asparagus mulch

the asparagus was looking rather verdant for the time of year and we can chalk that up to its cold hardiness and the singular lack of significant frost around here...

and one plant ( actually the only producing plant ) has yielded three more berries which i gladly took for seed...

whether or not the asparagus was green, this was the time i had set aside for this process so i cut the plants back and stowed the compostable detritus in the back of my truck...

then i removed a rouge elm tree that had taken root where i do not want it...

and spread a layer of compost over the cut back plants, marking the locations first so i can scoop the compost back in the spring to aid the spears as they emerge from the soil..asparagus is a heavy feeder and will need more than this dressing during the coming season, however this will give the plants a good start in spring...

i used landscaping fabric and pins to hold down a layer of straw that will create the dead air that will insulate the crowns...the black fabric won't hurt either in terms of warmth...

i pinned down a second layer of fabric to be sure the straw stays in place through the winter and ended up with what kathy forgey said looked like a body..it isn't...just straw and compost...we will open this up in march for the start of the asparagus season...more then