My Italian Friend

Ever since discovering the Armenian cucumber, I knew that there was something more exciting and interesting in the world of cucumbers. After a while, I read up about cucumber varieties called “Carosello”, but knew very little about how to purchase the carosello varieties that I wanted. Then, back in March 2012, an Italian gardener contacted me saying that he grew some Italian cucumbers on his balcony by the name of carosello. Over time, he and I have been able to share our love of the carosello cucumbers with one another. 


My friend, Giuseppe is very modest. Though he has been growing carosello cucumbers on his balcony for some time, he quickly admits that this is just his first time at blogging. His Carosello Pugliese blog is named after the region where many of the carosello cucumber-melons come from. Though I only write my blog posts in English, he writes them in both Italian and English, which I greatly appreciate! 

Giuseppe's balcony is very nicely kept!

To get a better idea of the kind of area that Giuseppe has to work with, you would have to get to know his garden better. In reading his balcony post, I still marvel at how much he is able to produce given the limited space he has allotted for growing. He does a good job detailing how much he is able to grow within the area he has.


Giuseppe grows peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and yes – the carosello. I highly recommend that you check out his posts on these incredible fuzzy cucumbers that deserve not only a spot on the balcony, but on the dinner plate!

This was some of Giuseppe's harvest from last July

Amici Dell'ortodue

Amicidellortodue is a wonderful Italian blog staffed by a group of friends who love to garden and cultivate heirloom vegetable varieties. In Italian, Amici dell'orto  literally translates to “friends of the garden”. Gardening blogs that consist of multiple members are most likely the future of sustainable gardening blogs. Blogs with multiple authors incorporate both many perspectives and consistent posts to enable the blog to remain both legitimate and interesting.

Amicidellortodue's title page does a good job showing the variety of vegetables and fruits their bloggers grow.

The blog was started by Paulo Basso, an Italian gardener with a vision for the blog. Besides sharing information with other gardeners, the members work to provide access to old Italian seed varieties. 

They even enjoy purple colored tubers in Italy.

Although the climate of Southern Italy may differ somewhat from Tucson, the majority of the vegetable varieties that I have seen posted about in the Amicidellortodue blog are very similar to those that do well here in Tucson. 

A beautiful snake gourd flower

The gardeners who staff Amicidellortodue are very kind and willing to answer questions about any variety of vegetables that they have grown. That being said, some of the members of the blog are very busy with their lives and pursuing their gardening niches. Before posting a response, make sure that your thoughts or questions are well organized.

A few of the many tomato varieties grown by the Amicidellortodue group

I would highly encourage all gardeners to learn as much as they can from the Gardening gurus at Amicidellortodue. Near the top of the page there is a drop-down menu for choosing your specific language. For all those who live in a warm dry climate or just want to learn more about growing vegetables, take a moment to visit the gardeners at Amicidellortodue!

Some Armenian type cucumbers and beans

Some Carosello Cucumbers grown by Paulo of Amicidellortodue