Waiting for the Thaw

Ah, spring. Wherefore art thou spring?

Not here in the next couple of days, we’re being told. Four to eight inches of snow predicted and not a loaf of bread in sight. Oh well. I guess this will be our third snow of the season and the old heads would say that it’s safe to make snow cream from this one. I’ll add vanilla to the panic list of bread, milk, toilet paper and dog food.

It may sound silly but to me one of the icons of spring is asparagus. A cousin asked me the other day about growing asparagus and, knowing she is probably not the most patient person in the world, I hesitated to tell her that it could take a couple of years for an asparagus crop to produce. But there are benefits from all that waiting.

Asparagus is a perennial, which means that once your bed is established, you’ll be harvesting for months and years to come. You can start the plants from seed about four weeks before the last expected frost but if you just absolutely cannot wait, find a source from which to purchase asparagus crowns. Crowns are year-old plants with roots and look like old mops in spite of being very much alive. They will need to be covered in a trench to grow. If spring ever gets here, dig the trench about eight inches deep and 18 inches wide. Work compost or other organic matter into the soil.

To plant the crowns, spread the roots out on the bottom of the trench. Space the plants 12 – 15 inches apart to give them room to grow. Cover with a couple inches of soil and water well. As the plants grow, continue covering them with soil, leaving only a few inches exposed above ground. Do this until the trench is full.

Water your asparagus plants regularly, especially while young. It takes about two years for plants to mature enough for harvesting. Prior to that plants should be allowed to grow and feed themselves. The feeding of themselves comes from allowing the beautiful feathery foliage to remain after the growing season, thus feeding the mother plant. Asparagus spears are the shoots which come up around the plant and that’s what we see on the table at Easter. Once the foliage turns yellow and dies back, cut it down to the ground. You can wait till spring to do this but if you cut the plants back in the fall, you reduce the chance that beetles will find a home in them for the winter.

We all enjoy the tiny tender asparagus shoots but here’s another benefit of growing them in their own bed. If you allow some of the shoots to continue to grow, without harvesting, they will eventually develop into more plants for you to harvest from. In the meantime, if you have planned appropriately, you have a nice border of lacy plants to enjoy.

Other perennial vegetable plants you might want to try include artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, ramps (wild leeks), and rhubarb. Sorrel is also perennial but not so familiar to most of us. Technically, it’s an herb but its tart, lemony flavor is perfect as an addition to a fresh leafy salad. It can also be sautéed until it melts into a tangy, aromatic soup or cooked like spinach.

And of course there are always perennial herbs. The plants are usually attractive and make good border plants for flower gardens or easily maintained little rows in the vegetable garden. Just remember to harvest regularly so they don’t take over the space. Be especially vigilant with horseradish, lemon balm and mint.