grown can't be beat!

Asparagus is different than most of the vegetable crops planted in the garden. Unlike annual varieties such as tomatoes, cucumber and peppers that need planted each year - asparagus is a perennial. Once established, they can provide a good crop for 20 to 25 years for you and your family to enjoy!

They also differ because plants are either male or female. The males are known to have larger and more abundant spear production, while the female varieties tend to be thinner and produce seeds in the fall for reproduction. Most prefer to plant only the male for the added production levels. Popular male varieties such as Jersey Giant and Jersey Knight are great choices for those looking for maximum yields.

Asparagus can be started from seed or from what are called crowns - which are nothing more than the roots of 1 to 2-year-old asparagus plants. Most, (including us) really prefer starting them with the crowns and not from seed. Growing from seed can take up to 2 to 3 years to have edible spears formed - while starting with crowns can give you a few spears to enjoy by the second year. It's also easier to start and maintain the crowns - as their growth is more defined early on, making it easier to keep weeded.

How To Plant :

With the long crop cycle of 20 or more years - it is important to prepare your bed space accordingly. Work in generous amounts of compost to the soil before planting to provide a good starting base for your crop. Asparagus will do best in a nice, sunny location. They can tolerate some partial shade, but grow and thrive much better with full sun.

To plant asparagus, you will want to dig a trench about 6" deep and about 8" wide. We like to space ours about 18" between crowns. Place the crown at the bottom of the trench, and cover with about 2" of topsoil. As the crown begins to grow through the soil, keep adding a few inches of soil until the soil level has filled in the trench over the course of a few weeks. This process allows the asparagus to develop a deep root system to provide for years of crop harvests.

For your first year, allow the plants to grow tall. Resist the temptation to cut a few spears - you want all of the growth to go to the plant and root structure. In the fall after they have died off, you can cut them off about 1" above the soil and place a little straw or compost mulch over them for the winter.

In year two, you will begin to see some small spears shoot through the earth in the spring. You can harvest the first week or two of spears, then allow the plants to once again grow tall and build up strength. The year 2 spears will be smaller, but still very tasty!

Year 3 is where the fun begins! You should be close to full harvest - enjoying fresh spears each and every spring for many years to come. After each spring harvest, let your asparagus grow tall in the beds and repeat the process of cutting back after they have died off in the fall.

Upkeep and Maintenance of Beds:

The biggest key to good productive asparagus is to keep your beds weed free. Weeds and grass compete for valuable nutrients, and a weedy bed will result in smaller, less productive harvests. We use either straw or compost mulch to keep ours weed-free throughout the year. It's also a good idea each fall to put on a two-inch covering of compost on top of your beds to give some added nutrients. Other than that - once established, your asparagus beds will provide you with years of fresh and amazing tasting crops each spring!

Happy Gardening! - Jim and Mary

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So you experimented with a new veggie. The seed pack had a really beautiful illustration. It looked so delicious. You imagined plucking its goodness fresh from the garden, straight onto a candlelit dinner plate.

Six weeks later...you can't even remember its name.

Forgive yourself.

Time to put that spring fling behind you and get back to basics.

Jenn

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almost anywhere. It's a shame that more often than not, they take a back seat to more familiar food crops such as peppers, tomatoes, corn and beans in the backyard garden plan. Especially when you consider they bring loads of taste and flavor to the dinner table. Herbs are the ultimate dual use plant - providing for great culinary use in the kitchen, while adding visual and aromatic appeal to your landscape, garden, patio or porch area.

Although they flourish when planted in a garden or flowerbed setting - almost all herbs can be grown in pots and containers as well. The key with working herbs into your landscape is to think outside the "box" to add extra interest - like adding mint to a hanging baskets as a trailing accent plant - not only will it look beautiful, but it can make your porch or patio come alive with its wonderful scent.

And as an added benefit, many herbs can be successfully potted up and grown through the cold winter months in a sunny windowsill, providing a little extra "freshness" to your winter cooking.

A final note on using herbs in the kitchen - it may sound a bit odd, but remember when using in a recipe - you need to increase the amount of fresh herbs to equal the same effect if you used traditional dried varieties. Why? Dried herbs have much more concentrated flavors, and therefore you need less of them. There is no perfect ratio, but most cooks will tell you a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio is best. The trade off for using fresh - the flavors are more pure and true.

