Asparagus, Part 5: They’re In!

Eight weeks ago, I started 30 Mary Washington asparagus seeds between two damp paper towels. Potted up, 12 of those became healthy little ferns, and now they’re continuously sending out new shoots, each one a little bigger in diameter than the last. (We might finally be up to a hair’s breadth!) Since the apple trees…

Asparagus, Part 4: More Seeds

The Great Asparagus Experiment has now become two experiments. Of the thirty seeds I started between two wet paper towels on Feb. 10, twelve have become healthy plants, growing multiple stems and reaching up to 8″ high. (They are getting a little floppy, though, which means they’re ready for some outdoor weather: sun and wind…

Asparagus, Part 3: Xmas Tree Farm

Gazing at my asparagus seedlings this morning, I realized that the last time I posted about them, they were just barely emerging from their seed coats. I was burying them in pots of dirt, worrying if I’d ever see or hear from them again. Well, I have–half of them, at least. 13 out of the…

Asparagus Experiment, Part 2: Germination?

Ten days ago, in what I dubbed The Great Asparagus Experiment, I put thirty asparagus seeds between two damp paper towels and left them in a Ziploc bag. To do their thing. Which would hopefully be absorbing water and joining the ranks of things that look less like rocks. As I’ve been known to do,…

The Great Asparagus Experiment

Okay, maybe it’s not going to be that “great.” And maybe it’s not soooo experimental. I mean, other people have grown asparagus from seed. But the “normal” way to start an asparagus bed is to buy crowns: the roots of one- or two-year-old plants. Starting a bed with nothing more than a packet of seeds…