Anyone have asparagus yet?

I started this thread about a week ago and was getting ready to accept losing all my asparagus to the brutal cold and windy winter.  Today I found dozens of purple passion and jersey giants, a bunch like these were already as thick as my thumb.  Pardon all the llama beans I was hoping it might help keep the bed warm this winter... honestly I just don't know and hoped it wouldn't hurt!! 

Hard to photograph in the sunlight so (oops) the jersey giant is in the upper left hand corner of the photo below--

love seeing those little guses raise their heads.  Is that gravel? rocks?

kauairosina wrote:love seeing those little guses raise their heads.  Is that gravel? rocks?

That is aged llama manure.  Looks like beans! We call them llama beans.

oh nice, LM!   Are these three year old asparagus? Can you pick all of them this year?

Did you ever have any critters  digging them up before you  finished building your bed? Mine were dug up this morning.
   I re planted them but its like starting all over again...

llama momma wrote:

kauairosina wrote:love seeing those little guses raise their heads.  Is that gravel? rocks?

That is aged llama manure.  Looks like beans! We call them llama beans.

Ive been calling it llama gold! 

Im actually going to start asparagus from seed.  My kids got into the packet awhile ago so I had the seeds in a bowl until I plant them.  Well, low and behold in my cell packs I see to little seedlings like nothing Ive seen before.  I looked at them closer and thought those look like tiny little asparagus'!  Figured out they are after googling.  

CapeCoddess wrote:oh nice, LM!   Are these three year old asparagus? Can you pick all of them this year?

Did you ever have any critters  digging them up before you  finished building your bed? Mine were dug up this morning.
   I re planted them but its like starting all over again...

CC
These were one year old crowns last year when they were planted.  I can pick a few this year.  I was reading a university paper that said if you pick too much too soon, it can cause a decline in harvest for the entire life of the crown.  Don't want to make that mistake so I'll be careful and patient.

Your crowns got dug up That would wreck my day. Rude critter.  I was able to get DH to build the bed and we filled it before the crowns arrived.  After planting I have to use critter cages on everything to keep out the barn cats and other visitors.

Hi R and R-- best wishes on those asparagus seedlings!  I hope it works out great for you  

My first asparagus spear this spring appears to be dying from the frost.  However, there are several more lurking just beneath the surface of the MM.  I think I'll just cover the bed at night for a while!  

Looks like most of those will be of eating size.

Do you pronounce the name with an L or a Y, as in Spanish?  I loved your llama beans.

I pronounce it with an "L" though I am aware of the "Y" pronunciation too, which I think sounds even cuter, and  Yyama momma is funny too.  Btw I loved your state when I honeymooned there 33 years ago.  I'm not fond of hot weather at all, but I would make an exception if I could live in Maui or Kauai. Truly a piece of heaven on earth.

The truth is Kauai is not all that hot.  Before we moved here I thought it would be like Fiji, hot and humid, but it is really mostly just delightful.  Today and for the last few days more wind than I would like so I'm not transplanting until it dies down.

I'm not advocating moving to Kauai or Maui unless you have tons of money.  Unfortunately that is who is moving in now, raising prices and not contributing to our self sustainability.  Remember - if the boat don't come we are S^^t out of luck, the main reason that we are working toward doing as much as we can for ourselves.  We are learning to eat breadfruit, sweet potatoes, taro (kalo) and other Hawaiian type plants.  They may not be as tasty as Costco but if the boat don't come.....

I am exceedingly fortunate to have moved here 25 years ago with friends, kind of like a commune, but not really.  We do own land together and take advantage of our group buying  and thus can afford to live here.

I noticed this morning that a few asparagus spears are sticking up. I planted the crowns last spring and I "think" they are now in their third year ie that they were supposed to be two year old crowns. It has been a very hard winter. I am also looking for shallots, garlic, and rhubarb to pop up. No rhubarb yet, but some garlic and shallots. I am most distressed about the rhubarb. Ms. Kingsolver talks about it being a harbinger of spriing. So far, no such harbinger.

