YES!

Well, blog readers, today was a good day in the Warehouse Gardens. My first asparagus popped through. Check it out:



For those of you unfamiliar with the growing of asparagus, here is how it works: You get these things that look like dried up octopus and you dig trenches. You put the dried up octopus things in the trenches with a thin layer of dirt to cover. As the asparagus shoots through the dirt, you add more dirt until the trench is filled in.

This little asparagus was really needed today. I was feeling down about the gardens. Things just didn't seem to be going right, it looked liked doom, in fact. I corresponded with Matt (who is working in Vancouver during the week) and he gave me a pep talk.

Things are turning around. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it wasn't so stinkin' hot today. Who knows? The pumpkins look better, the whatever I planted (squash of some variety) look better. All in all, I just feel more positive. Thank you, Asparagus.

Today I dug little trenches with the hoe and sprinkled some chicken manure in; Just to give the earth some more yummy feed for the plants. The chicken manure is 10-12 years old and mellowed out. I do NOT advise doing that with a newer product. In fact, in my readings, I found that it is not good to use chicken manure until it is AT LEAST 9-12 months old. The nitrogen will surely kill all the plants if used new and fresh. Not to mention the fresh stench is enough to kill humans too!

Back to today. So, I also used old grass clippings to mulch. In doing so, I am keeping the weeds down and creating an insulation barrier for the moisture so the soil doesn't dry out as fast.

The next asparagus spear you eat (which if you live in the Northeast, it's in season! Go and eat asparagus. Support your local farmer!), think about the first time that asparagus plant yielded a spear and the joy that farmer must have felt.

YAHOO!

--Annie