Initial Preparations

Before I could start my garden I had to get rid of the weeds that had threatened to take over the backyard.

I started pulling out weeds in late August, and spending an hour or so every day I had the job done within a week. I wish I'd taken photos to enhance the before and after effect, but you'll have to take my word for it that the weeds were everywhere.

There are already several useful plants and trees in the garden, so I decided to keep them. Parsley, rosemary and spinach have managed to survive quite well with little maintenance. There are also several established trees: olive (2), lemon, mandarine (2), plum, apricot, persimmon (3), fig and peach (3).

While removing the weeds I uncovered some potatoes. I didn't plan on growing potatoes, but I decided to keep a few around.

Once the weeds were removed the next step was to till the soil. I found some "blood and bone" in the shed, so I mixed thatin. By mid-September the garden was to ready to go.

A note for first-time visitors

An issue I have with the blogging format is the insistence on putting the latest posts first. This makes it difficult for someone to start reading an established blog, especially when some blogs only really make sense when read forwards in time.

I'll be experimenting with possible fixes, such as having a link to the Introduction at the top of the page, and listing previous items in forward chronological order in the sidebar. If you are new to this blog I suggest you start reading from the Introduction onwards.

Introduction

Welcome to my garden weblog.

With Australian spring approaching I decided to take up a hobby which has been in both sides of my family for centuries: growing vegetables in the backyard. There is a lot of satisfaction from growing your own food. If I end up saving some money, then that's a bonus.

The title of the blog "L'orto di Bruno" means "Bruno's vegetable garden" in Italian. I chose that title for several reasons. Firstly, the word "orto" is shorter than "vegetable garden" or even "vege patch", meaning the url containing it would be shorter. The title also lends itself to the type of things I'll be growing, which are typical for an Italian vegetable garden.

The purpose of this blog is to document the progress of the vegetable garden, allowing friends and former work colleagues to be kept informed. I intend posting weekly updates, but I will mostly rely on photos.

I'm still learning the ropes. My uncle, Zio Pasquale Furina, has kindly offered to help me get things started with seedlings and beans. He will also provide ongoing advice.