First harvest
The spinach starts that I planted at the beginning of April are already ready to start feeding us. I harvested the first of it today, just taking the outer leaves to (according to my gardening books) encourage more growth. We’re having it for dinner tonight. Well, we’re having it as a small side dish for dinner tonight, since that amount of spinach cooks down to not all that much. But I suspect it will be the most rewarding side dish I’ve eaten in a while–the very first thing we’ll be eating from our garden.
After a few weeks when the asparagus crowns just looked sad and dead and I was afraid I’d planted them wrong or too soon, there’s finally some activity starting in the asparagus bed. Strange little things, those asparagus crowns. They won’t be ready to harvest until next year. 
Then we’ve got the plants I started from seeds. Please forgive the shots that look like the plants are in jail. I started off taking the photos with the anti-cat chicken wire in place, then thought better of it and rolled it back for the later shots:
Winterbor kale
Early Dividend broccoli
Early Wonder beets
The spinach I harvested today, pre-harvest, and to the left of it Swiss chard
Tyee spinach (and behind it, garlic)
The strawberry plants in the pot are quite happy. 
As are the strawberries planted in the ground on the other side of the yard. (Beside the also-happy blueberry bush. I forgot to snap photos of that side of the yard. Sorry! Next time!)
Oh…and do you remember the strawberry plant that looked like an alien from this post? Take a look at that alien now.
That’s kind of magical, isn’t it? I’m hoping the asparagus crowns grow similarly more attractive with time. They’re kinda freaky right now.
Not pictured, but also coming up, Napa and Merida carrots.
*Post inspired by Norma’s State of the Food Garden address. She’s my gardening hero
Oh yay! I love baby plants. And I think those funky asparagus (asparagi?) are cool.
Posted by: Lizbon
Oh yay! I love baby plants. And I think those funky asparagus (asparagi?) are cool.
Posted by: Lizbon
Your spinach looks fabulous (and slug-free, congratulations!). Yesterday, I made tabouleh from parsley, mint, onions, garlic and lemon thyme from my garden. It was amazing. What variety of strawberries did you decide on? I’ve ripped out most of my lawn to make room for fruits, herbs and vegetables and cannot wait for berry season.
Posted by: Andi
Oh lucky you…we can’t even start planting until May 24 has passed up here but I have the garden all ready to go…ciao
Posted by: rositta
Your spinach looks soooo good. Asparagus is notoriously hard to grow, I think.
Posted by: Mandy
It all looks so awesome Cari! I’m so envious that you’ve started the asparagus – I really want to have a place for asparagus – and the anti-cat chicken wire? I’ve never heard of this. Need to check this out. I wonder if it works for sand boxes too? 🙂
Posted by: Laura
Your asparagus crowns are too high out of the soil, as is the strawberry one in the last photo. Add some soil, and perhaps some mulch around each of them. Those roots should be in soil, just under the soil level — not TOO deep, either. It’s a tricky business. You should only see the green parts of the asparagus. I’ll get a photo of mine tomorrow, to show you.
The rest of your stuff looks great!
Posted by: Norma
Your spinach looks fabulous (and slug-free, congratulations!). Yesterday, I made tabouleh from parsley, mint, onions, garlic and lemon thyme from my garden. It was amazing. What variety of strawberries did you decide on? I’ve ripped out most of my lawn to make room for fruits, herbs and vegetables and cannot wait for berry season.
Posted by: Andi
Oh lucky you…we can’t even start planting until May 24 has passed up here but I have the garden all ready to go…ciao
Posted by: rositta
Your spinach looks soooo good. Asparagus is notoriously hard to grow, I think.
Posted by: Mandy
It all looks so awesome Cari! I’m so envious that you’ve started the asparagus – I really want to have a place for asparagus – and the anti-cat chicken wire? I’ve never heard of this. Need to check this out. I wonder if it works for sand boxes too? 🙂
Posted by: Laura
Your asparagus crowns are too high out of the soil, as is the strawberry one in the last photo. Add some soil, and perhaps some mulch around each of them. Those roots should be in soil, just under the soil level — not TOO deep, either. It’s a tricky business. You should only see the green parts of the asparagus. I’ll get a photo of mine tomorrow, to show you.
The rest of your stuff looks great!
Posted by: Norma
Yum. THere really is nothing better than eating what you grow. We won’t even be planting for a few more weeks, but I am looking forward to the harvest!
Posted by: Sandra
That’s the best damn looking spinach I have ever seen. I bet it was the best damn spinach you ever tasted, too.
Posted by: Michelle
Have you grown asparagus before? If not, you’re going to be surprised at how fast it grows, like a foot overnight. It’s actually kind of creepy!
Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport
Wow!!! I am impressed with your first gardening effort. Looks beautiful.
Posted by: Judith
How exciting! I would love to have a garden of my own!
Posted by: rebecca
Yum. THere really is nothing better than eating what you grow. We won’t even be planting for a few more weeks, but I am looking forward to the harvest!
Posted by: Sandra
That’s the best damn looking spinach I have ever seen. I bet it was the best damn spinach you ever tasted, too.
