First Asparagus Bed

Asparagus is one of the first fresh vegetables that I see available locally each spring. There are a lot of leafy greens that could be ready earlier but lettuce does not have the same spring appeal as fresh asparagus. I spent a good part of the morning preparing and planting an asparagus bed that should last for twenty years or more. When I think of that amount of time and the vision of the farm layout, I wanted to be careful about where I placed the bed. I chose a site that stayed dry all winter and is far enough out of the way that it would not become a building site or driveway.

That bed is on the hillside beside the garden area. I want to make it as level as possible across the slope. I used stakes and line level because I do not trust my eye.


I dug an 8 to 10 inch trench and made in 12 inches wide.


Then I placed some partially decomposed manure and straw in the bottom of the trench(not quite broken down far enough to be considered compost). A spade fork worked the bottom of the trench loose and combined the organic matter with the subsoil.



The roots will enjoy a pile of compost, fertilizer and greensand, for each asparagus crown placed every eighteen inches.



The trench was back filled with about 3 inches of soil and as the first shoots grow I will cover them with another 3 inches of soil and compost.

That is one sixty foot row. Now I just need to do 3 more rows for this year.