Saving the Asparagus Patch!

Bad gardener, bad! I left my asparagus 4x8 patch alone fall, winter and most of the spring. Now, it's overgrown. Other things on the homestead took precedence over a patch of vegetable that I won't be able to harvest sparingly for another year or two. I cite the spasticity and pain in my semi paralyzed arm as an excuse, but that's just an excuse. I just didn't bother with any putting the garden to bed for the winter except for pulling dead plants, sprinkled some compost, and spread a layer of straw.

I planted the bare root vegetable late last spring. Being a chemical free,"organic," self sustainable type, I planted green beans and parsley in that same 4x8 space. Parsley naturally deters asparagus beetles and green beans or any legumes fix nitrogen into the soil. Asparagus are heavy feeders. I basically planted the bed purposefully  to not have the do much to it and basically left alone while other parts of the garden drew my attention heavily. That's the way I like to garden with long-term growth perennials.

My time table is a week because I'm still a week away from the post surgical baclofen pump placement restrictions (No heavy lifting of over 10 lbs, no extensive bending or twisting). I've been a pretty good girl about following these restrictions. I mean, I take an hour and a half to pick the rabbits' breakfast salad each morning instead of the half an hour it usually takes by adding frequent breaks. As much as this irks me, there has been a couple of guarded lifts of 30 lbs, but not many. Like I said, I've been pretty good.

As you can see in the first picture, grasses, wild blue heliotrope, Virginia Creeper various other invasive weeds, and of course, the very present chicken transplanted strawberries all among the asparagus fronds. My mission this week is to clear it all out leaving only asparagus, whatever green beans and parsley that may have self sowed. I'll be sowing black eyed peas and more parsley among the fronds for the same reasons as last year. Ill again cover all seeds with well composted rabbit and chicken manure before putting mulch over the area. Summer is officially starting very soon.

To me, invasive weeds are plants that the rabbits or chickens won't eat like English ivy, blue heliotrope, Virginia Creeper and Morning Glory vines. I'm constantly digging them up, trying to get them gone before they reseed an area. My current wars is with spiny rushes. I'm starting really dislike this weed that has taken a foothold in bunny greens patches and others areas. What I may end up doing this fall is burning the whole area losing both the beneficial (rabbit loving) weeds as well as the unwanted weeds.

I noticed a couple of blooms on my fronds of asparagus, so this effort will not be wasted. The ground will be ripe for receiving these seeds when the time comes. I can see ten of of twenty-two fronds for the crowns I planted, but that doesn't mean there aren't more buried under a blanket of weeds. The fronds will be healthier for my efforts too. It is an asparagus patch after all.

Anyhow, that's my plan for the week. What's yours?

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo