Sufficient Self Forum

Dawn419 wrote:

BTW fhanks for the link to Daves garden I loved that site and lost the link when my computer went down! ~gd

You're Welcome, ~gd! I love that place, too, and get lost for hours there, sometimes.

Might I suggest   http://www.plantdelights.com/   Be Ready for some sticker shock and the owner often gets knocked for his Right Wing views but he does sell some rare and exotic plants. When the stuff he introduces becomes common enough to appear in your local garden center he quits producing them. Live plants only, he is in zone 7b but loves to push the ranges. ~gd

I got an e-mail notification that my plants have shipped.  They will arrive anywhere from today to the 25th. 
The bed is all formed and the ground is turned, with a light layer of topsoil covering the turned dirt.  I think DH also put in a little compost.  He had me buy some composted cow manure, but the only one I could find had organic humus mixed with it.  I bought 20 sacks of 40 LBs.  I know I have to plant it 9 inches deep.  Suppose I'll go in layers, alternating between manure, peat and topsoil. 
My mom told me she has asparagus, but never mentioned it to me before.  She is so weak these past few years that I can't believe she was able to keep it up, but I'm curious as to what she put together.  Claims to have had it about 12 years.  It can't be very productive or big....she would have given me a bunch here and there.

When I planted my asparagus a couple of years ago, I just followed the advice I read in Ruth Stout’s No Work Garden Book (1971), so was able to bypass all that digging. She recommended just laying the plants on the ground and putting a heavy mulch over the top of the plants..

I just kept adding more hay and leaves between the plants as they grew the first year.  In the fall, I just covered the ferns with a lot more hay. 

My asparagus has grown healthy and strong and I will be picking my first crop this year.

rhoda_bruce wrote:

Still waiting.  3 days late now.  I'd love to get all that manure out the bags and in the bed, but waiting for the plants.  Starting to lose my religion, where this is concerned.  Hope I can get it done tomorrow.  Today is my first off day.

You really don't have to go so deep and do so much work.  Didn't you read my post?  It really works and works well.

I could live in the middle of 40 acres of asparagus growing gangbusters, and not have enough to sell!

Same thing with Raspberries!