Hi hisgirltoo - I never "uncover" my asparagus beds. They come up right through the straw and leaving the straw in place helps keep down the weeds, retain moisture, and feeds the beds as it decomposes. There was a nother recent discussion on this (further down the page) and I think most agreed that you don't need to uncover it.

Strawberries here in my zone get cleaned up, uncovered, and fed in late March (depending on the weather) so I would guess that mid to late April would work for you. Depends on what your last freeze date is. ;)

Dave

I tried not covering my strawberries this year because I had such a problem with mice getting into the beds because of the straw. Our area is very rampent with field mice and meadow voles. The beds are now showing through the snow and they are still green and happy from what I can see. I dont think the strawberry farms around here even cover their plants. I have Ozarks. It might depend on the variety but you might not have to bother covering them.