Rhubarb & Asparagus Growing Tips & Yummy Spring-Thyme Asparagus

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jean Roman

Spring, asparagus, rhubarb, gardening, organizing, spring cleaning… these are all things that start happening about now in most homes. I get this fuzzy feeling inside when the air turns warm and it gets that ‘spring’ smell… the trees start adding leaves… the grass greens and the ground feels squishy under your bare feet… this need to clean rushes ahead of me and I just want everything inside to feel like outside. Rebirth and spring seem to go hand and hand… I love the way everything comes to life and the death and nothingness of winter fades behind and the re-juvination starts exploding all around me. I get a rush every time I go outside and walk… and I also see all the work that needs done, the repairs, the weeding and so on. But you know what, it’s OK because it’s spring and it just feels good!

Lets look at some of the yummy stuff popping up in the gardens and the great ways to use them. I am sure most of as children remember the rhubarb and asparagus patches and if you didn’t, then now is the perfect time to start your own and create wonderful, happy traditions in your own back yards.
Growing Asparagus and Rhubarb are one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can grow. They will live for years serving you up fresh wholesome goodness every spring with very little care. When compared to orchards and some other wonderful, yet very labor intensive crops, these two are a breeze! Here a few simple and easy care instructions that will pay off hundred fold for you in the years to come.
Asparagus~
*If you are starting a new patch please come see me at market where I offer 2 year old crowns and I will be happy to give you these instructions first hand.
*If you have the option you should make all attempts at purchasing all male asparagus crowns- such as Jersey Giant or Jersey Knight. These are all male cultivers and will offer you many more stalks of that great green stuff!
*A good guild is to plant about 25 roots per person in your household. This will give you enough to feast on and even some to freeze later. You will need a square per root, the crowns multiply year after year and you will end up with a very nice patch that will serve you faithfully for 15 to 20 years.
*You should start with at least two year old crowns and then you can harvest on the third year.
*Use earth or sea salt each spring and sprinkle as you would your food around the plot. This kills weeds by taking moisture and the asparagus thrives on the sodium.
*Mulch in the spring and again in the fall- mulching your plants is crucial! Mulch with compost, straw or grass clippings in the spring; it should be any where from 4 to 6 inches in depth. It will prevent weeds from taking over the area and it helps retain moisture through the season. Each Fall add a good cover of about 4 inches of well rotted manure and then cover with a mulch to be about 6 inches in depth.
The crowns will gladly grow up through and provide you with a bountiful crop spring after spring. DO NOT use sawdust or bark, asparagus likes a near neutral soil level.
Rhubarb~
*Is well suited to cool climates and loves to be fed! Each fall mulch around the base of plants with about 4-6 inches of composted manure. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder and needs this to produce heavily.
*In the spring & fall mulch around the plants with about 6 inches of straw or grass clippings. This helps hold back the weeds and maintains moisture.
*Never cut your stalks with a knife, rather grab hold of the stalk close to the ground and carefully pull the stem out. Cutting will make the plant stem ‘bleed’ and this will make rot a more likely problem.
*For a heavier and longer harvest, cut the flower stalks as soon as you notice them forming. Allowing the plant to go to bloom, will tell the plant the harvest is over and make fewer stalks.
*Never harvest more than two thirds of the stalks.
*You can start harvesting stalks when stalks are about 1 to 11/2 feet tall. Trim off the leaves which are not an edible part of the plant. The leaves contain high levels of ‘Oxalic Acid’ and is toxic to animals and humans.

Yummy Spring Asparagus

This dish goes a long way accompaning your favorite grilled chicken or fish dish! Let your taste buds savor the fresh spring taste, the earthy goodness that flows out of this spring treat that never seems to last long enough.

1 pound bunch of asparagus from The Garden Gate Farm, trimmed
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh Thyme from Garden Gate
1/2 tsp. earth or sea salt

In a large iron skillet on medium heat put butter, oil, salt and thyme in, saute for 1 minute; add aspargus and saute until crisp-tender- about 10-12 minutes depending on how you like it.
Serve with your meat dish and enjoy this spring time treat while it lasts.

Happy Day,
Jean

Containers for Planting

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jean Roman

I love to set up old, chipped paint chairs in and around my gardens.
This one sits just outside of the kitchen garden.
A pot filled with happy pansies rests on top and an old rusty tin bucket sits beside… both ready to welcome
garden walkers!

This is an old fashioned double burner canner, or ‘water bather’!
I picked this beauty up at a junk yard when Neil was looking for a part!
You never know where you’ll find good garden junque!
Once again pansies say hello to all who travel through the gardens.

