It's almost Spring, when a young woman's thoughts turn to...

[Jenise]

...her garden.

This weekend I am planting a new raised bed to asparagus. I have a friend here who every spring helps herself to some her neighbors have growing out back but never pick (!?!), and the sweet, forceful taste of the just-picked asparagus is truly remarkable. I mean, we know this about fruit and corn and a lot of other things, but somehow from asparagus I was surprised to find so stunning a difference. I had a rickety old 2x5 bed that came with the house planted to mint, but that's a lot of ground to waste for about 2800% more mint than I could ever use, so I had my builder replace the structure. Yesterday I filled it with an acidic soil and today I'll plant some two-year old starts I found at Lowe's. Hopefully that means I'll get a crop this year. But if I don't, then surely next year.

Which has me wondering if I should/could dig up some starts from my friend's neighbor's yard. Does anyone know anything about replanting asparagus?

I also bought another blueberry bush. We were so enamored of the Spartans we got from our new bush last year we wanted another, and a local nursery carries 5 year old specimens for just $40 so it's like adopting a young adult--someone else did all the hard childhood work for you. Apparently blueberries need to pollinate each other and apparently it's like the opposites-attract thing humans do, so we chose a Duke.

And another item: last year, totally on a whim, I planted a lovage. And so of course it grew spectacularly well to about five feet tall and I never got a kitchen to cook in so it just sat there taunting me with its finery. In the fall I dug it up and tossed the root into an empty planter planning to throw all that into the plant waste bin, but I never got around to doing that and just noticed that the root ball is leafing out! So I replanted it. Does anyone here grow/use lovage? I don't believe I've ever seen it in anyone's garden or even in western groceries. It was somewhat common in the Vietnamese stores I used to shop at in Southern California, though.

What's going to be new in your garden this year?

I don't know about the young part but I got out yesterday to prune the fruit trees and unearth the asparagus bed [ covered with last years dried out stalks]. We planted 25 crowns in a 4'x 8' bed 3 years ago and all of them sprouted the last 2 years. You should not pick at all the first season, pick 2 weeks the 2nd season and 4 weeks the 3rd season. We'll be able to pick for a full month this year - can't wait. This allows strong root development. You can't believe the increase in diameter each year from delayed picking. I much prefer fat spears. As you say the taste when harvested just before cooking is phenomenal.
If planting crowns be sure to know the recommended depth for your area. Here it is 12-18 " to avoid winter death. Also mound dirt under the crown to avoid air pocket and spread the long roots as much as possible. They like well worked, loose soil.I don't remember anything about acidic soil - I thought they liked neutral soil. Each year we have mounded horse and chicken manure and leaf litter on top of the bed. They will be poppin here in about 6 weeks. It will seed itself. I've found many asparagus seedlings far removed from the bed - alas the bunnies love them.

Re: lovage. It is a very hearty perennial here with extremely tall, hollow stems-bamboo like and beautiful leaves and seed heads. I use it in the same dishes I use celery. It has a more intense, sharp flavor. I've used it in leek/potato soup, potato salad,roast chicken. I use it as an ornamental plant at the back of the garden and put it in cut flower arrangements for the looks and smell. I've looked at candying the smaller leaf stems - like Angelica- but have never done that.
I don't plant mint because it is invasive. Put oregano in pots for the same reason. I didn't realize that bronze fennel is a perennial here and it has gone invasive but it's tall coppery/bronze fronds are beautiful in the garden and in a vase and because it is so plentiful I use it with impunity as a bed for broiling/baking fish and chicken.
I try to use all herbs in an ornamental way in the shrubs and ground cover areas. I don't have any herbs in the vegetable beds!

As for new items, I'm planting Tronchunda cabbage - a Portugese variety, currant tomatoes and those little round baby carrots that grow well in heavier soils- Tonda di Parigi. I am starting Artichoke seeds indoors hoping to extend the season long enough to get something - even if I don't, the leaves are beautifully ornamental and look great in arrangements also. My Piementon di padron did sprout last year but never made it to blossom so I'm not going to try that again.

What a wonderful time of year - my favorite.

