It’s often said on the Cape that you can expect asparagus to be up right in time for Mother’s Day. The asparagus patch at Burgess Farm is no exception — we found the first spears poking through the mulch just last week!

A perennial plant, asparagus stores energy in underground “crowns” over the winter. As soon as the weather warms up, the plant sends up new spears, making it one of the first garden delicacies each spring. A well-tended asparagus patch can last up to 50 years!

Because our asparagus patch is only a year old, this spring we have to leave all of the spears so the plants can use them to gather energy and continue to develop the crowns. Next year, though, we’ll be able to harvest a few tender treats in the narrow window between when the asparagus first shows up and when it shoots up to make its feathery foliage.

Here are some of our first spears peeking through the mulch:

This row will produce for years to come!