Someone passed on asparagus crowns to me, but they are dry.

[wildeyed]

If I soak them in water, will they come back enough to plant?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Give it a shot...

I bought a 5-shoot pkg. from home depot off the discount rack for $1. Forgot them in the car for 2 days. planted them anyway and they are now puny little ferns about 1 1/2 feet high. Next year they will do better. :)

[bvar22]

2. Last Spring, Starkraven ordered our Asparagus online.

It arrived in a box, and looked like a hank of dry brown cord.
I would never have guessed it was viable plant material.
It looks like this today (May 8th):

I had never seen Asparagus growing,
and had imagined little rows or clusters of 8" tall "tips".
I had no idea it would do this.
Some of these are already way over 6' tall.
This would be great for a garden backdrop or border...
just plant it on the fence line or border and mostly forget it.
Ours has been trouble free.
A little weeding, mulching, watering, and just watch it grow.
We have had no pest or disease problems.
After 3 years, start picking fresh Asparagus for the next 15 - 20 years.

The Asparagus has been so trouble free that we are fantasizing about discontinuing everything else, and growing only Asparagus and Blueberries,... and then doing something else (fishing?) with all our new Free Time.

[wildeyed]

3. If you have fresh asparagus, blueberries and eggs, what else do you need?

As fast as those items go at my local farmer's market, you could grow only that and then trade/buy the rest of the produce on the profits.

My raspberries died in the drought, so the fence bed that backdrops the veggie garden is open again. Maybe I will add asparagus there next spring. The crowns my friend passed on are in a small bed, maybe half the size of the one in your picture. Not enough to feed a family, but a start at least, plus they were free. I gave them a bunch of nice compost, so hopefully they will be happy despite the late start.

Speaking of fantasies, I am considering honeybees for next year :) My suburban yard will then be a complete ecosystem.

[bvar22]

4. Small, Organic, De-Centralized BeeKeeping may be THE solution

One of the MAIN reasons we moved so far out in The Woods was to start Keeping Bees in as toxin free an environment as possible.

We started two colonies in Spring in 2007.
Neither of us had ANY experience with BeeKeeping.
Starkraven got some books, and did a lot of research online.

She ordered the hive bodies online in the Winter of 2006.
Put them together and got everything ready.
The Bees arrived via US Mail in mid-April.
(The post office called at 7:30AM and asked us to pick them up ASAP)
She followed the directions and got them installed in the hives.

It was pretty scary at first.
Even with all the book learning, it is frightening to open a hive with 40,000 bees for the first time.
Luckily, Bees are very god at taking care of themselves,
and Starkraveninstinctively dd almost everything right (Mostly...leave them alone.)

Later that year, we both joined our local BeeKeepers Association,
and we both recommend that to anyone considering keeping Honey Bees.
Nothing can replace fist hand experience,
and the local association is the best place to get it.

We put together these recommendation for anyone considering Keeping Bees:

1) Check in with you County Extension.
They are really helpful. There are some regulations concerning transportation, registration, and inspection, and there may be some local ordinances. They are also a great resource for latest research and new methods, pest & disease control. They can also facilitate state hive inspections.
We generally avoid government agencies where ever possible, and have never voluntarily registered anything, but we make an exception for our bees. The benefits FAR outweigh any downside.

2)Join you local Beekeepers Association.
These are some of the most laid back people you will ever meet. Starkraven and myself are not joiners, but we look forward to our monthly meetings with the "bee people". This is another valuable resource for local information concerning pests, honey flows, equipment and disreputable operators. You can also pick up some hands-on experience working around hives.
Make no mistake...it is scary opening a hive the first time.
You will also be able to pick up some free localized bees from you local bee keepers. (Healthy colonies EXPAND, and many local bee keepers have all they want and are more than happy to give them away).

3)Always use new equipment
There are some very persistent pests and diseases that can be transmitted through the equipment. Used equipment abounds at some very attractive prices.
It is not worth the risk in my opinion. If you join the local association, some will offer you old equipment for FREE, but we always politely turn it down.
New Equipment is very reasonable, and there are many wholesalers and retailers online.
We use Dadant, and have been very happy with them.

4)Don't use Flower Scented Deodorants or Fabric Softeners.
You would think this is Common Sense, but it took us a while to figure out WHY the bees wanted so badly to crawl under our arms. You really don't want to get stung there.

We have gotten very comfortable with our bees.
The collective intelligence and discipline of the hive is beyond awe.
The more we learn about them, the more fascinated we become.

Our colonies are about 20 yards from the backdoor, visible from the house. There are plenty of bees around our house and gardens, but they have never caused a problem with us or our pets. Neither of us has been stung outside of messing with the hives.
We inspect the hives every couple of weeks during the Spring/Summer. It takes about 15 minutes per hive. During the Winter, we rarely open the hives. ...only enough to make sure they have food (sugar water).

Our bees are very gentle (Italian/All Stars). We always wear protective hoods and gloves and use a smoker, but rarely put on the full suit. We do get stung on rare occasions (through the gloves or jeans), but it is no big deal anymore. I am considering trying BeeSting therapy for some arthritis in my hands .

While the bees are hearty and very good at taking care of themselves, they sometimes need some help.
We were lucky, and blundered through the first year on online research and love, but taking a course and joining the BeeKeepers Association has been invaluable, and we highly recommend it to anyone considering bees.

There are many websites that offer full starter kits online.
I believe we ordered our kit from Dadant, and are happy with them.
For the future, we will build our own hives.
Its easy.

A good site for Organic BeeKeeping, Bush Bees.
http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
We don' agree with everything he does, but love his approach.

Good Luck.

BTW, the bees LOVE the Asparagus.
There is a constant hum coming from it during the daytime.

[wildeyed]

5. I don't even see bees around here much anymore, other than the chubby carpenter bees.

As a child, I was always careful when walking through clover 'cause the bees would get between my sandal and foot and sting me. But that doesn't seem to be a problem anymore, since I never see bees on the clover these days.

[bvar22]

6. That was common during my childhood Summers...

...getting stung in the foot while walking barefoot through the clover....going to Mom to have her pull the stinger...and then right back outside, barefoot in the clover.
(You know, thinking about it...
I NEVER had Arthritis in those days...
Hmmmm....
maybe something to Bee Sting Therapy?)

For several reasons (ticks, copperheads, pygmy rattlers,) we began close mowing the weeds around our house and areas we work in everyday. Over time, the weeds and briars have been replaced by shorter grasses, including White Clover. Now, the areas we mow is dominated by White Clover which delights us and the Bees, makes great Honey, and self mulches as we mow. The area is now holding water and building topsoil, something the weeds and briars did not do. The clover just comes back thicker every time we mow.

We haven't seen a Copperhead or Rattler around the house or garden in the last 2 years (regular close mowing and Free Ranging chickens), but I'm still wary. I won't walk outside at night without boots. However, the ever bold Starkraven WAS walking Barefoot in the Clover the other day.
The sharp-edged sandstone rocks that once dominated the top layer have become buried under a layer of clover mulch where we mow, making barefoot now possible in some places.

If you think you might want to Keep Bees, please follow this whim (dream, guidance, fantasy,...)
The Bees have been one of the most satisfying and awe inspiring adventures we have had since moving here.

[wildeyed]

7. They sound fascinating.

Once I get the chicken coop up and running, I will start to research a hive. It sounds fascinating. Thanks for the info and inspiration.

[pengillian101]

8. I so enjoy reading your posts.

Your lifestyle is divine! Best to ya :-)

[ClayZ]

9. That's it, I am going to order Asparagus starts,

and look more into bee keeping. Thanks for the photo and the inspiration!