Jenise - I'm no expert, but I know that you shouldn't harvest asparagus until at least the second year, and third year even better. I also suspect that asparagus does not transplant well, unless you get crowns, and I don't know how to do that. Do follow the instructions, i.e., dig a ditch, build a ridge down the middle of the ditch, set the crown on top of the ridge with the tuberous, fleshy roots draping down the sides of the ridge like an umbrella, then backfill the ditch. Also, asparagus is remarkably salt tolerant, so spreading a little salt on the bed will keep down weeds and not harm the asparagus. That said, if you do use salt to suppress weeds, nothing but asparagus will ever grow there again, forever.

My asparagus bed is on it's fifth or sixth year and doing well.

I put my first 4 tomato plants into the ground yesterday. For the first time in several years, I did not get around to sprouting my own tomatoes from seed, so I am buying plants this year.

Early Girl
Sunburst Orange Cherry
Variant on Purple Cherokee
Some Heirloom slicing tomato whose name eludes me

Two weeks ago, we cut our "green manure" down, let it dry out and tilled it in. This is a combination of legumes, peas and bean plants, that put nitrogen back into the soil, which the tomatoes need. It is the first year I have done this and I hope my tomatoes are better this year. I just planted another 6 plants of rainbow Swiss Chard, and Lacinato Kale. The Cattawissa Onions are up and growing. French Tarragon, Marjoram, Sage, parsley, cilantro, dill, two types of chives, two types of thyme, apple mint and another mint are all coming along. I always put my mint into pots and set them on a corner post of my raised bed, so they get watered. It is too early for any heat loving fruit or veggie producing plant.

Karen,
I thought that legumes fix nitrogen in the soil while they are alive. It should not matter once they are dead whether their compost is returned to the soil. Composted manure would be a fine Nitrogen supplement.

Bernard, you are correct in that legumes do fix nitrogen while they are alive, but tilling the plants in later serves to add valuable organic matter back into the soil, which is as important as the nitrogen from the action of the roots.

Jenise, funny that you should bring up this subject today! Just 4 days ago, a fellow we hired for the job cleared about 1-1.5 acres of the flat-topped ridge upon which our future home will be built, and yesterday Gail and I were out there burning a large pile of detritus that resulted from the clearing of the trees and undergrowth (Bob pulled, at my request, the trees suitable for firewood off to one side - their time is not yet come to be rendered into ash and smoke). After the fiery pile was well in hand, I took up my trusty shovel and pondered where to plant my two scuppernong grape vines which of late were beside the back fence of the house we are trying to sell, and which I never had any intention to leave with the house.

Now the cleared area is intended to eventually hold a 30'x40' garage, a house of roughly the same sized footprint (albeit closer to square), and landscaping & gardens. I have a good idea of what I want to plant, but not the layout, but for now I am treating anything and everthing I put out to be subject to later relocation. Except the grapes. So I figured out where to put the vines, plunged the shovel in, and *crunch*. It hit sandstone. Six inches below the surface. I moved over a foot, same result. No wonder the scrubby sh!t growing there before was so stunted.

I eventually had to move about 50-60 feet away to find suitable soil that would not be in the way of future vehicular activity. Gardening there is going to be oh so challenging... Can't do much anyway until we can get a well drilled and electric power hooked up for the well pump, which will be at least a month or more away. And the deer and rabbits will just eat everythinng anyway.

This coming weekend I plan to take some soil samples from the area to at least determine basic NPK needs, plus ph. I hope there is enough acidity for blueberries somewhere on the site.

Karen,
I thought that legumes fix nitrogen in the soil while they are alive. It should not matter once they are dead whether their compost is returned to the soil. Composted manure would be a fine Nitrogen supplement.

You are right. The seeds were planted in late December and the legumes grew tall and beautiful until they were cut down. They had not produced as of that time. When they are cut, the cuttings are left to dry out a bit so it can be tilled into the ground. We took a class from our local growing nursery last year, and this is what they told us to do. This bed will not need further ammendments. The other beds, we added a product that is a mix of mushroom compost, bag guano, worm castings, etc. I am anxious to see how both of these beds do. My main concern was the bed we planted the legumes or green manure in, as that is the one where we plant tomatoes and have done so for over thirty years. Two years ago we brought in new soil, and ammended it the next year. Every since we got the new soil, my tomatoes have been awful. Last year, the plants actually died three months into their growing season. Only a cherry tomato survived and did well. Others have been complaining about their gardens as well, so I don't know if it is a weather thing or dirt problem.

