Asparagus update

[Jenise]

A fourth shoot came up over the weekend, I'm now 4 for 9!

Your garden is an inspiration. I can only imagine mine as fruitful as yours.

[Jenise]

Mine? INSPIRING? You sure you're talking to the right person? I hardly have any plantable yard and I crowd everything together in spaces that are too small and don't get enough sun. And I don't really know what I'm doing: when anything works that's luck, not skill. Whereas you've got some really wonderful space up there and it's all on the south side of your house for full sun. I'd put in an orchard!

Yes, you. You have a bay tree. You grow wonderful tomatoes. And now asparagus. I have never even considered trying asparagus. I do have herbs so prolific I can make flower arrangements out of them.

An orchard is a good thought. How 'bout a vineyard? The lower yard is pretty steep. I am also thinking about blueberries, red flowering currents and evergreen huckleberries, since the ACC likely won't let me take the Austrian Pines down, leaving lots of shade.

We do have some great fruit trees. I think we have finally learned how to prune the apricot. We may have a small crop this year. Last year we had 6 and the tree is huge. Leaf rollers got the plum tree before I figured out what the problem was. And Michael gave the apple trees a crew cut last winter, I am pretty sure we won't have much.

[Jenise]

Yes, you. You have a bay tree. You grow wonderful tomatoes. And now asparagus. I have never even considered trying asparagus. I do have herbs so prolific I can make flower arrangements out of them.

An orchard is a good thought. How 'bout a vineyard? The lower yard is pretty steep. I am also thinking about blueberries, red flowering currents and evergreen huckleberries, since the ACC likely won't let me take the Austrian Pines down, leaving lots of shade.

We do have some great fruit trees. I think we have finally learned how to prune the apricot. We may have a small crop this year. Last year we had 6 and the tree is huge. Leaf rollers got the plum tree before I figured out what the problem was. And Michael gave the apple trees a crew cut last winter, I am pretty sure we won't have much.

Asparagus obviously grows pretty well on its own judging by two village houses I know of where the owners could care less about it and do nothing, and yet it thrives. I had noted that over at Anne's a few days earlier, suggesting to her that she plant some herself if the neighbor's unwanted excess ran short. Then was staring at a 25 year old trough of a planter on the Mike Kent side of the house that was only being held together by the roots of the mint I'd stuck in there two years before, when my builder called and asked how my plans for Phase II were going--they had some free time that week if I had any small jobs. Later that day I was at Lowe's buying some blinds for the laundry room when I passed a rounder of asparagus crowns. Next morning, Jerry's Kids were here with the lumber! And that's about how well I plan anything--it's all coincidence.

And yes I do well with tomatoes--FINALLY. Lots of trial and error have gone into this. I'm only planting four this year--five was too crowded and the six I planted the year before was absurd.

I'm jealous all to heck of your fruit trees. I have one ornamental cherry that should get replaced with something edible, but I can't bear the bareness of starting over.

Blueberries--now that I'm growing them, I can't understand why everyone doesn't have them in their yard!

Jenise,
The sooner you whack that ornamental cherry the sooner you'll be harvesting the Raniers ! On the other hand you might want to look at something you can't buy locally. Check out One Green World - Oregon for some really interesting fruiting shrubs/vines/trees/groundcover. I found my Russian Quince, Seaberries, Arctic Kiwi and Schisandra vines there - interesting, unusual and a joy to have. Speaking of vines, I seem to remember that you have some walls around a patio...there are fruiting vines that do well in off beat locations and you can boost your options using walls and fences.
I planted hardy sweet red and white cherries this year. It's the bareness now but soon worries about all the shade as they grow.

[Jenise]

Christina, I hear you re those raniers! There are cherry trees around here and I'm most jealous of their success. Yes, I do have fences. The entire courtyard is fenced in. Interesting to consider using it to trellis something. Hmmm!

I'll check out that website you mention.

In the meantime, an update to the update: Asparagus Crown #5 show up yesterday. Only four more to go!

Christina, I hear you re those raniers!

Jenise, you may already be aware of this but, just in case, if you get serious about cherries, just keep in mind that you'll need two of them to get fruit.

