The seeds I got had 90+% germination, so the first 50 seeds I planted resulted in 45+ baby plants! And I got 200 seeds for like USD1.50! With price this low and germination this high, I'll gladly share some asparagus with the chickens! :D

If fencing seems like an overkill, you can cover each baby plant in the spring with a soda bottle with a cut bottom and without a cap. Some sort of plastic cloche, I hope I managed to explain it!