[Jenise]

If planting crowns be sure to know the recommended depth for your area. Here it is 12-18 " to avoid winter death. Also mound dirt under the crown to avoid air pocket and spread the long roots as much as possible. They like well worked, loose soil.I don't remember anything about acidic soil - I thought they liked neutral soil. Each year we have mounded horse and chicken manure and leaf litter on top of the bed.

Christina, you're a godsend. The bag said plant 2" deep, but the bag doesn't know where I live. Based on your comments, I put them down about 5" in 18" of new, loose soil. And yes, high acid, mixed with some others I had around, based on the nursery's recco that I use the same mix for the asparagus that I needed to buy for the blueberries. I hope it's not too early--I guess I was thinking that it's March, and March is when we typically see the fresh local asparagus start coming in. Of course, in this case 'local' is the warmer eastern half the state which I didn't take into account yesterday, just that my area probably has warmer winters than yours and this year summer's coming in early. I just put a call into the nursery to find out, I can always dig these up and replant in a month. They'll be none the worse for wear.

Thanks for talking about your lovage, too. I'd forgotten how big and bushy the plant got--I'm going to move it, and follow your lead in using the excess in flower arrangments. It was too big to share space with the lettuces and tomatoes it was planted with last year. Mut have gotten five feet tall, and the stalks went pretty wide when they got heavy.

Sounds like you're going to have quite a garden--again. Every year I admire the variety of things you grow, and of course I realize it comes from your solid ethic about growing your own food. I've never heard of Tronchunda cabbage, am going to have to look that one up.

[Jenise]

Re Tronchuda, or Portugese cabbage, for anyone else who's curious here's a good description written by a Santa Barbara, California, blogger:

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=1787

How amazing that you posted this--in the last 2 weeks we have transformed a large, mostly sunny garden area (about 20X60') that bordered the lawn and formerly contained nothing but trees and ugly large-leafed ivy. Out went the ivy, out went a huge palm tree, the hedge trees have been trimmed and Kirk built 6 large raised planters in varying sizes, all in free form rounded shapes, with river rock at the north ends and 4X4 redwood timbers sunk into the soil vertically and side by side to form the raised sections. So far I've planted shade perennials in one, a flower cutting garden into 2 areas, a herb garden, a tomato garden and the remaining largest planter will hold the green vegetables I haven't yet chosen. Gravel paths separate the gardens and I already see the plants that are in, flourishing. I've been quizzing people about what grows best in our area (about 2000 ft. elevation) and have mixed responses. Some say lettuces, others say lettuces are a pain to maintain, others say bush beans and squash. My personal preference is to plants things that are less common at the supermarket, if I can get them to grow, like wild arugula, cipolline onions, armenian cucumbers. I'll take a picture when things are a bit more established.

[Jenise]

Jenise, funny that you should bring up this subject today! Just 4 days ago, a fellow we hired for the job cleared about 1-1.5 acres of the flat-topped ridge upon which our future home will be built, and yesterday Gail and I were out there

I laughed at you hitting the sandstone. But at least you have a lot of land to create different opportunities with. How much altogether? And how hot will your summers be?

[Jenise]

How amazing that you posted this--in the last 2 weeks we have transformed a large, mostly sunny garden area (about 20X60') that bordered the lawn and formerly contained nothing but trees and ugly large-leafed ivy. Out went the ivy, out went a huge palm tree, the hedge trees have been trimmed and Kirk built 6 large raised planters in varying sizes

Kirk is so talented and industrious, I can hardly imagine what he's built but I know it will be beautiful and it will work just like it's supposed to. Please take pictures! But help me picture this, is this toward the south end of your lot below the house? I can't remember any ivy.

And do you currently have a fresh herb garden? Surely you'll want that if you don't it already.

I was talking to Bob about how to plant more edibles here without taking out the ornamental landscaping. Our yard(s) were designed to be lower maintenance, so I'm experimenting with pot gardening.

And do you currently have a fresh herb garden? Surely you'll want that if you don't it already.
.

Jenise, I've already planted one of the raised beds with herbs--basil, parsley, chives, lavender, rosemary, golden oregano and golden thyme. I've kept the french thyme and mint in pots because they tend to take over everything in beds.