It was in the 70's so the asparagus popped up.  Today there was snow on the ground till 2 pm and and high of 36 degrees I think.  Tonight expected to be mid 20's.  Cover and let young tender spears probably die?  Or cut and enjoy?  I called the farm in Michigan where I purchased these 1 yr old crowns last year and they said to cut the 4 to 7 inch spears and enjoy eating them. Some were a full 3/4 inch diameter and one was 7 inches tall, yup, took the ruler outside with me. Anyway they're in the fridge standing in some water and I can't wait for DH to come home so we can try 'purple passion' together with supper this evening.  Sitting next to it is my last fresh German Red garlic from July, shocked it has no sign of rot, still, I better eat it fast. Still have frozen garlic butter I use for grill cheese sandwiches and also put in my homemade spaghetti sauce.
 

llama mama.  We've just planted ours and put in the drip irrigation.  Wish us luck that they thrive here in Hawaii in spite of the misgivings of the sender.

kauairosina,
Best wishes for a lovely harvest.  Something you mentioned earlier, Taro, I remember tasting it, kind of different but I recall it was full of vitamin C and prevented scurvy to early sailors I think?  Anyway you are very fortunate to live there, I sure didn't want to leave. We always talk about making one more trip. Ah, I can dream..  

Thomas,  keeping my fingers crossed for your asparagus and rhubarb. I hope our snow today in Ohio is the last of it.

and poi even more so.  I have not really gotten into poi but if worse comes to worse we sure will do it.  At this time we experiment with breadfruit, kalo and sweet potatoes interchangeably to create stuff like topping for Shepard's pie instead of potatoes, potato salad, hash browns.  We are just beginning. More to come.

llama momma wrote:
 

Yummo!  Do they cook up green?  Let us know how they taste.  And look at you with garlic from last year left.  Not me... 

CC

I steamed them up lightly so they turned a lighter shade of purple with a hint of green.  Sweet, soft, and tender. Melted in my mouth.  The canned stuff my Mother served I would chew and dispose the tough strings. Not any more!!  Yes, the very last garlic bulb has been standing there waiting for duty all these months. I've used the fresh stuff sparingly and put the rest in a frozen garlic butter log. Still using that too.   I should have roasted the bulb and the asparagus together doh!  Rick tried the asparagus expecting to spit it out, but he really liked it.  darn, now I have to share
      

LM, Off topic, but I have two small garlic from last July and they are in perfect condition. It must be because they are carefully lifted and dried. No mass production banging around.

I must be about the very last one... AM I THE LAST ONE????
Just noticed one tiny nib of an asparagus, I was beginning to think that they had all died...

Hope there is going to be more soon..... AM I the last one   

sanderson wrote:LM,  Off topic, but I have two small garlic from last July and they are in perfect condition.  It must be because they are carefully lifted and dried.  No mass production banging around.

I'm not surprised from your gentle handling of it.  Also, in the book Growing Great Garlic, it  mentions how a bulb pulled a little early would last longer too.  It goes by the same principle of an apple lasting longer if pulled a little early.  Cause a really sweet apple is in the earliest stages of decay, according to the author Ron Engeland.. I was quite surprised and thought it was interesting.

GWN, I bet you are not the last one to fine asparagus! There's got to be others that haven't gotten on the forum to talk about it.  Your micro climate may affect it too, who knows??  Last year I thought I was the about the last one to see the new crowns shoot some spears.

even those purportedly to be ok with our climate don't happen.  One of the downsides of living in Paradise. 

GWN wrote:I must be about the very last one... AM I THE LAST ONE????
Just noticed one tiny nib of an asparagus, I was beginning to think that they had all died...

Hope there is going to be more soon..... AM I the last one   

still no signs here   ....waaaaaa

we planted 2 year old crowns 2 years ago

last year we only got a few and they were very thin....made pretty ferns though

hoping to have some this year.....we also sowed some seeds a couple of weeks ago just for kicks.....LOL....

we are trying to decide what to plant in this area this year to be a companion and at least fill the 2x6 area....with something to harvest.....this box sits behind one of our corn beds, so it will get some shade in the summer.....any ideas?....year before we plant cucumbers in this bed and they did ok.....not the best...but they were transplants and we have had problems with cucumbers in other areas as well....

hugs
rose

Not sure what goes next to asparagus, but 3 years ago I planted my asparagus from seed.
It was kind of cool because I was looking for something that had to be planted in January.
It takes (as I recall) a very very long time to sprout. So be patient.  Of course it was indoors, but for you, and NOW... you will likely get something this summer.  MUCH cheaper way to go it you do not mind waiting.

[quote"GWN"]I must be about the very last one... AM I THE LAST ONE????
Just noticed one tiny nib of an asparagus, I was beginning to think that they had all died...

Hope othere is going to be more soon..... AM I the last one   [/quote]
I think I'll be the last one with asparagus sprouts seeing as I just planted mine this year...twice. I'll just keep waiting waiting waiting for something to show up so I can add 2 inches more soil. Then wait some more and add some more, then wait some more...
  

CC

LOL CC

wait some more and add some more

     Isn't that gardening..... hurry up and wait