Asparagus and Raised Beds

Rachel and I figured we’d finally put the name of the blog to its fullest potential, including posts by me as well. So I’m hoping to contribute some entertainment for you, as well as maybe a few bits of wisdom that you may or may not want to incorporate into your life!

Most of my posts will probably be about things taking place outside, having to do with the garden—or maybe some other projects in the future.

Well, it’s been a busy spring already, since it came so early. I’ve been able to do quite a bit so far. I have big dreams for our backyard—and front yard—but I’m trying not to overdo myself. Rachel is good at reminding me to not bite off more than I can chew and to take things slowly. We make a good team!

So here’s a few things we’ve accomplished so far:

1 – Asparagus         We planted some asparagus. I like asparagus, but I’ve never been a part of growing it or even harvesting it. Heck, I don’t even know what the plant looks like! I just know I like the green stalks that get fried with a little butter and devoured quickly.

Asparagus Location

I ordered them online, and I got 10 plants. Sounds like a lot, but I did mention that I like asparagus, right? It only came in quantities of 10, actually. So, in following the directions, since I didn’t get to planting them immediately when I got them in the mail, I loosely wrapped them in a dark towel and soaked them with water until the day I did plant them. Then I dug a trench about 8 inches deep, wet it down, and spaced them about a foot apart in two rows. I covered them with about 2 inches of dirt, watered them again, and walked away. I’m supposed to cover them with another two inches once they poke through.

I found a wire in the ground!

Talk about feeling unwanted! I have to do that about 3 more times until they finally get to break through and stay in the open air. I hope they don’t think I don’t want them around. I’m just following directions. I’m pretty sure I won’t get to enjoy anything off of them for at least 2 years. They’re supposed to grow as big as they can, and store as much energy into their roots as possible so that I’ll be eating good nutrients come year 3. (This is one of those times I’m longing for a time machine!)

The fork I used to turn the soil,
before I decided to remake the garden.

2 – Raised Beds         Last year I made a box 8’ x 8’ and filled it with too many vegetables. This year, I wanted to double it! Then I got creative with the shape it would take. Instead of just having a box of dirt that was 8’ x 16’, I decided to add some variety and broke it down into smaller boxes.

I did this for a few reasons. I’ve been doing a lot of reading this winter about gardening, different methods, different ideas, anything and everything. One theme I noticed in a lot of them was to stay off the dirt you plant in. Since we have raised beds, the easiest way to do that is to limit how wide each bed is. The average person can

reach 2’ comfortably, but I decided to make mine only 3’ across.

I bought some long boards, cut them to the length I wanted and screwed them together. Ainsley played with a hammer while I worked on them. Made me so proud! So I have 3 – 3’ x 8’ boxes and 2 – 3’ x 3’ boxes, with about 2’ of paths between that will be covered in mulch. So I went with the mulch for aesthetic reasons more than anything else.

Ainsley helping Papa out!

I intend to not just have the tomatoes in one spot or the beans in one spot, but to kinda mix them together. Some people recommend doing that so that a particular bug that loves beans won’t get to have a heyday jumping from plant to plant as it gorges itself into Bug Euphoric Bliss. So we’ll see how it works out. I didn’t even notice anything like that last year (which was my first year gardening on my own), but I’ll keep an eye out for anything interesting.

2012 Garden

For the dirt in my boxes, I went to my dad’s and shoveled in some good topsoil. I’ve considered getting some compost or peat moss or something really good with lots of organic matter to mix into it, but I’m also kinda trying to see how well I can grow a garden by only using what I can produce.

Compost Bin

I have a small compost bin, into which I throw vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and dirt. I’m no expert, but I’m trying to make my own compost and improve things as much as I can without buying it elsewhere.

Future Site of Black-/Rasp-berries

An exception will probably be when I prepare the soil for blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries this year. I won’t have anywhere near the amount I’ll need for making the soil better for them. So I’ll be buying some peat moss or something somewhere to get the soil ready for them.  I turned the ground the other day, and most of it is clay or really hard dirt.  So it will need some love before it will produce some delicious summer fruit.  I'll keep you posted about that process.

Well, I think that's about it for now.  I'll probably update you on some projects we've been working on next time.

-Mister