I think a quince might do fine for you. I have one in partial sun, gets sun from about noon to about 5 pm, and it does just fine. Further south, I think a quince might enjoy partial sun even more, although they grow around the Mediterranean regions as well, so it may not matter a lot. I've never had any kind of disease issues on mine. They are really rugged beasts. The only quince issue I fight with are coddling moths, which just LOVE quince over and above all other fruits, so you need to be really vigilant with those mid-summer sprays.

bumpety bump!

The law should be based in facts, not opinions IMHO. You have someone in a fancy-pants neighborhood with perfectly sculpted lawns and a strict HOA. Someone who lives in that area decides to put up a veggie garden in the front yard. Will that affect the asthetic of the homes around it? Will that affect a possible sale or property value of a home near that home? I believe the answer is yes. People buy into HOA areas to have the traditional look of a green,trimmed up lawn. Second case scenerio: A crappy area where very few folks do anything with thier landscaping. Is a guy growing veggies going to affect the asthetic? Is it going to hurt the property values of the other homes? No it won't. Dead and dormant lawns, overgrown shrubs and some weedy beds do not look better than veggies dead for the year or alive. Rats live in ghettos. It's got nuthin to do with composting. The answer should be based on facts. Will what that person directly affect the property or asthetic of surrounding houses? If the answer is yes, changes need to be enforced. If the answer is no, then there is no reason to waste the court's time and money over what is essentially a non-issue.

Kind of goes against the point of even planting asparagus. :) You are assuming the growth you will get the first year will even be desirable, even edible. They won't be. The first years growth will be VERY thin spears about the size of stereo wires, thin, tough and chewy. Put your crowns in containers where you can take them with you or plant them and treat them normally with no harvesting and plan to either leave the bed if you move or dig up the crowns and take them with you. Dave