TONY SCARFO

I went to the central market on Tuesday because I couldn't stretch out our left over supplies until Friday and who did I meet delivering his vegies to Wilson's Organics ? Tony Scarfo. What a great bloke - I really am going to come back as an Italian next time, they have such an affinity with growing their food. Every single one of those little seedlings, plants and packets of seeds you all gave Tony that day we visited have been cared for, and he named them all individually, telling me of their progress ! It very nearly brought me to tears and made me give him a hug, there in Gouger Street, but I didn't want to scare him !

The only thing was, someone gave him something called (I think) a Chinese Snake Cucumber (?) and this died but if that person has another then he would like one. So put a comment here or send me an email if that was you.

He said he really meant it when he invited us to visit again in autumn. Already those little capsicum and okra plants he had just planted when we went before are producing well and he was delivering some to Wilson's that day. His tomatoes are such a rich colour - I bought lots because mine are pretty badly attacked by mites (I hope they will recover after I sprayed them with wettable sulphur). Quite a bit of the produce in Wilson's was Tony's, including more of the garlic (now dry) and various onions. He has so much basil that he can't sell it all so if anyone wants to get some from him I am sure you would get a good price. I have his phone number.

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I must say that the seedlings that I took home from Tony's have done particularly well, and the black turtle beans are going mad, sending out beans from bottom to top. Tony said they are very prolific and also that when they look like they have finished you can cut them off and they will give you another crop. So this is why he can supply them over such a long season but he is not growing them this year, I don't know why. It is not too late to sow them now either. The eggplants have several baby fruits and the plants look so rugged and strong. He has been saving the seed for many years and we are lucky to now have kindly received plants from which we can continue to grow plants suited to Adelaide, not to have to purchase seed produced in Queensland or Tasmania.