Why You Pick Asparagus Every Day, Chickens, + a Bear Update

Missed a few days of harvesting, and look what happens!

Asparagus is one of the most resilient permanent food crops you can grow. Harvest time begins in mid-spring, and asparagus produces reliably whatever the weather. 

But beware: don’t leave your garden when it’s ready! 

Recently, we were away for three days for a family commitment…and returned to our asparagus patch going bananas! 

Generally, you want to pick a spear when it’s the most tender and flavorful: about 6 or 7 inches high. 

You can even go maybe 10 inches…but any spear taller will lose flavor and texture. And as you see, going 3 days without picking, most of the spears in my patch were too mature to harvest. 

It’s not wasted food, however; the tall, unharvested spears will develop into a fern structure, which feeds the asparagus crowns below the surface of the soil—creating a robust crop for the next season. 

Asparagus is super easy to grow, you simply keep your patch weeded, mulch it over the winter, and watch for slug predation. Your spring reward is to enjoy 6 or so weeks of fresh asparagus! 

This past month has been unusually chilly and rainy—yesterday, about 50 degrees and at least a 1/2 inch of rain. And while the spears’ growth slows down, it’s still robust!

Yesterday’s harvest in a 50 degree downpour!

Asparagus does have one pest…Last May, I had a severe asparagus beetle infestation. While the bugs are only about a half-inch in length, they can do a lot of damage. Early in the season, I had a whole bunch of inedible spears. 

The simplest way to deal with asparagus beetles is to hand-pick the beetles (it’s not too bad, not like dealing with slugs!) and dispose of them in a container of vinegar. 

A few weeks ago, I found 5 beetles in my patch. Into the vinegar they went, and all I could think of was, oh, no, not another infestation!  

Credit: University of Minnesota Extension

But all my beetle management last year had paid off. All I found were those 5. And there you have another reason to pick your asparagus every single day…so you can check for beetles.

As I write this, we’ve had 3 days of solid rain and counting. Which means the Foothills’ weeds have gone as bananas as the asparagus. And now my patch is full of horsetail again. So as soon as the clouds break up, that’s where you’ll find me, yanking on that pesky horsetail…

In Other News:

Little Farm in the Henhouse, my new book, is now available in ebook and print! 

It’s full of practical tips and strategies for healthy, productive and content laying hens. Since the book’s release May 1, it hit Amazon’s Top 100 for several days in its ebook category, #66!

If you love chickens, and like “free,” you can request Little Farm in the Henhouse at your local library!

If you’re in the mood for a shorter read about laying hens, I’ve created a little bonus ebook featuring Miss Broody, my favorite hen—it’s in my Little Farm Writer Chicken Issue…where everything is free and open to the public to read. 

The May issue has an update about “our” neighborhood bear, though I don’t want to claim this destructive critter as “ours” in any way!

But back to chickens…you’ll find more about “Henhouse” at susancolleenbrowne.com !