Spring is in the air .....still

On a normal year, a warm spell in March triggers a burst of excitement in my gardening buddies and me. Those of you who live in my geographic area know that we've been experiencing the excitement of spring since about last October!  We do not remember ever having been exposed to a winter as mild as this one just past. We have recently endured several days of extremely windy, 60 degree weather followed by a night of thunder, lightening and a ground cover of small hail.  This said, I am totally clueless  as to what Mother Nature might bring to us over the next several months.  We'll just forge on as usual.

If you haven't gotten your tree pruning finished up, it's time ........ nearly past time.  Also, you should be laying down bulb fertilizer ASAP.  Probably goes without saying that we want to take advantage of this warm weather to finish cleaning off those beds and garden spots that were skipped last fall.  I am putting in an asparagus bed and some new rhubarb plants.  It's time to get that area spaded up and trenches made.  I am only putting two more rhubarb plants in so they will reside at the end of the asparagus bed.  I have a raised bed of tired strawberry plants that I plan to plant another two dozen plants into. 

I have been doing some research into these three plantings so will pass my findings on to you.  Maybe some of you are planning to plant one or more of these this spring?

Strawberries fit into one of three varieties:

Everbearing.  Produce smaller berries and lesser harvests 2 or sometimes 3 times throughout the growing season. They shoot fewer runners than June bearing.
Day Neutral strawberries produce throughout the growing season when the temperature is between 35 and 85 degrees.  They shoot few or no runners so would be ideal from container plantings.

 
June bearing.  Large abundant fruit with good runner character.  They shoot healthy runners that encourage new plant growth. 
I have ordered 25 Allstar plants. Harvest lasts two to three weeks, generally during the month of June. They are on the recommended K-State Research list.  It's always a good idea to check these Research and Extension lists for your state. 

My asparagus plants will be from the Jersey series.  They will be all male plants.  My research tells me that 10 plants are sufficient for one person who only wants fresh asparagus.  I am planting 20 plants. They will need to be planted in a long trench.  Stark Brothers Nursery site has a great planting guide if you need one.  Be sure to plant in full sun and remember that after their harvest season, they shoot up beautiful fern fronds.  These can create shade in an area that you might not want shaded.   Once the plants come up later this spring ....... Leave them alone!  Resist harvesting it until the 3rd year and you are good to go for the next 25-30 years!

Trench with asparagus roots ready to plant.

This asparagus after growth can be used in cut flower arrangements!

Rhubarb varieties are a little more tricky.  I have a plant of my mom's that is absolutely ideal.  The flesh is dark red and fairly sweet.  Most importantly, it does not go to seed.  I have no idea what variety it is.  My two new plants are advertised as a close match.  They are Red Scarlet.  We'll see how they work out???