Harvest Monday - May 14, 2018
Hello everyone - I'm back from my Texas Garden Bloggers Fling adventure and, as usual, a wonderful time was had by all.
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| 10th Anniversary Garden Bloggers Fling in Austin, Texas |
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At Diana Kirby's garden - what's a little rain??
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| Horrible lighting, I know, but I needed to harvest & wanted to get the pre-harvest pic 😊 |
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| First Harvest of the Season |
So far, I've harvested 129 spears totaling just over 2kg (4.5 lbs). Looks like we'll not only have plenty to eat now, but I'll also be able to freeze some to enjoy over the winter. Two words...yum, yum!
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| Last nights harvest |
Then we had the windstorm of the year (so far!) with over 100km/hr winds (that's over 62 miles/hr) and off went all my netting. The Agribon that had covered the brassica bed literally went bye-bye...hasn't been seen since. Also, the board that blocked one of the entrances to the hilltop area fell over, so rabbits must have gotten in there as there was definitely some nibbling damage. Casualties included a Beira Tronchuda seedling together with one of the Yellow Cabbage collards & a couple of kohlrabi. All in all, the damage could have been a lot worse, so I'll take it.
Of course, with no covering on the bed, the cabbage white butterflies could have had a field day as well. It's still early in the season so I think we were lucky this time - I checked the leaves and didn't find any eggs. The beds are once again covered, but I'll be keeping an eye out for those tell-tale signs of cabbage worms.
To see what everyone else has been harvesting over the past week, head on over to Our Happy Acres where Dave is our host for Harvest Mondays.
Yay for the asparagus! I know it seems like a long wait from the time you plant, but you should be enjoying it now for years to come. And the harvests will keep getting better and better! Hope you had a great time at the Fling.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Fling was amazing - as an FYI, there were a few bloggers there from Indiana too ;)
DeleteI'm going to hold back a bit on the asparagus harvest this year as I don't want to over-pick - I'll probably harvest for about 3 weeks and then let them fern up to continue building up those roots.
I'm so pleased that you had a good time at the Garden Bloggers Fling, it must be a wonderful trip having the company of so many like-minded people. What a great harvest to return to, I think some people are put off growing asparagus because of the waiting time until it can be harvested but you show that the wait is most certainly worthwhile. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo :) It is such a wonderful event and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old friends and making a few new ones - the blogging friendship circle widens each and ever year!
DeleteYes, growing asparagus is definitely worth the wait, especially when you consider that you reap the rewards for many years to come with minimal work. I'm actually quite surprised at how much I've harvested during this 1st week - and I picked over another 400 grams today!
Oh wow! I remember when you started your asparagus from seed. How amazing it must be to harvest those big fat juicy spears. Yum is right.
ReplyDeleteGardening is such an adventure. Wind, and critters, and bugs, and you name it, there's always some challenge.
The Fling must have been fun and I hope you'll share more about it later.
It is incredible, isn't it? I can scarcely believe that all this came from those tiny wisps of grass-like growth!
DeleteI do hope to share a few posts about the Fling soon - I still have some to share about past flings as well. I've seen people post about Flings years after the fact - never enough time, is there?
Oh wow! An abundance of asparagus! Mine are still quite young since this is only our second year at this house. I have a long waiting period left!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed Texas. We use to live there! I loved where we lived. But it for sure gets quite hot there.
Texas was amazing and I think we lucked out on the weather - it was warm, verging on hot, but I don't think it got well into the 90's until after we left.
DeleteYour asparagus wait will be worth it - I wish I had had the ability to get the asparagus beds going sooner, so you are much further ahead than I was when we first moved here.
Look at all that gorgeous asparagus, so wonderful. It's one of the best things from the garden. Whenever people tell me they don't like asparagus I'm always shocked. It looks like the fling was a lot of fun and you had a nice big group.
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking, isn't it?? My daughter is one of those people, but then again, she didn't like peas until a couple of years ago, so there is hope :)
DeleteThe Fling wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for the people - for me, they truly are just as important to the whole experience are the gardens.
Your asparagus is everything I've wanted ours to be but just isn't. Good job! Sounds like the Fling was a great time.
ReplyDeleteIf there's one thing I understand is how frustrating it is when your best efforts are foiled by pests...darn voles!! I'm glad you are not giving up, though.
DeleteThat’s a fabulous asparagus harvest. It also looks as though your bloggers fling was well attended.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue - it would be lovely if you could join us one of these years. There were several bloggers from the UK, a couple of veterans that I've had the privilege of knowing for a couple of years now (Victoria Summerly and Michelle Chapman) as well as two newcomers that I was fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time with and are truly wonderful people (Barbara Segall and Helen Johnstone).
DeleteGreat to see your asparagus! Mine is coming back looking stronger and more asparagus-y. 2nd year for me, thanks for the recommendation to grow it from seed. Can’t wait to eat some!!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome, Sarah :) So far the hardest part about growing asparagus from seed was the wait!
DeleteIt was a great fling! Always wish I had more time to catch up with everyone more. So after being in Austin did your asparagus remind you of tiny agave spikes, lol! When Ann Amato saw the agave flower spikes she said that makes me hunger!
ReplyDeleteHa! I didn't think of that, but you're right - they did resemble asparagus! The fling was amazing, wasn't it? I wish we had had more time to catch up too - we'll have to make a point of it in Denver :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful time you had and then to come home to this. Like you said it could of been worse. Best wishes for a wonderful gardening season! Nancy
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy! We are always trying to look on the bright side, no? Hoping that your season is going well too :)
DeleteWow, harvest already! Surprising after such a late spring. Few things better than just picked asparagus. Very sad to have missed the Fling this year.
ReplyDeleteThere was nothing happening in the asparagus bed when I left so it was quite a surprise. Since it's the first true year of picking, I'm still not used to such an early harvest. We missed you & Judy in Austin!
DeleteI had a good crop of asparagus upon returning home as well. Nothing better. Such fun at Fling with you.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great "welcome back" from the garden - a feast for the eyes and stomach! And as for the Fling...right back atcha, Layanee :)
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