Fleeting Success

I love asparagus and was thrilled when my father offered to start a bed against my back fence. He advised patience, since it takes three years to yield the first crop. Even then, it must be harvested lightly in order for the bed to continue growing. Once established, he told me, an asparagus bed could last for twenty-five years.

The asparagus grew and even before it produced spears, its branches provided lovely coverage for the ugly wire fence at the back of the property. When three years had passed, we were more than ready to sample our crop. Three small spears for each of our family members, still left a fair amount on the plants.

We savored each bite and resigned ourselves to waiting another year.

The following year, the branches turned green and full, working their magic on the wire fence. Alas, no spears appeared that year. By the following year, the plants were dead and brown.

I'm still not sure what went wrong, but each time my daughter brings home asparagus from the grocery store, I remember that one small harvest.