
Oh no- lack of water is a bad thing- John said that this area is due another drought- I hope not. I have too much stock
Every suggestion I have for protecting the asparagus without straw is designed for a much smaller quantity: putting collars around each crown and just mulching within the collars, cloches, etc. And I almost suggested grass clippings before I remembered you’re in the northern hemisphere and no-one’s cutting grass yet. Wish I could send you some of ours, we certainly have enough for ALL your asparagus beds!
This stand is almost ten years old now- it is doing fine . We just have a few late frosts that is all. The asparagus always recovers
Yes there’s been some chilly nites lately ~ 27 deg. Sun morning ~~ Fresh asparagus ~ yumm ~ makes me so hungry for it!! Are you going to have Jake sell some over at the Pontiac Market?? I sure want to buy some!! Wonder when Jake is going to open his restaurant? Enjoy this beautiful day!!
Are you on Jakes email list, Carol? I will be selling some on his list for sure. Also my rhubarb and pork – all on his list shortly.
No I’m not on his list – I just see him at the market. And I’d buy some rhubarb too. And I’d take Boo for a weekend too!!!
I’ll be interested in knowing how your cover crop works. I just raked the winter mulch off the asparagus bed (nowhere near as large as yours!) and there was ice under there yet.