This is one of my favorite planters- it’s an old, rusty metal toolbox!
I plant pink geraniums in it every year…
You can see where I used an old barrel in the background as a planter as well!

Have fun and be sure to read my blog below for lots more great Container Gardening ideas!

Happy Day,
Jean

Raised Bed Gardening, Plant Container Ideas, Yummy Savory Garden Cornmeal Pancakes and more…

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jean Roman

Raised Bed Gardening, Plant Container Ideas, Yummy Savory Garden Cornmeal Pancakes and more…

“We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.” William Hazlitt
I got the new raised bed garden over by our barn hill with Kyle & Ethan’s help… They brought over all the plastic ground cover and helped me get it all down; then they hauled over all 20 of the 4×8 raised beds; they brought wheel barrows of straw to put in each one; then got some well rotted manure and topped that off; and now we got the dirt in- Neil helped too, he shoveled some dirt when my elbow started to hurt. This will be specifically for Neil’s sausages! We will grown all the herbs and peppers for them. I am so excited about growing and drying all the herbs and raised beds are such an easy way to go for anyone, especially if you don’t have a large area.   If you want to have a no fuss, no muss garden try raised beds, they require very little maintenance and can grow almost everything!

Raised Bed tips on how to make & grow!*The lumber you use should be at least 10″ high or higher if you want it. Although for proper root growth this is the minimum.
*Do NOT use old rail road ties, no matter how many you get for free- they contain a poison called Creosote that will leach out into your soil, be taken up by the roots of your plants, nourish the plant and you get all the by-product in the fruit that it bears when YOU eat it! Yuck! Stay away from treated lumber for the same reasons. (this pertains only to those who want to grow organically!)
*Your raised beds can be as long as you want them to be, but the best width is 4′ wide. With this width you can easily ‘reach’ in from both sides. You never want to ‘step in’ your RB, this compacts the soil, which makes proper root growth more difficult. My farms RB’s are either 4’x4′ or 4’x8′, these work best for me.
*Find a sunny location in your yard and decide how many you would like, or should I say how many would fit! I would not have a stitch of grass if I didn’t have boys that need ‘play space’!
*Fill your box with from the bottom up with a mixture of well rotted manure, compost, old grass clippings, hay or straw and top with a rich, loamy soil.
*After you have your box filled with all the plants you want to grow, put a layer of newspaper (NOT colored print sections) about 3-4 sections thick between your plants, top with a layer of grass clippings or straw to act as a mulch. You will have virtually NO weeding!
*Water thoroughly and enjoy your hard work!
For a very concise book on Raised Bed gardening I always recommend ‘Lasagna Gardening’ by Patricia Lanza. I also recommend companion planting with all your growing ventures. I use Louise Riotte’s, ‘Carrots Love Tomatoes’. Both these books will give you a great start to your gardening ventures.

Other nifty ideas for plant containers:1. Old galvanized chicken feeder or waterer’s, tin buckets, watering cans, old metal double burner caners (see picture) enamel ware anything… be sure to put drainage holes on the bottom- unless there it is well rusted and has time worn ones, even better!
2. Wheel barrow’s or old wagons can be found at any flea market or garage sale. You can either put the plant pots directly in the containers or fill em’ with dirt and direct plant. Either way, totally adorable!
3. Barrels or metal wash tubs are great as well. I have a old half barrel at my back door with a bleeding heart in it. When it is in full bloom it is simply stunning.
4. Old drawers, crates or even an old wooden trough (yes I have had one). These work great in your garden’s to add depth and interest. You can plant anything in them.
The idea’s are endless, if it has a hole to put dirt in you can plant it, just depends on your taste! The key to successful container gardening is proper drainage.
*One more tip- to save on dirt when filling very large containers, recycle packing peanuts, old broken Terra cotta pots, small plastic pots, etc. Put these in the bottom of your container until about half filled, then pour on the dirt! They will also be much lighter if you need to move them!

Here’s a yummy recipe using Taylor’s Cornmeal Pancake Mix!
Taylor’s Savory Garden Cornmeal Pancakes1 Pkg. Taylor’s Bake Shoppe Cornmeal Pancake Mix – follow instructions and add to batter:
1 cup niblet corn, drained
1/4 cup diced bell pepper (any color)
1/2 cup diced red onion, from Garden Gate
1 small peeled & shredded carrot
1/2 tsp Taco Seasoning
1/4 oil

1. Stir together all ingredients except oil.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls into hot oil. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Garnish with fresh chopped Cilantro, sour & cream salsa !

Happy Day,
Jean