Posted by: Michelle
Have you grown asparagus before? If not, you’re going to be surprised at how fast it grows, like a foot overnight. It’s actually kind of creepy!
Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport
Wow!!! I am impressed with your first gardening effort. Looks beautiful.
Posted by: Judith
How exciting! I would love to have a garden of my own!
Posted by: rebecca
Everything looks great! FYI: there is a quick and delicous recipe for making jam in this month’s Bon Appetite. A colleague has already tried it and loves the result & how quick and easy it is to make. It could be a neat compliment to your bread!
Posted by: Audrey
Everything looks great! FYI: there is a quick and delicous recipe for making jam in this month’s Bon Appetite. A colleague has already tried it and loves the result & how quick and easy it is to make. It could be a neat compliment to your bread!
Posted by: Audrey
oh – jealous – my asparagus crowns aren’t doing squat. i think i planted them too deep and may need to unearth them a bit this weekend. on the bright side, i threw all of our recently thinned out seedlings into the salad bowl over the weekend and they were delicious.
Posted by: heather
Where did you buy that really neat Strawberry plant pot? That’s a cool idea to grow strawberries in!
Another question, what did you use in your garden? It doesn’t look like just earth that you have down on the ground? Gardening weekend here in Canada for me is the long weekend next weekend, and I’m starting to prepare what I need to do for my first garden ever. Any reason why you didn’t use just earth? Looks like you have sticks in the earth? Is this better than just using top soil & fertilizer?
Posted by: Robyn (Knit & Purl Mama)
Congrats on your spinach! I’m starting my first garden this year as well. We have zone 4 to work with though, and it’s still dicey for planting as far as cold is concerned. Not a lot of sun, either. We’ll see what happens.
Posted by: Paula
Everything looks great! FYI: there is a quick and delicous recipe for making jam in this month’s Bon Appetite. A colleague has already tried it and loves the result & how quick and easy it is to make. It could be a neat compliment to your bread!
Posted by: Audrey
Everything looks great! FYI: there is a quick and delicous recipe for making jam in this month’s Bon Appetite. A colleague has already tried it and loves the result & how quick and easy it is to make. It could be a neat compliment to your bread!
Posted by: Audrey
oh – jealous – my asparagus crowns aren’t doing squat. i think i planted them too deep and may need to unearth them a bit this weekend. on the bright side, i threw all of our recently thinned out seedlings into the salad bowl over the weekend and they were delicious.
Posted by: heather
Where did you buy that really neat Strawberry plant pot? That’s a cool idea to grow strawberries in!
Another question, what did you use in your garden? It doesn’t look like just earth that you have down on the ground? Gardening weekend here in Canada for me is the long weekend next weekend, and I’m starting to prepare what I need to do for my first garden ever. Any reason why you didn’t use just earth? Looks like you have sticks in the earth? Is this better than just using top soil & fertilizer?
Posted by: Robyn (Knit & Purl Mama)
Congrats on your spinach! I’m starting my first garden this year as well. We have zone 4 to work with though, and it’s still dicey for planting as far as cold is concerned. Not a lot of sun, either. We’ll see what happens.
Posted by: Paula
Your garden is really coming along. Enjoy your spinach!
Posted by: knittripps
Wow! Great vegetable to start off your self sufficient dining table (spinach is probably my favorite)!
Such congratulations to you, you’re doing well and you’re partly to blame for my desire to start a garden on my back porch. Hee.
Posted by: Lissa
very nice garden! i wish i had a garden like that; however, i’ve come to accept i’m not a person who has a garden like that. at least not right now in my life. but your’s is a beautiful thing! for you and your family. so good for the little one.
Posted by: joanna
Looks fabulous! Congratulations on your Utopia Garden!
Posted by: Alyssa
i’m still kicking myself for forgetting spinach!!! the lettuce is going nuts, though. as are the peas.
your garden is really looking great!
Posted by: shanny in oregon
Your garden is really coming along. Enjoy your spinach!
Posted by: knittripps
Wow! Great vegetable to start off your self sufficient dining table (spinach is probably my favorite)!
Such congratulations to you, you’re doing well and you’re partly to blame for my desire to start a garden on my back porch. Hee.
Posted by: Lissa
very nice garden! i wish i had a garden like that; however, i’ve come to accept i’m not a person who has a garden like that. at least not right now in my life. but your’s is a beautiful thing! for you and your family. so good for the little one.
Posted by: joanna
Looks fabulous! Congratulations on your Utopia Garden!
Posted by: Alyssa
i’m still kicking myself for forgetting spinach!!! the lettuce is going nuts, though. as are the peas.
your garden is really looking great!
Posted by: shanny in oregon
The veggies look great! We just planted some herbs for this first season. I’m glad that the mint is in a separate pot, because it’s growing like crazy. The spinach looks wonderful – I hope I can find some at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market tomorrow.
Posted by: abby
The veggies look great! We just planted some herbs for this first season. I’m glad that the mint is in a separate pot, because it’s growing like crazy. The spinach looks wonderful – I hope I can find some at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market tomorrow.
Posted by: abby