Asparagus and rhubarb are the first crops to bring to the table other than the early herbs, the chives and tarragon. Our dear friend Jennie King gave me a tarragon start from her garden about 5 years ago and is thriving beautifully.
Everything is late coming up this year so the asparagus are just beginning to peek through. A few days ago we had a cold evening so the few tips that came up turned mushy but today I counted 22, all nice and hard. Raw asparagus and strong coffee -- now that's a delectable breakfast. To keep an asparagus patch producing takes some work.
Preparing the the bed and insuring the crowns are placed correctly is of utmost importance. Keeping weeds out of the bed, especially thistles, is no fun. The beautiful ferns, the thin asparagus shoots which come up after the bounty is harvested, grows over 10 feet tall and provides food for the next year's crop. We stake ours because of the wind. The ferns turn brown and are a lovely addition to our property here out on the Central Illinois Prairie during winter months. Ed and I cut the stalks down in late February, probably our first serious gardening chore of the season.
The rhubarb stalks are not quite tall enough to harvest but I am counting the days!
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