Elena Parmiggiani

Hi William,
I can surely tell that I live in the North of Italy. But is quite a broad region, can you specify where exactly you live? Eg. if you live in the Po plain, in the Appenines or Alps, if you live close to the sea.
I live in Reggio Emilia and temperatures go below -17 C with 50 to 60 cm of snow. I also work in a farm during the spring/summer months, the farm is in the appenines above 700m above sea level, that makes for a -25C temperature with 2 to 3 m of snow.
So, what I suggest is to look here:
http://www.agraria.org/

and start gather data for your specific microclimate, as Northern Italy has got so many.

I grow to name a few: apples, pears, persimmon, quince, medlar but also pomigranate, figs, mulberries, cherries...

So, I think you can also have a look at http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/seedorders.html, this site gives you enough information to try new plants.
Precipitation is also a big factor, an beware of the diseases of plants. You can import seeds easily from the uk, but not from the us, and I really think you can source plants in Italy easily, especially in nurseries in Tuscany and in nurseries around Garda's Lake.

Good luck!
Elena

Hi all,
we are trying it in our farm, I have made it on a cast iron pan with lid, following exactly the recipe, and the result is marrowfat wich is charred a bit. The smell for me is not so bad when it has cooled down. I am treating a dozen trees in an area with deer, fallow deer, roe deer, hare and wild boar.

It is almost two months that the plants are outside and there is no sign of biting or scratching or browsing. I

will be sure only after the spring, as it will snow a lot so we will test the hunger of these critter. If they don't touch these plants during winter and the famine months, I am pretty sure it will last for a long time.

The bone fat is well, smelly and oily and I have applied it mixed with a bit of water with a paintbrush. Nothing fancy. Very easy and simple to make and apply. Paul's instructions are very clear and sufficient.

We will use this method to protect all our fruit trees which are apples, pears, almonds, amelanchier, persimmons, cherries, and you name it...
Have a good try.
Regards
Elena Parmiggiani
Italy