The new raised gardens are directly to the south of the gate on Lone Pine Lane, where the ivy and that huge palm tree and the apricot tree (since deceased) were located. The upper and lower lawn area remain the same as always, but I'm thinking of some improvements on the Lyans Drive side too. The new situation is definitely higher maintenance than before, but the raised bed planters will still look good as stand-alone structures at the end of the summer when we're likely to be at the island and the heat will have killed what's left after the summer harvest. That's the theory, anyway.

...so I'm experimenting with pot gardening.

That is so very cool, but I'd be careful about posting that on a public forum.

[Jenise]

...so I'm experimenting with pot gardening.

That is so very cool, but I'd be careful about posting that on a public forum.

I meant 'container'!!

Jenise, funny that you should bring up this subject today! Just 4 days ago, a fellow we hired for the job cleared about 1-1.5 acres of the flat-topped ridge upon which our future home will be built, and yesterday Gail and I were out there

I laughed at you hitting the sandstone. But at least you have a lot of land to create different opportunities with. How much altogether? And how hot will your summers be?

Altogether we have 15 acres, but most will remain wooded. There's maybe 2 acres of native prairie meadows on the north end, which may or may not become home to some fruit trees. Summers can reach 100-105 F., at times, so heat-loving plants will do well, but the winter lows can reach 0-10F, limiting the winter hardiness of some otherwise desirable plants. As for annual edibles, okra and tomatoes are a must, all others are optional.

Christina, you're a godsend. The bag said plant 2" deep, but the bag doesn't know where I live. Based on your comments, I put them down about 5" in 18" of new, loose soil. And yes, high acid, mixed with some others I had around, based on the nursery's recco that I use the same mix for the asparagus that I needed to buy for the blueberries. I hope it's not too early--I guess I was thinking that it's March, and March is when we typically see the fresh local asparagus start coming in. Of course, in this case 'local' is the warmer eastern half the state which I didn't take into account yesterday, just that my area probably has warmer winters than yours and this year summer's coming in early. I just put a call into the nursery to find out, I can always dig these up and replant in a month. They'll be none the worse for wear.

Jenise, the bare root asparagus are being sold here now and I did look up the cultivation of them. I don't think a frost will hurt them as long as they are planted the depth recommended for your area and mulched. Even when they do start to come up, a kiss from the frost makes them sweeter.

A Dutch-Australian friend makes a springtime meal with fresh asparagus, plain boiled potatoes that are mashed roughly with no additives, and hard-boiled eggs, also mashed roughly. He says that in Holland asparagus is one of the first greens to appear in spring, and this is a traditional early-spring meal.

[Jenise]

Jenise, the bare root asparagus are being sold here now and I did look up the cultivation of them. I don't think a frost will hurt them as long as they are planted the depth recommended for your area and mulched. Even when they do start to come up, a kiss from the frost makes them sweeter.

I did talk to the nursery yesterday, and they did say that now is a good time to plant. They also supported Alan's method for planting the crowns, and suggested that I didn't need to bury them any deeper than 2". I'll dig them up later today and replant.

[Jenise]

The new raised gardens are directly to the south of the gate on Lone Pine Lane, where the ivy and that huge palm tree and the apricot tree (since deceased) were located.

Okay, I didn't remember the palm tree but did kind of assume that's where all this would be. Can't wait to see it, or to see you on Sunday! Reminds me, I've got to call Little Dick again and remind him we'll be there Sunday afternoon. When I called two weeks ago (on the anniversary of Stella's passing) to tell him we were coming, he said, "Honey, did you know I'm alone now? Stella's gone." He doesn't remember that we were there, or any of our visits over the past year (three). SIGH.

[Jenise]

Altogether we have 15 acres, but most will remain wooded. There's maybe 2 acres of native prairie meadows on the north end, which may or may not become home to some fruit trees. Summers can reach 100-105 F., at times, so heat-loving plants will do well, but the winter lows can reach 0-10F, limiting the winter hardiness of some otherwise desirable plants. As for annual edibles, okra and tomatoes are a must, all others are optional.

15 acres, wow! That's some land. "Wooded", huh? You know what, as I picture Oklahoma, this doesn't compute. Must come to your state one of these days. Are you building a guest house?