asparagus update

I am wanting to expand our asparagus plantings.  Two years ago we started some plants from seed and put in one row of asparagus near the potager between the transplanted black raspberries and the blueberry plants.  Last year we let them grow but did not harvest them.  This year we should be able to eat some of our asparagus.  Now I have been eying the cornfield. I have a row of posts that I am in the processing of installing to divide the north half from the south half.  My plan for the posts is to have them hold sprinklers so that I can irrigate the cornfield without having to drag hoses between the plants possibly damaging the plants in the process.  I am also planning to place house numbers on the posts to help with record keeping.  The posts are installed every five raised rows.  Last fall I dug up a few more raspberry canes that grow along the grove and planted them between two of the posts.  I plant to do more this spring using every other section.  I will plant asparagus in the alternating sections.   The pictures are kind of dark but you can see the raised rows in the front, the row of poles and the corn stalks behind.  I still have a few rows to build and posts to install at the far end but hopefully an early spring will allow those to be finished as one of the first spring projects. 

 On January 23 I planted a 9 cell pack of asparagus plants and put them on the heat mat.  On the 31st I planted another 9 cell pack.  Between planting the first set and the planting the second set I did a little reading and found that some people were suggesting soaking the seeds just prior to planting so I did that with the second batch.  So far three seedlings have popped thru in the first batch with none yet on the second batch.  I have quite a few more seeds to plant and was reading today that the asparagus seeds can take up to ten weeks to germinate.  So today I soaked and planted the remaining of my seeds so I have just over 100 more seeds in cells and on the heat mat.  If we get a good rate of germination in a couple years we should have plenty of  asparagus for our family needs with some to sell at the end of the driveway in the farmstand. 

I have been working on the awning for the farmstand and have it built and just need to install it on the farmstand.  I am thinking it is going to take a second pair of hands to put it on.  It will be hinged so that it can be moveable if needed.  I still have the end cap for the roof to put up but I wanted to have Cait put some writing on it before we install it.  The background is painted white but I think it would be cute with some writing on it.

I am also building a little table that will hold a cooler and I am planning to have bags of mixed greens for sale from the cooler on warmer days this winter.  Some of the greens are ready and more are close.  It will give me a chance to use my cute antique scale as I think I will price the bags of lettuce by weight.