Desert King, despite its name, is supposed to be good on the coast. But I would much rather grow a Violette de Bourdeaux! I like almost any ripe fig, and that’s why I was surprised that my Desert King figs didn’t do it for me. While I might generally prefer darker figs like Mission to the green, more lemony kind, I remember having delicious green figs off of a backyard tree in Sacramento. Of course there’s a lot more heat in Sacramento. Which fig would you recommend, Richard?
Great info, Hanbury! Much better info than I was able to get at local nurseries.
I see you are on the northern coast, but where? Fort Bragg?
Santa Cruz, an hour or so south of San Francisco. Mild winters, not much rain (usually), sometimes a short freeze, early springs. We don’t have long hot stretches–after a couple of days the fog gets sucked in and cools things off.
Oh, I know Santa Cruz and environs well.
If possible, you’ll want a spot with all-day exposure to the sun … or at least what passes for sunlight on any given day.
I think VdB is a good choice for you. It has a lot of good qualities for your situation, plus you love the taste.
I live in Sacramento county. Kadota and Galbun are green figs that do very well here but they wouldn’t in your area. Desert King is forgettable here.
@castanea, I lived in Sacramento for a few years, and one place I rented had a green fig tree in the yard–oh, did I love those figs!!! I wonder if it was a Kadota or a Galbun (never heard of that one), but then, as you say, I couldn’t grow them here anyway. I used to walk along the levees in Sacto too, and pick purple figs from the huge trees that grew wild there. Sacramento was fig heaven!
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@Richard I will try grafting VdB, but I guess I can’t do it this season-- I cut my Desert King way down, the way you do, so there isn’t anything to graft onto at the moment, even if I did have scion wood!
Do you have room to plant a separate tree of VdB?
No, alas. That’s why I’m multigrafting all my trees.
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