Although there are endless varieties available, here are 6 of our favorite herbs that are easy to get started, and serve many uses in our kitchen and landscape.

Cilantro / Coriander

If you love salsa and want to make your own - cilantro is the choice for you. Many think that cilantro and coriander are two separate plants - when in fact - they come from the very same plant and produce two separate and distinct flavors. Cilantro and Coriander are one in the same. The fresh young tender leaves are the unique spicy taste we know as cilantro in salsa, and the mature seeds that develop on older plants are the spice you know as Coriander. Cilantro will grow best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall, so sewing seeds both early and late in the year is a good idea. Cilantro is one of those plants that do well in pots and planters. Once the hot heat of summer comes, the plants will bolt and go to seed, and now you have coriander. Consider this one the 2 for 1 herb.

Basil

There is nothing in the world that can compare to the taste of sweet basil! We use generous amounts when we make our home-made pasta and pizza sauce, and it is one of the 3 key ingredients in our favorite summertime appetizer - Basil, mozzarella and tomato slices. If you have never tried this - make this the year you do! Basil is extremely easy to grow, and will continue to grow throughout the summer. Our basil grew out of control last season, and actually re-seeded itself for a tender fall crop as well. It is considered an annual in our zone - but we rarely have to purchase seeds, because of its ability to re-seed itself each year.

Oregano

This is another must have if you are a lover of fresh pasta sauce! Oregano is a perennial that comes back year after year with its distinct and fresh tasting leaves. Although there are many types of oregano, we are partial to both the Italian and Greek varieties, using them to flavor our pasta and pizza sauces. They dry extremely well, and are perfect to make your own home-made Italian seasoning - using equal parts of dried parsley, oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary. It is actually one herb that a lot of cooks will prefer using dried as opposed to fresh, as the flavor seems to change for the better in the drying process.

Chives

Chives are one of the tiniest members of the onion family, and their use dates back to ancient Chinese times, where it was used for both medicinal and culinary purposes.

Chives are another perennial that will do just as well in the soil of a garden as it will in a pot on your back porch. Their uses are many, but probably best known for chopping up and sprinkling on baked potatoes. They also add a great onion flavor to soups and dry rubs. Chives can be placed with their stems and blooms in tact in a container of olive oil, to flavor it with a hint of aromatic flavor.

You can split, divide and transplant chives much like ornamental grasses. You can also dig up a small piece and bring indoors in a sunny location to enjoy fresh chives through the winter.

Mints.

There are a vast array of mint types available - peppermint, spearmint, chocolate and more! They are fantastic to use as garnish or the main ingredient in your favorite teas or mixed drink - like a mint julip, mojito, or a soothing peppermint tea to name a few. As an added benefit, they fill the surrounding air with their amazing fragrant scents.

A word of caution with mint however. They are best planted in pots - even of you plant in the garden. Mints can be invasive and once they become established - their underground roots can travel far and long and become difficult to remove. So keeping them in pots is the key. They are a perennial, and will come back each year with little trouble.

Dill

If you want to make your own pickles - then growing dill is a must! Fresh dill is easy to grow, and can become a focal point in the garden with its tall, fern-like, aromatic spikes. It is one of the taller herbs you will find - growing to heights of 2 to 3 feet depending on the variety. As dill matures, it is usually best to drive a small stake in the ground for support. The foliage and flowers are wonderful to use in all kinds of recipes from deviled eggs, to soups and of course pickles! As the plant matures, you also can harvest dill seeds as well. Dill is a great choice to use in large planters as a tall accent plant - it's a creative switch to use in place of the old standards like traditional spikes. They are an annual as well, although much like basil, if you have them in a garden or flowerbed setting, they more than likely will re-seed themselves each year. Dill is best planted by seed directly in the ground, as it does not transplant well.

So this year, as you get ready to put out all of those fresh vegetable plants in your garden - throw in some herbs in the plan as well - and increase your gardening and kitchen horizons!

Happy Gardening! Jim and Mary

If you would like to receive our DIY & Gardening Tips every Tuesday – be sure to sign up to follow the blog via email in the right hand column, "like" us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

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