It’s more than being early. Some will split from humidity easily some won’t. Vigor is different. And the soil/heat units/rain will effect different figs in different ways. The ones you posted look great and probably taste as good as they look. Would need an east coast grower to give an opinion though before I would plant.
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Hey there! I’m in Durham, right next to you and I’ve grown Violette de Bordeaux (or Ronde, depending on who you ask), Italian Golden Honey, and Celeste. People here also like Brown Turkey. I love my Violette fig, it produced in the first year even after some dieback. The fruit is purple on the outside, red on the inside and not super juicy, more sticky like strawberry preserves. The Italian Golden Honey is producing a little this year, and is also good. It’s light green, juicy, has a light sweet flavor like honey. My Celeste is a small cutting but has made a few dense sweet figs. I got mine from Century Farm in Reidsville.
Violette figs
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Looks great! The varieties I have listed above is from a nursery near me which seems to have the most varieties around my area. Sadly, they were sold out of VDB.
If you don’t mind waiting closer to fall, I’m happy to give you a cutting or two. They grow very quick, so you might even have fruit next summer. Just send me a message on here closer to October!
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Thank you! I will definitely try to contact you once fall comes around.
I’m 3 hours from you, in Virginia Beach and have a 5 year old Italian Golden Fig that is an overabundant producer. I’ve picked more than 300 figs so far this year. The leaves fall in the winter, but hasn’t suffered die back at all.
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Does anyone have idea of what this fig may be? My sister recently got one and the seller just called it “yellow big fig” so we’re lost.
I live in the Puget Sound Lowlands.
Need any fig that could ripen with less than 2,000 gdd./50f. We have a long frost free season–200 days, but not much really hot weather.
Any suggestions for figs?
Bring back this thread to ask is it worth it to pay $69 for a Black Madeira from OGW vs waiting until January to order one from Figaholic, do you know how much they usually charge for cutting of a fig.
BM from Figaholics will be about $15/cutting
$69 from OGW means saving time and possibly frustration in the rooting process. It depends on you, how much you feel time is worth and how much you get frustrated by the rooting process.
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Depends on the sizes available from OGW. A 4’ sapling will give you at least two years head start on a cutting.
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Thank you, I did successfully root one fig last year for my brother. I plan to get several fig cuttings.
Thanks, I did give my brother a small Desert King cutting and that plant is now a yard tall and produced 5 figs this year, so I’m willing to take a chance. Plus, I’m not that crazy about figs, lol. So I don’t mind they take their time either. I already have plenty of figs to eat and give away.
I would be a little leery of getting one from a nursery, since there are a few different strains and there is also the chance of it just being mislabeled. I would guess Figaholic would be fine, but it you are willing to enter the fray at fig bid and want to get an already rooted plant to get figs sooner, I might suggest seeing what one from our own @fruitnut might go for since I’d definitely trust something from him. Here is a link to his current list of sales which includes Black Madeira:
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Thats how I wound up with a Tena that was supposed to be a White Marseilles. Beautiful fig but I’ll probably never get it to ripen here in central PA.
OGW definitely has the correct Black madeira variety. Their prices are lower than inflated figbid prices.
For rare varieties I might look into figbid.
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A few years ago I purchased one from fruitnut@ it was Black Madeira “Jones” I pay for 50.00$ and it was on a 4x4x9 pot great looking fig, great quality like all his others. Unfortunately I lost it couple years later to a frost.
One that is very different and rarely mentioned is Izbat an Naj. It’s a yellow honey fig. Once mature it produces fairly well and around mid season. If left on till it’s very ripe going from yellow to brown it will have hints of pineapple. Excellent fig. If picked earlier it’s a good example of a honey fig. Most I do not like. I like this one a lot. You always want another one, no matter how many you eat. If new to figs let one hang till it rots. Now pick them the day before. Some will just dry but that does not happen much here in Michigan till late fall when humidity drops. Figure out degree of ripeness you like them best and this may vary with variety.
My very favorite fig is Col De Dame Gris. I grow Col De Dame Gris (VS) too which is a possible variation. I need more time to determine any difference.
It is very late here and only about a third of the crop ripens for me. More some years. The best tasting practical fig for me is by far “Smith”. Never splits has a top shelf flavor. It’s good under as well as over ripe. I will always grow smith.
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I’m planning to get
Figo Preto, same as Black Madeira, still debating on this one
Hative de Argentueil
I-258
White Madeira
I would like to give you a sincere advice; you can plant the tastiest fig varieties, but if you don’t ripen the figs enough before picking, you defy your purpose. I noticed in a lot of your postings that your figs are picked fairly under ripe, and you live in perfect conditions for getting top quality figs. Check the photos posted by @fruitgrower above, that’s how perfectly ripe figs should look like.
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