raoul dalmasso

This is a Tromboncino d'Albenga squash growing up an apple tree, this morning. The tree is a Pink apple from the Sibillini Mountain, a local heirloom. I wrote a short article on my blog about this fun fact: Ortomontano

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Raoul, your squashes look very interesting, like they are letters ... but I can't read them

That's exactly what I talk about in my last blog post! (link above) They look like letters of indian and srilankan alphabets!

These are some of the squashes produced by my four plants. They are Tromboncini di Albenga, a Cucurbita moschata. I think it is a perfect choice: unripe fruit (zucchini) are delicious, better than normal cucurbita pepo. Ripe fruits are very good and long storing. more info at webpage or just ask me.

Keyhole Hugelkultur, 4th semester (February 2015 - August 2015), 1 pic per month. Production in 6 months: 7 Kg of vegetables plus 30 garlic heads. Total production in 24 months: 52 Kg.

Peter Hartman wrote:I Will it come back true?

Sowing bulbils technically is propagation (cloning) and not reproduction. It means that you will obtain a genetically exact clone of the mother plant.

Hi Russell

I guess you talk about Prunus americana, that I've never seen, but I can share what I know firsthand about the propagation of another semi-wild plum: Prunus domestica ssp. Insititia. My family has grown them in backyard gardens in the last 60 years at least.

We have a success rate of propagation from suckers that is ridicoulosly close to 100%. We transplant suckers during dormancy (late fall or beginning of spring). With late spring transplants you have at least a year of stunted growth. I would never try to transplant them during growing season, but I guess they would somewhat survive.

Trees propagated from suckers can be productive in 4 years, while trees from seed can take 7 years or more to bear a good yield.

Prunus insititia, as well as many others “wild” plums like Prunus spinosa, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus americana etc etc, are widely used in commercial fruit tree nurseries as rootstock for any cultivar of plums. Prunus insititia plums are used as rootstock for apricots as well.

There is another use for hazel: basal shoots (suckers) can be used for basket making. This is the one I have made from hazel suckers cut from my trees last week.

Hi Dale,

In Italian language "Orto" means "Vegetable garden", while "montano" means "mountain", adjective. So you can translate it "mountain garden". I live and farm in Italy, on the Apennine mountains, 580 MSL. ortomontano is a one-man organization, a blog and a backyard garden (for the moment).

Just an update.

Current population: snap beans, a lot, 2 varieties (Purple queen and Slenderette); 6 or 7 zucchini (Trieste white, Italian Heirloom), I am going to do some culling and I will select just 2; Tropaeulum majus, 2 or 3 survivors; 30 “canasta” lettuces ; a bunch of Acrata hot peppers. And of course the mullein that is now blooming and is almost 6 feet and growing growing growing.

Ciao Lorenzo, congratulations and thank you very much for sharing your project and your enthusiasm. Grande, cazzo!

I live and farm in Central Italy as you do, in a slightly higher location (580 MSL) with a similar mediterranean climate zone (we are almost in the same bioregion!), and I have to say that it has been a real pleasure to read your project also because of our geographical closeness.

I can offer you more than my best wishes: I offer you Prunus domestica ssp. Insititia trees. It is a plum cultivar, close relative to the “Ramassin della val Bronda” registered in the Slow food's Ark of taste. My family has always had these kind of tree in the yard in the last 60 years, and they are one of the most suitable fruit plants for permaculture. I don't want to hijack your post, so I will skip any other information and I will go straight to the point: I have some 40 or 50 young trees in my nursery (1, 2 and 3 years old), if you want them they are yours to take, NO MONEY INVOLVED. If you are interested in those trees you can contact me via email at raoulvandenberg@yahoo.it for any information.

Congratulations again

Raoul