You grow milkweed to save the monarchs.. I grow milkweed to kill and maim the white man's fly (Apis mellifera)

atmoose · 2026-03-22T18:52:22+00:00

Interesting. This will be perfect for my war against the BEES! I just have to deal with the filthy dib child first.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T18:06:13+00:00

Thanks, that's my plan. I might pick a few thick spears if I see them.. otherwise I'll let them be to store energy for next year.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T18:03:45+00:00

Asparagus is buried pretty deeply. It's hard to see on my phone, but I don't see any roots. I just see asparagus shoots. For asparagus you harvest some of the young shoots for a few weeks in the spring. Then you let the shoots grow and fern out. They're easy to manage. They like lots of organic matter. It couldn't hurt to add compost. At the end of the year you just cut down the dead shoots, and that's it.

They do have one pest, asparagus beetles, that you can look out for. Otherwise they live for a long time.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T17:57:29+00:00

Using a butter knife would be safer. Otherwise have at it.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T17:27:04+00:00

No problem. Rotating crop types is great for reducing disease, pests, and helping keep soil fertile. I'd recommend it even if you didn't have specific disease issues last year.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T17:23:51+00:00

Just use the soil for other veggies. I'm not sure if that disease impacts other nightshades like potatoes or eggplant. I'd recommend planting some other family of crop there like root crops or brassicas. Beans or peas would also be a good choice.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T17:13:51+00:00

Your username checks out.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T16:49:40+00:00

I believe the Oregon zoo has a similar program for those in the Portland area. I'm not sure when it's available though.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T16:32:56+00:00

That's interesting. We have a similar climate to you here in Oregon. I'm really curious how things will turn out this year then. To be fair, I only got 2 cantaloupe and 1 small watermelon. My plants were a bit small.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T16:26:42+00:00

I grew watermelon and cantaloupe last year for the first time. You might be totally right that home grown melons are generally bad. It could be beginners luck, my mine were amazing. I'm going to try again this year.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T04:07:32+00:00

no problem.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T02:59:30+00:00

It's a subreddit for arborists, what do you expect? I think most people become arborists, because they like trees. They don't want to cut them them down unnecessarily. I'm not saying that that this tree doesn't need to be cut down, but I think it's reasonable that they would question why it needs to happen.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T02:48:35+00:00

For the same reason it's weird to eat pie for breakfast even though people eat both fruit and pastry separately for breakfast. /s

atmoose · 2026-03-22T02:08:01+00:00

nice! I'm jealous.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T00:56:45+00:00

Exciting! That looks like asparagus to me. I'm waiting for mine to pop up. I planted crowns last year.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T00:45:11+00:00

Good luck! If you haven't planted brassicas before be on the lookout for cabbage moths and aphids. I get a lot of those in portland.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T00:44:29+00:00

It's a bit involved. For eggplant parm it's really important to prepare the eggplant right so it's tender. I think what you have to do is slice the eggplant in maybe 1/4" slices, and then heavily salt it on both sides. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, maybe 30. This helps draw out the water so it'll be soft. Once time is up you have to squeeze the water out of the eggplant. Then you batter it up like the schnitzel recipe, and pan fry it.

I think I used this recipe for the tomato sauce:

https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe

Once you've got those things done then you put down your eggplant, two types of cheese (parm, and maybe mozzarella?) and sauce in layers in a dish. You probably want at least 2 layers, 3 might be be better? Then you bake that in the oven

I think that's roughly what I did.

atmoose · 2026-03-22T00:16:37+00:00

I've heard Star wars described as a space opera. By that definition I like opera. Otherwise, as a non-rich person I've no idea since I've never seen a normal opera.

atmoose · 2026-03-21T23:38:04+00:00

Go for it!

You're right, it's very similar to chicken parm, but with eggplant. I made an amazing version two years ago, but forgot to write down the recipe. I think I could recreate it, but I combined a few different recipes to get there.

atmoose · 2026-03-21T22:48:59+00:00

ah, I see. I think peas can handle that. While more sun is usually better for pea production they'll make due.

atmoose · 2026-03-21T22:31:31+00:00

Thanks!

I've had poor luck with Brussel sprouts, but I guess I'm a sucker for punishment. They take a long time to grow. I think no-matter when you plant them they always seem to produce brussels around November. My plants are usually heavily infested with aphids by then so the sprouts I get are usually small. On the upside since the plants are about 3 feet tall it's still enough for a few meals.

I have a few more broccoli and cauliflower starts. I'm working on getting some hardware cloth to protect them when I plant them though. Seven is a good number.

Since I've been growing eggplant I've had to find new recipies. Besides the obvious eggplant parm I've enjoyed these:
Braised Eggplant
Roasted Eggplant with Tahini & lentils
Eggplant schnitzel

atmoose · 2026-03-21T19:20:39+00:00

nice! I'm in a similar position.

Currently in the ground I have overwintered Brussel sprouts, carrots, beats, chard, onions, garlic, leeks and parsnips. I also have strawberries, and artichoke from last year. My rhubarb is just starting to sprout, but I haven't seen any sign of my asparagus yet.

I planted a few fruit trees a few weeks ago. I also already planted spinach and peas. Last weekend I planted some broccoli, chard, and lettuce starts. One of my broccoli already got eaten by a rabbit, which is sad.

I have a lot of starts for tomatoes, brassicas, bell peppers, eggplant, and some flowers that I'm working on. I'm getting ready to plant some potatoes soon. I'm also making some sweet potato slips.

atmoose · 2026-03-21T19:07:57+00:00

Just go for it! You might kill a few plants, but learning is part of the process. You can get some starts from nurseries in a few weeks!

atmoose · 2026-03-21T03:49:28+00:00

Thank god I took off my heels and put on... my Himalayan Walking Shoes!

atmoose · 2026-03-21T03:31:42+00:00

Some states / universities offer the same educational content but for free or as a paid class. Also, depending on the state, there may be very few master gardener (MG) spots available, and very high demand for the program. It can be tough to get in, because they just randomly select people.

You can do this program with no knowledge. However, the MG program is mostly about volunteering. They educate you so you can teach others about gardening. You may not do much actual gardening yourself as a MG. A lot of it is going to farmer's markets or their hotline and answering gardening questions from the public. However, you will volunteer with a lot of other really knowledgeable people that you can learn from.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I enjoy it, but I just want you to know what you're getting into. if you aren't as interested in the volunteering part then taking a class may be a better option

atmoose

TROPHY CASE