Alessandro Cutrone’s Fig Garden Defies Logic

2015/10/08 - Written by Agata De Santis

Alessandro Cutrone and his wife Filomena - Photography by Agata De Santis

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“I hated gardening when I was a kid,” Alessandro Cutrone admits with a smile as he surveys the 33 fig trees growing in his Saint-Lazare backyard.It is a lovely August day and Cutrone is collecting a batch of ripe figs. During a good season, his lot will produce anywhere from 500 to 600 figs. Depending on the weather, the figs will ripen between the months of June and September.

Considering the location of his garden – a suburb outside of Montreal where temperatures are on average five to six degrees cooler than in the city – this is indeed a mighty feat.

Cutrone’s hobby began when 80-something-year-old Salvatore called on Cutrone for a visit. He arrived with two 5-foot high Calabrian fig trees strapped onto a buggy. “He couldn’t take care of them anymore. His knees couldn’t handle the work anymore. And he thought I would take them and continue the tradition,” Cutrone explains.

CONSIDERING THE LOCATION OF HIS GARDEN – A SUBURB OUTSIDE OF MONTREAL

WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE ON AVERAGE FIVE TO SIX DEGREES COOLER THAN IN THE CITY –

THIS IS INDEED A MIGHTY FEAT.

Cutrone happily adopted the trees and began to propagate more. He would give some away and even sell a few to other hobbyists. Very soon he was collecting different varieties of fig trees to add to his growing nursery. “I can’t go into how I collected them, it’s a trade secret,” he muses.Today, Cutrone’s backyard boasts 33 fig trees from about ten varieties. The oldest and biggest trees are ten years old and measure 14 feet high and 9 feet wide. The youngest trees are just over a year old.

He credits his passion for gardening to his father, Vincenzo, who encouraged him to learn how to garden despite his initial disinterest. After his father passed away in 1988, gardening became even more important to Cutrone – an homage to the traditions his father held so dear. Traditions he hopes to pass on to his two children, Vince and Tina.

He credits Salvatore for getting him hooked on growing fig trees. And he thanks his lucky stars for having met his wife Filomena’s uncle, Giovanni, who during a visit to Montreal was so impressed with Cutrone’s crop that he took it upon himself to teach him everything he knew about how to cultivate, propagate and care for the trees.

Years later, 74-year-old Giovanni still checks in on Cutrone and his progress, all thanks to Skype video chat. “Just today he was telling us that we have to cut some of the trees, they’re getting too big,” Filomena comments.

Cutrone initially followed the common practice of burying the trees during the harsh Canadian winter. Today, his method is more sophisticated. Cutrone built three permanent 12-feet-high wooden frame structures over his three biggest trees. After the harvest, Cutrone isolates each tree, wraps it in burlap, and then covers the wooden structure with Styrofoam. He also installs a heat lamp to keep the core temperature around the trees above -3 degrees Celsius. His other trees grow in portable pots – these trees spend the Canadian winter indoors.

CUTRONE INITIALLY FOLLOWED THE COMMON PRACTICE OF BURYING THE TREES DURING

THE HARSH CANADIAN WINTER. TODAY, HIS METHOD IS MORE SOPHISTICATED.

Cutrone’s unique method should not be a surprise considering his career as a Design Manager and Senior Mechanical Designer, as well as his work in landscaping. “The only time you spend a lot of time caring for the fig trees is at the beginning and at the end of the season. The rest of the time you’re just enjoying the figs,” Cutrone explains. “And every once in a while you have to chase the squirrels away,” Filomena teases.

Originally from Modugno Palo-del-Colle, in the province of Bari, Italy, Cutrone’s parents arrived in Montreal in 1951. Born in Montreal, Cutrone grew up in the Montreal areas of Parc Extension and Laval.

In 1987, Cutrone and his wife decided to move to Saint-Lazare so that they could enjoy “country-living” year-round. It was fashionable at the time to own both a home in the city and one in the country. They opted to make their home serve both purposes.

The large family property has allowed Cutrone to fully immerse himself in his passion. “Gardening is like a therapy for me. When you have things on your mind, pick up a hobby. Anything. And it will help you get your mind off things,” he explains.

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