This early morning photo shows our raised bed of asparagus grown tall and surrounded by sunflowers, garbage cans planted with tomatoes and the pumpkin bed peeking from the back.

The asparagus bed is only two years old so we harvested sparingly this past Spring to let the fronds grow tall and the roots set deeper. Soon we’ll cut down the stalks, top dress the bed with well-rotted manure and then mulch the bed with the stalks and a thick mat of straw for winter.

Eds. Note: And that little critter in the back with his paw raised is one of two cement lions Cait bought at an estate sale for $5 each and hauled home.