I'm glad to hear the asparagus is coming around, you may eventually exceed my hit rate. I have to admit I don't even know what variety it is I planted since somebody else bought it and the bag wasn't labeled. I have a feeling it is *not* one of the all-male varieties, though, since I seem to have two distinctly different kinds of plants, one that is strictly frond-y and another that looks to have what might be tiny flowers.

[Jenise]

Jenise, you may already be aware of this but, just in case, if you get serious about cherries, just keep in mind that you'll need two of them to get fruit.

Really? I realize that's the general rule but there's a house I pass on the way to mine that only has one tree, and it's loaded for bear every year. And I'm not aware of any other cherry trees on the street--though there could be some in people's back yards.

So no more of your asparagus has come up in the recent warm weather? If so, too bad, I was hoping you'd be getting more progress like me. And I'm going to sound completely clueless, but: which is the female, the fronds or the flowers?

Jenise, you may already be aware of this but, just in case, if you get serious about cherries, just keep in mind that you'll need two of them to get fruit.

Really? I realize that's the general rule but there's a house I pass on the way to mine that only has one tree, and it's loaded for bear every year. And I'm not aware of any other cherry trees on the street--though there could be some in people's back yards.

So no more of your asparagus has come up in the recent warm weather? If so, too bad, I was hoping you'd be getting more progress like me. And I'm going to sound completely clueless, but: which is the female, the fronds or the flowers?

I understand there are a few self-pollinating cherry varieties but in general cherries are well-known in gardening circles for needing trees of at least two different kinds to bear fruit. I'm not aware of any other fruit that behaves like that. There are all kinds of combinations, varieties that will pollinate almost any other, some that will only pollinate certain others, some that are pretty much worthless as pollinators. I think Rainier and Bing is a combination that works but I'm nobody's cherry expert. But if you have only one Rainier (or a thousand, for that matter, if they're all the same kind) - no fruit. I'm sure any decent NW nursery could give guidance. As for your neighborhood situation, I can only guess there are other trees that just aren't obvious. As you say, maybe in other folks' backyards. I think for optimal pollination the two trees are supposed to be within 25 feet of each other - maybe closer than that for dwarf varieties.

I'm not completely certain now how many aspargus crowns I started with - 9 or 10. I haven't checked since last week, at which point I had 7 up. It's possible I gave up too early and buried some alive, don't know. I'm as clueless as you are about which sex is which. I think in my last asparagus patch (in CA) I must have had an all-male variety like yours because I don't remember any seedlings. Here, I just noticed how different the plants are from each other. It's just a guess but I'm thinking the ones with obvious flowers will eventually be seeds, which would make them female. No idea, really.

When planted well asparagus should last decades. You must have done it right for a 50 % show so far. What I am amazed about is the # of seedlings that are carpeting the bed. I think it takes many more years than 3 for those to be productive but if so, I should be selling at the local farmers market in a few years. I am finding asparagus volunteers all over the place and I'm letting them be.

As far as cherries, the favorite sour cherry here is Montmorency and is totally self fertile. Many sweet cherries do need a cross pollinator but the two I just planted - 1 yellow, 1 red are also self fertile. Most apples need a cross pollinator but I have an immaculate conception Gravenstein....It was the only apple in the yard with no other apples anywhere in the neighborhood and it produced a dozen apples its' first year. So, not so sure about the necessity of a second variety except of course the desire for multiple varieties.

I have just gotten into the fruiting vines and have followed the suggestions for male/female or 2 different varieties on the Akebia and Kiwi.
They are both spectacular plants- very ornamental, vigorous and eventually fruiting.

[Jenise]

I'm not aware of any other fruit that behaves like that.

Blueberries. I planted Duke, Spartan and Bluegood.

I'm not completely certain now how many aspargus crowns I started with - 9 or 10. I haven't checked since last week, at which point I had 7 up. It's possible I gave up too early and buried some alive, don't know. I'm as clueless as you are about which sex is which. I think in my last asparagus patch (in CA) I must have had an all-male variety like yours because I don't remember any seedlings. Here, I just noticed how different the plants are from each other. It's just a guess but I'm thinking the ones with obvious flowers will eventually be seeds, which would make them female. No idea, really.

Seven's not bad considering what we were facing a few weeks ago. Good luck with the rest! With five up, I'm hopeful that they'll come up eventually, though notably two that aren't are the two I messed with to see what was going on under the surface.