Fee, Fie, Foe, Friday: Goodbye, Asparagus Patch

Well, it's time to end our relationship. I know, you are one of the first things to produce anything edible every spring in the garden. but you are too big and needy. Sorry, my dear little patch, but as soon as the asparagus season is over, you are gone. No more asparagus growing for me unless I can relocate an asparagus bed somewhere outside the deer fence and still manage to protect it from those hungry deer. If there's one thing deer love, it's fresh, homegrown, organic asparagus. MY fresh, homegrown, organic asparagus.

I have heavy, clay, rocky soil, and considering the asparagus bed takes up fully 1/3 of the deer fenced vegetable garden, it doesn't make too much sense giving it that much space for the relatively low yield I get. Being a heavy feeder, growing asparagus takes too much time, energy and fertilizing (and $$$) to keep up the bed when I can buy plenty of local asparagus for the same expenditure. And use that garden space for something more productive. Like tomatoes.

Twenty years ago, I'd have never admitted defeat. I'd have just kept pouring effort into getting a good crop...each stalk would end up costing me $64. I'm not sure if this is wisdom coming with age, but I'd rather cut my losses and grow some vegetable that does well here. Sometimes cutting your losses is the only way to keep growing. Think about that.

So, over the next week or so I'll be digging out asparagus roots to make room for another raised bed for more tomatoes. Any one want some free asparagus roots? Lemme know in the comments below and we'll figure out how to get them to you.

So long, farewell...Asparagus bed...