HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgriculture 2002, 2002-03-13, Page 10Down to earth
May is a busy time for Rita Deitner and the crew as aspara-
gus picking season is in full swing. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
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PAGE A-10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002.
Agriculture 2002
Asparagus farmer marks 20th year of growth
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
A lot of people stop by Rita and
Leo Deitner's place each June.
For two decades the Ethel-area
couple have grown and marketed
asparagus from their farm. The proj-
ect, primarily Rita's, has created a
steady flow of customers down their
country road since her first planting
in 1982.
The idea took shape after Rita saw
an article in a farm publication for a
new variety of asparagus called
Jersey Centennial. "It was supposed
to produce three times as many
plants as typical asparagus,"
explains •Rita. "I knew absolutely
nothing about growing it, so I
thought it would be a challenge."
That year they planted 35 rows of
100 seeds each in a one-acre field
that had been full of bushy weeds.
"We had broken it up five years pre-
viously but hadn't been planting
anything in it."
Having planted the seeds, Rita's
first intention was the sell the plants,
rather than the vegetable. However,
after contacting the Asparagus
Growers Association she learned
that there was no market for the
plants. The only alternative left was
to market the fruits of her labours.
In the beginning, she said, aspara-
gus was a relatively new product in
the area. "Growers are few and far
between." As a result the product
sold itself literally by word of
mouth.
Twenty years later, the same plants
are providing many of the same cus-
tomers.
The season for growing asparagus,
is as with most vegetables, relatively
short. It is also not particularly
labour-intensive, with the weeds
being the biggest battle.
When it's ready, which Deitner
says is about 10 days before other
soils, because of being sheltered by
bush on the north and west, as well
as the fact it's a lighter soil, they
begin to prepare for the year. In the
spring, they disc with a five-foot disc
over everything, getting down in the
soil just two-three inches, and over
the top of the existing plants. They
do this about three times.
Fertilizer is applied at this point,
rather than manure, said Deitner,
because of trying to control the
weeds.
The land is then gone over with a
harrow to level the soil.
Throughout the season Rita says
she does the best she can to get pito
the rows and weed, but the thickness
of the growth can often make this
difficult. "When I planted the rows
were three feet apart, now they're
barely a foot."
Daring production there are no
chemicals used on the plant. If it's a
dry season water is sump-pumped
out of a nearby creek and put into a
1,000 gallon tank then applied to the
field.
When it's time to pick, Rita gets
help from four employees, Debbie
Campbell, Nic Campbell, Rob
Semple and Alicia Deitner. Picking
usually begins around Mother's Day,
but can be as early as April. From
then until the mid-June the crew is in
the field at 6 a.m., weather permit-
ting.
Should there be a.frost, it will stunt
the little plants. The rest don't seem
to produce then, says Deitner, so the
Workers must break off any frozen
ones.
Beating the heat in the early morn-
ing they pick for just over an hour
then take the asparagus into the
garage where it is sorted. The ones
where the heads have started to open
are taken out and the remainder are
weighed into one to five-pound bags.
Though Rita sells to a local restau-
rant, the majority of her produce is
purchased by off-the-road traffic and
her regular customers. There are, she
says, about 135 she contacts.
This year, customers will have to
go a little further to find her, as she
and Leo have moved to a new home
just down the road.
After the picking is done half of
the original application of fertilizer
is applied. Then in the fall, the field
is disced once more. By November
Continued on A-11