Awaiting Asparagus

Growing asparagus is a lesson in patience.  My husband scored some plants from a friend and planted a patch in our backyard in the fall of 2007, I think.  We're still waiting to eat our first spear.

With most vegetables, planting and harvesting are only a couple of months apart.  I'm big on instant gratification so that kind of timing works well for me.  But asparagus is oh so different.  You plant and then you wait. and wait. and wait.

It appears there are different school of thought on when to begin raiding your garden of those tender, juicy stalks.  In the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver says to wait 2 full summers before cutting, in order to let the plant bulk up.  That's what we had heard on the streets as well, so when our asparagus spears started shooting out of the ground this spring, we sat on our hands to stop ourselves from cutting.

But being the impatient person that I am, I did a Google search (I'm a firm believer that you can always find the answer you want to hear by doing a Google search.) and came up with a report that says that the 2 year rule is bogus.  Instead, some believe that harvesting the year after planting will increase bud production and lead to greater yields in the future.

So I got my hubby's permission :) to clip a few of those little buggers and steam them up for dinner tonight.  I'll add a little butter and a squirt of lemon juice and we will be awaiting asparagus no more!

Comments

[Leslie]

Yum! We heart asparagus. :) I love the way they grow- sooo neat! Hope you enjoy your asparagus. BTW- I'm with you on the google theory. ;)

[Anna (Green Talk)]

I can be impatient too. Sometimes I pick my strawberries too soon. It is hard not to when they look so red and juicy! Maybe waiting that extra couple of days would make them sweeter. Hope you enjoy your asparagus! Anna

[Susan]

So is the two-year de-flowering rule bogus too? And no, that's not a joke!

[Mary Hunt]

My Dad used to salt the bed to keep the deer out, so I grabbed a deer hoof (sorry, we had them around the house) and took it out there and made little tracks throughout the bed. Let's just say that there wasn't much to do in a small town and leave it at that...

[Green Bean]

"I'm a firm believer that you can always find the answer you want to hear by doing a Google search." Me too!! That said, I so admire you on the asparagus patch. I'm too chicken but I may need to try one.

[mcmilker]

Hilarious post! I am all into instant gratification too!

Try green beans- they grow practically overnight!

[nother earth aka karen hanrahan]

I have never seen asparagus in dirt, growing - how magical! Lay your asparagus in a glass dish with green onions and douse with olive oil, fresh ground black pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Let sit. Grill in a grill skillet about 8 minutes or on the top shelf of your grill. Careful not to burn

[Micaela]

Susan - I don't even know what the 2 year de-flowering rule is - that's how new this all is for me. Please explain...and then we can google it and find the answer we want to hear :)

[Micaela]

mmmmm...sounds delish!

[Susan]

I typed too fast and left out the big part. Woops! There's a rule with blueberry bushes that you're supposed to de-flower them: take off the flowers for 2 years to make them produce more blueberries later. I first read about it on the greengirls blog on www.startribune.com. I would really rather let my blueberries produce again this year, year 2. I bought them with blooms on them last year, and let them stay. Lots of lovely tiny berries!

[Micaela]

yum - blueberries!!  I'd have a hard time waiting too!
 
Mindful Momma
http://www.mindfulmomma.com
 

[Asparagus Growing Blog]

Yeah, it takes a little patience to grow asparagus, but once it grows you can enjoy its spears for many years. I think that your impatience in this case wont have a bad effect on the plant, as long as you don't go overboard with the cutting :)

[Elissa]

Two years later, how do your asparagus grow?

~Elissa, preparing asparagus bed in Portland