Asparagus

I cultivated the asparagus yesterday and today.  It is a joy to cultivate the asparagus.  Not only because the asparagus is doing so well, but also because it mixes manual processes with tractor work.  Because we planted the asparagus in a disked alfalfa field, the alfalfa bounced back shortly after disking and is still active which hides the asparagus.  We flag two rows of asparagus before running the cultivator.  Flagging gives plenty of time to enjoy the sites, sounds, smells and warm feeling of spring coming into bloom.  Then its into the tractor to cultivate out the weeds and alfalfa for a couple of passes before pulling the flags and flagging the next two rows.  Since we don't use herbicides it is a yearly battle for domination.  Weeds and alfalfa grow along with the asparagus, and we push back against the weeds and alfalfa.  It's never about winning or losing, its simply a matter of making sure that the asparagus has enough room to grow without being overwhelmed by alfalfa and weeds so that we can get a harvest.  This year is the second year for the asparagus and we'll let it grow for one more year before we harvest it.  We're excited about next years asparagus!