I planted 84 seeds in the new asparagus garden exactly one month ago, June 2nd.

A few days back, there was no evidence of any germinating. There were a thousand small weeds coming up, thanks to the good soil and my flood-watering, but all the plants were dicots, except a pesky grass that is easily recognized.

Early this morning with the sunlight coming in at a sharp angle, I could see as many as two dozen tiny plants coming up. They they look rather like a single hair extracted from a boar-bristle paint brush. A few may have a tiny bit of branching starting at the top, but not many.

This variety has the oh-so-romantic name of UC 72.

The 72, I suspect, refers to the average age of the plant owners when they get a real crop of big fat asparagus spears from their seeds.