The Young Nonno

Ciao. Let's build your garden! From a childhood of growing up in sprawling backyard gardens, The Young Nonno applies old-world knowledge and skills to the planning and installation of beautifully modern, edible gardens in the Greater Toronto Area. Buon giardinaggio!

Kale The 9 month crop in my garden. Not as common in traditional, Italian gardens or cooking, it’s a great green to grow for bountiful picking from spring through fall.

What takes more patience: Growing your own food? Or waiting for the skies of a cloudy fall day to break just enough to take a decent garden photo? The salad greens might not love the weather, but they never show it!

It is so much more rewarding to be pulling something edible out of the garden in November than something dead.

Oh, Madonna. Figs in Fall!! Growing figs in colder climates is possible, but takes a lot more work and a little luck. Where my family is from in Italy, fig trees grow on the side of the road like weeds. Here in Canada, the hassle of covering my trees every winter and unwrapping them in spring is worth it for these treasures.

Garlic growing guide!! To have homegrown garlic next year, you need to start thinking about it now. Fall is the season to prep your beds and plant before the ground freezes. But what else do you need to know to ensure a great harvest? For all the secrets, check out my easy to follow guide. Andiamo aglio!!

Triple Mix. You might think I’m talking about soil - equal parts compost, peat moss and topsoil - but I’m actually referring to my hot peppers. For making my famous dried chili flakes I grow and use a combination of 3 types - Calabrian sigarette, Thai dragon and a mystery pepper grown by my Nonno. Like wine, every year is a little different - and I even store various vintages of them in my cantina. Last year I made a batch available to a few followers for purchase. It was so popular that I grew extra this year so I could could it make it available again - message me if you’re interested!