OT: North Americans- Columbus Day

snipped-for-privacy@actcom.co.il (Mirjam Bruck-Cohen) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ar.news.verio.net:

and he didn't find North America either :) plus it's not really Columbus day. that would be Oct.12. lee

He thought he was on the mainland when he was on an island, and when he finally did get to the mainland (on his last voyage) he was absolutely sure he was on an island! I've often wondered why Stephen Pile didn't include Columbus in his Book of Heroic Failures. ;) But I'm happy to get a three-day weekend out of it, especially as it's perfect weather for stacking firewood and digging up the tomato jungle.

Hey - anyone know what to do with asparagus plants at the end of the season? We had a volunteer come up last year, and as it was just one stalk, we left it alone, and now it's a thicket of maybe two dozen, a couple of feet high and all feathery. Do we leave it alone again over the winter, or cut it down, or what?

spampot wrote in news:G7udnQ2e9O6IzrfYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

depends... if it's healthy & you don't have an asparagus beetle problem, you can leave the tops on for winter, but i cut them back & compost them, just to make sure i'm not overwintering bugs or disease. the big issue with asparagus is weeds. they *hate* competition from weeds. and they really love compost, but not too thick. best to put it on in the fall, so it feeds the roots in early spring. i love asparagus, not only to eat but because it's a very decorative addition to the garden. lee

Thank you so much!! I haven't seen any beetles (knock wood) and it's a good thing I just sifted out several pounds of good compost from my pile. The funny thing is, our veg & herb garden is right beside our concrete garage wall (painted white, faces south, full sun all day) and the asparagus "volunteered" right by the wall...and just the other day I read a recommendation for asparagus for a nice ferny foundation plant because it likes the calcium leached from the concrete!

...and me, I could eat asparagus every day and twice on Sunday.

And he didn`t find what he was looking for ,,,, mirjam

snipped-for-privacy@actcom.co.il (Mirjam Bruck-Cohen) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ar.news.verio.net:

:) i'm a farmer when i'm not knitting, spinning, beading or sewing. i lost my decorative asparagus by the back door to a sneak attack by a catnip plant. crowded it right out. i'm in the process of rebuilding my asparagus bed that came with the house, as the previous owners never weeded apparently. a good bed of asparagus will produce for up to 50 years, if cared for. i'm going to put in some regular, old fashioned asparagus & some of the newer, all male, & purple types to see which i like best.

lee

Wow. I hope catmint doesn't do the same; the friend who's been putting sun-lovers in our garden's empty spaces put one in, but a couple of feet from the asparagus. Thanks for the warning; I'll keep an eye on it!

I love eating Asaparagus, and when in my teens we collected and planted them , but alas i don`t remember the proper way to take care of them ... mirjam