Perennial Vegetable Bed

Posted by Angela England Mar 12, 2007

Because asparagus and strawberry plants are perennial plants we wanted to provide them with a more permanent location so we created a perennial food plant raised bed. I double dug the area and turned everything over, working in some well-composted chicken manure as I went. Then we created the strawberry bed out of 2x4's and filled in the bed with topsoil we had purchased and turned the whole thing over again.

The strawberries I planted were two different types of everbearing strawberry plants: Quinault and Ozark. The asparagus I planted were also two different kinds: one-year Mary Washington Asparagus plants which will produce both male and female shoots, and two-year Jersey Knight Asparagus plants which will produce only male shoots and should also produce a few small shoots for harvest this year.

I was amazed how long the asparagus roots were! For a few of the two-year old plants I actually had my husband use the post hole digger to make sure the planting hole was deep enough to accomodate the full size of the Jersey Knight Asparagus plant roots.

I can't wait to harvest some of the tasty strawberries and tender asparagus shoots this year. And to know that next year there will be even more!