Perennial Kitchen Garden

[MaryN]

I am sure that most people think of fruit trees and soft fruit bushes whenever the idea of a permanent supply is mentioned. I'd like to persuade you about the benefits of perennial vegetables, in particular asparagus, as being a worthwhile vegetable to plant up in your garden. I think asparagus suffers from a sort of food snobbery, mainly brought about by the stuffy and traditional ideas as to ways of eating it. All of which are piffle. If you must go to expensive restaurants where you have to eat asparagus with your fingers and with the help of a fingerbowl, then you have only yourself to blame for the wrong impression of asparagus. This stuff is great! I have grown it for years and greedily anticipate the yearly crop from my garden. I must admit that most of it does not reach the kitchen, it gets munched raw while I potter in the kitchen garden.

Growing asparagus is not difficult. You need a nice strip of ground - depending on how much you want to grow - in an open situation. Asparagus can be bought as ready to plant crowns, or you can grow it from seed. I have grown mine from seed - it's so easy and I have been able to get heritage seeds. This plant needs only a little attention to provide long term picking. It's a gross feeder, so lots of well rotted manure dug in before planting will have your plants purring with happiness. It's resentful of being moved once planted, so just keep it gently weed free and leave it alone. Once a year give it a good feed. If you can hold yourself back from cutting too many spears - it does need to grow some feathery fern to keep itself healthy - you can feed yourself well from about the second year of planting. No further attention is needed - what more could you ask!

It gets better. Not only is asparagus a delicious vegetable, but it has new-found health benefits. It is loaded with vitamins and has been found to have a high level of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps to break down carcinogens and free radicals. It is also packed with antioxidants, and has been found to be helpful in the natural treatment of many health problems. It deserves a place in your long-term garden as a tool towards keeping your family healthy.

Happy planting.

[Straight Shooter]

This wiil sound stupid mary....i discovered asparagus this year... to eat i mean....i love it ....going to get some in the ground ...already prepared the ground ....SOLD ME

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By the way mary i bought some asparagus pea...do you know anything about these i would love your advice on these " heirloom seeds " got 2 packets 50 seeds ..can you help

[MaryN]

Hi there, S - good on you. Enjoy your asparagus.

Oh yes, the asparagus pea. Well, I have grown them - they are fairly
easy to grow; very similar to peas in fact. You cook the seedpods whole. Got to say, and it is only my opinion, but I'm not a great one for vegetables that taste of something else, if you see what I mean. Personally, I would simply grow asparagus and also plant peas, for the sheer pleasure of gorging myself on two really wonderful vegetables that taste just great as themselves. Not explaining myself well. Try growing asparagus peas and see what you think. You need to pick the pods when they are quite small - they get tough very quickly as they age. The pods look quite odd and get rather tough and scratchy as they age - the look of them put me off a bit......but I like to give everything a fair crack. Would I grow them again? Nope, but that's just me.

[preservefreak]

great post Mary, where did you get heirloom asparagus seed? I would also like to mention rhubarb which works in a very similar way

[Straight Shooter]

Ok thanks for that mary...i got em so i,ll sow em just to say i tried em will let you know how i get on

[MaryN]

(11 March 2013, 22:23)preservefreak Wrote: great post Mary, where did you get heirloom asparagus seed? I would also like to mention rhubarb which works in a very similar way

Hi. I get a lot of my veggie seeds from Chiltern Seeds. They can be a bit more expensive, but the choice is pretty wide. Not sure where Straight Shooter got his from.

Oh yes, rhubarb. Of course it is a vegetable, I forgot, I always think of it as a fruit. I always think of it as nature's "laxative", but I think it too has lots of previously undiscovered health benefits.

Nature's great, isn't it.

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(11 March 2013, 22:24)Straight Shooter Wrote: Ok thanks for that mary...i got em so i,ll sow em just to say i tried em will let you know how i get on

Please do tell me how you get on. I'm always interested to know. Just basically curious.

[SecretPrepper]

(11 March 2013, 20:58)MaryN Wrote: It gets better. Not only is asparagus a delicious vegetable, but it has new-found health benefits. It is loaded with vitamins and has been found to have a high level of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps to break down carcinogens and free radicals. It is also packed with antioxidants, and has been found to be helpful in the natural treatment of many health problems. It deserves a place in your long-term garden as a tool towards keeping your family healthy.

Happy planting.

It also helps wiith bloating i believe

[Lightspeed]

Mary N

Thank you for this. I have to admit that the cost of asparagus in restaurants made me think that growing the stuff must be difficult and some kind of a black art.

