Somewhat ironically, theyre the most chill.
Two of my favorite perennial vegetables are artichokes and asparagus, and they couldnt be more different.
There was no evidence of the bed, but I was promised it would be there, come spring.
I already knew how white asparagus was made, Id watched Martha explain it years before.
Itsblanched by piling up soilover the spears as they grow, keeping the light completely out.
This gives white asparagus a more tender flavor and ghostly appearance.
Asparagus can be grown from seed or crown.
By buying two- or three-year crowns, youll be harvesting next Spring.
Those, you might consider starting yourself.
There are purple asparagus spears, too, and you dont have to bury them in dirt.
To plant asparagus crowns, youll want to dig a long trench.
Every spring youll see the spears come up, some thicker, some wispy.
Only take the fattest spears, allowing the wispy ones to grow into ferns.
These asparagus ferns grow three to four feet high, and grow the seeds for more asparagus.
If your beds are younger than three, you should let all the spears grow.
But eating your own asparagus, directly from the bed, is so incredibly sweet.
It tastes super fresh and bright.
Last year, I read tomatoes co-plant well with them, and so I tried it with great success.
I dreamed of baby artichokes and preserved artichoke hearts.
Im shocked to say, it is absolutely everything I wanted and more.
Artichoke plants are a showstopper.
They can grow even through winter, although they wont produce at all.
But come Spring, with a little fertilizer and care, they will begin to jolt towards the sky.
As they grow, theyll bud at the top, and those buds grow into artichokes.
Generally, I harvest the first four-five per plant, and then I leave the smallest chokes to bloom.
An artichoke flower is one of the most magnificent sights on earth.
When they open, a fuzzy technicolor purple fur emerges, before they bloom all the way.
They are breathtaking, but more importantly, they are also favored by bees.
More charming though, is that youll also find bees pollen drunk, passed out in your choke flowers.
Artichokes are best bought as starts from the garden center or started very early in February.
Use blueberry and azalea fertilizer.
