And I still have a lot to do to call the patches of dirt “Garden.”

The soon to be asparagus patch looks lovely in its shades of brown: peat and topsoil. I hope this will do double duty by supporting asparagus plants and assisting the rest of the yard in absorbing water, therefore preventing the OkayByMe Swamp from turning into Lake OkayByMe.

Shades of Brown – so pretty.

It wasn’t easy to get this set up. We bought the peat and topsoil from a local place and brought both home. I felt rushed because our street was about to be torn up, and I wanted to get the materials while the minivan could still get in the driveway. Poor old mini: with ten bags of topsoil in the back, we feared it might try doing wheelies before we got it home.

Then there was the surprise. Most of the bags were that wonderful deep brown color, almost black. One, however, had been exposed to a little too much – heat? humidity?

Terrarium in a bag!

Chuck asked, “Should we return it?” I said, “Nah. We have a compost bin.” There really wasn’t much wasted. After I tossed a few handfuls of moss, etc., into the compost, most of the topsoil remained ready to use.

So here it is, folks. The next step on my To Do List: plant the asparagus crowns. Then: wait. Two years, perhaps three, until the asparagus matures enough to harvest. But then, when it’s ready, I’ll have fresh asparagus every spring. Yum.

And I still think shades of brown are prettier than any number of shades of gray.

Soon to be Home to Asparagus