Utilizing the gifts the land already has for us. This time: Asparagus
When we moved in here we had it explained to us that we had two patches of asparagus growing in the garden that had been there for basically fifty years. What amazing news this was, as I thought I would need to start my own and wait three years to harvest anything. We were also informed that the time had gone on the plant last year and it was too late to harvest. (it went to shoots, making the stalks woody/grainy and not very palatable.
So the snow is melting and that first picture shows what you see looking out our bedroom window.
Here's an ugly up close.
I've modified how I do my internet searches. Try to keep to a Steem-before-google policy.
There are two posts tagged #asparagus .
I needed to know what to do with my asparagus patches that have spent the winter having been unharvested from the year before. After fumbling about on the google I found that I should trim the stocks down to ground level.
Somehow following this advice was more difficult for me to trust than taking some unwanted brush and branches out of the expansion to our conventional garden with the future - our food forest! 
This is what we started with. We cleared out a bunch of old branches that were dead last year, and then cleared some branches via axe and saw. We will use this wood to make wood chips once we have acquired much MORE dead wood to be chipped. Then we'll use those chips in what is now the conventional garden. We plan to have this a place to gather, for people to sit and say.. shuck peas before moving over to the fire for dinner. It was a blast scheming and day dreaming with my dearest. We accomplished a little in a little!
All that work is exhausting! 
But Ahole dear are appreciating the new room to move.
So I've got to get my
back to work and finish trimming up the rest of our Asparagus and see what come of it this year. We really enjoy eating it, and look forward to harvesting it all year. I'll keep you posted as I see growth, or whatever it is that we see.
Thanks for letting me share some of our day with you Steemit s! @elfmyselfandi and me are pumped to get back at it!
And lets see some love for #asparagus out there folks!
Keep It Real.
** whistle ** nice butt <3
Steem-before-Google. New policy.
So with asparagus you can't harvest for three years? Why?
You cut the stocks down when they're about six inches (15cm) long. The thing is: they need to be at least as thick as a pencil when you cut them back: once they start growing skinnier than that you need to stop cutting them back or risk killing them. So it takes about three years for them to be thick enough. That being said: a lot of places will sell shoots for planting that are already a year or two old.
I was intrigued by the food forest, how will it work? I love asparagus, the season will be starting here soon. I've just bought five plants to start my own patch.
I hope that you find good success in planting your asparagus!
The way we are going to work our food forest is we will take the ground that currently exists (which has been covered by brush for years, so the soil underneath is very nice. Then one of our friends, her husband farms goats. Goat poop is a great manure for compost: because it doesn't burn the plants, and when goats process seeds in their stomach it destroys them, so by putting it down for fertilizer/soil we aren't at the same time planting all the weeds that they ate days before. We will mix this with some rotten straw that we also will acquire from some friends, for free. We'll make a layer in the food forest and then cover with wood chips. Then we will just out a little hole for anywhere we want to transplant plants into, or let them grow through. We kept some branches that are more vertical so that plants like beans and tomatoes can climb up the branches and them we won't need ugly supports for them.
I hope this answers your question. If i can add any clarity or more information: ask away. Thanks for your contribution.
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