A couple of questions:

1. What position should I site an asparagus bed? Full sun, Shade, Morning sun????? Which is best

2. Is Asparagus cold tolerant during winter months? Meaning will it tolerate freezing conditions? Again my assumption is that its an exotic delicate plant, I hope I'm wrong?

3. What is the harvesting period?

4. How long will a bed stay productive before having to be replaced?

5. Any pests or adverse additions to take into consideration?

Sorry for all the questions, but your post has really got me interested in this.

LS

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Hi PreserveFreak

( Ha ha, I initially misread your screen name as PerverseFreak!!! :-))

We used to have Rhubarb in the garden when I was a kid. It was a kind of mysterious plant that just did its own thing and sprouted up every year with absolutely zero maintenance. I love the stuff.

Same question as I posted above to Mary N

How? When? Where etc?

Could you start a Rhubarb thread to cover this?

Thanks in advance

LS

[ObongoPox]

Agroforestry Research Trust,based in Totnes,do a range of unusual/heirloom perennial vegetables.Martin Crawford,founder,has written a book on said subject.
Without wishing to digress,just wondered if anybody knows much about slug/snail control.I have buzzards nesting nearby,so am looking at something non-toxic to wider wildlife.Tried beer (without success).Morrison's have 'organic' snail pellets,but at £5 seems to defeat the object.

[MaryN]

(12 March 2013, 03:08)Lightspeed Wrote: Mary N

Thank you for this. I have to admit that the cost of asparagus in restaurants made me think that growing the stuff must be difficult and some kind of a black art.

A couple of questions:

1. What position should I site an asparagus bed? Full sun, Shade, Morning sun????? Which is best

2. Is Asparagus cold tolerant during winter months? Meaning will it tolerate freezing conditions? Again my assumption is that its an exotic delicate plant, I hope I'm wrong?

3. What is the harvesting period?

4. How long will a bed stay productive before having to be replaced?

5. Any pests or adverse additions to take into consideration?

Sorry for all the questions, but your post has really got me interested in this.

LS

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Hi PreserveFreak

( Ha ha, I initially misread your screen name as PerverseFreak!!! :-))

We used to have Rhubarb in the garden when I was a kid. It was a kind of mysterious plant that just did its own thing and sprouted up every year with absolutely zero maintenance. I love the stuff.

Same question as I posted above to Mary N

How? When? Where etc?

Could you start a Rhubarb thread to cover this?

Thanks in advance

LS

Hi there Lightspeed. I'll try and answer your questions, but please bear in mind that this is from my point of view. O.K here goes.

Growing asparagus is definitely not a black art. The cost of buying it is, I suspect, mainly because asparagus can only be harvested by hand, so it is quite labour intensive. So far as I am aware, there is no mechanical method (I could be wrong).

1. I find asparagus likes an open aspect. It does not appreciate being planted in shady areas - it likes sunlight. I have grown it in a variety of soil types, but I would recommend digging in a goodly amount of well rotted manure. It's a greedy little beggar and will reward a good feed. The only thing I would say is that is likes drainage, and will not grow well in a puddle. Other than that, I have not found any difficulties.

2. No it is not a delicate plant. It's a hardy perennial, but it will appreciate a bit of protection in very bad weather - just pile some extra compost or even shove a bit of fleece over it. It won't complain. I'm not sure where you are in the country - I'm in Norfolk and it's pretty chilly on the East side of the country. No problems with it here.

3. I find that the shoots start pushing in May, and growing like crazy from the end of May onwards. I was cutting asparagus (sparingly) up until September last year, but the season is generally May/June, just in time for new potatoes and strawberries!

4. It's a perennial, so theoretically it will last for years. The first couple of years just be sparing with the amount you take to eat. Once it gets its feet down the spears come thick and fast. Last summer I was losing the cats in the greenery!

5. Slugs can be a bit of a pain, but I don't have too many problems. If the weather is really very wet it can produce a few rust spots, but nothing dramatic. Pretty trouble-free really.

Hope this helps. Please do try growing asparagus, it really is worth the effort. You get a "luxury" vegetable for a small investment. Good luck.

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(12 March 2013, 12:27)ObongoPox Wrote: Agroforestry Research Trust,based in Totnes,do a range of unusual/heirloom perennial vegetables.Martin Crawford,founder,has written a book on said subject.
Without wishing to digress,just wondered if anybody knows much about slug/snail control.I have buzzards nesting nearby,so am looking at something non-toxic to wider wildlife.Tried beer (without success).Morrison's have 'organic' snail pellets,but at £5 seems to defeat the object.

You could try some of the old-fashioned methods of slug control. Half grapefruits placed near the plants; jam jars with sweetened water or beer dug into the ground; or just getting out there and handpicking the little beasties. You could also try eating the snails........