Asparagus - The Long-Term Investment

So neat! So much work!

When I talked about planting asparagus this year, someone said, "That takes three years!" In fact, many people never plant asparagus, even though they stay in the same house for 20 years, because "it takes three years!"

The goal - although raw asparagus is pretty good too.

In rural areas people harvest asparagus around fences, because birds rest there and plant the seed with a little fertilizer added. In the city, people get out their gardening manuals, dig neat, deep trenches and line them with inorganic fertilizer, then add the roots.

Thick spears come from energy stored in the roots, so the key is good soil...and time. When a spear is as thick as a man's thumb, it can be harvested. Spears turn into ferny branches to collect solar energy.

My plant is to dig holes, not trenches, put the crowns (roots) in, and cover them with soil, mushroom compost, and Jackson Mulch. I have already lined the fence with Jackson Mulch to make spring planting easier and to promote soil activity from the rotting grass.

Although I seeded the entire property with red wigglers last summer, I will pay special attention to the new areas for another sprinkling. Red wigglers multiply rapidly. Maybe it is not necessary to add more of them, but I know it can only accomplish good.

Soil will host a given number of worms. If the soil is sweeter and more organic, more worms can live and work there. The irony is this - the more worms, the more organic and sweeter the soil is. A skeptic would say that is by design - and it is - the plan of the Creator for establishing, improving, and renewing soil.

This morning I took a bowl of material for the compost, tea bags, coffee grounds, and banana peels. Yesterday our neighbor delivered a bag of newspapers. Like blogging, the daily organic accomplishment may seem small, but the annual accrual is impressive. To speed things up, since I lack a farm, I get bags of mushroom compost and wood mulch. I count every pound of organic matter as another pound of top soil.

Thus - the efficacy of the Word. No one who preaches feels or sees an immediate effect. That is why so many turn from the efficacy of the Word to chase fads - the NPK of congregational work. Sprinkle rock music and barroom lighting into your congregation and get fast, Fast, FAST results!

John 15:1-10 is ideal for understanding the efficacy of the Word -
abiding in Him through the Means of Grace.