Can Figheads Help Me Decide on These Two Lists?

Yes, I understand the importance of this now. Since begining to water and fertilize my figs for the first time, they’ve grown like crazy. My Janice Seedless Kadota produced a new shoot around 7ft tall. Coming from the base of the trunk, it’s height has far surpassed the original tree.

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I grow a few of the ones you mention, but only in their second leaf so I don’t have enough info to recommend any one over another.

If it were me starting from scratch, I would go with:
Florea
Ronde de Bordeaux
Adriatic JH
Teramo
Longue d’ Aout
Marseilles Black VS
Stella

This is just based on things I’ve read, and a giant spreadsheet I made compiling attributes from multiple sources. take it with a grain of salt.

This list might help you.

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I’m debating on planting my fig starts in 55 gallon steel drums or in the ground. I can get 55 gallon steel drums for $10.00 each. Plus I can scoop up a lot of pasture gold (whats around the hay round) for next to nothing. Pasture gold grew some awesome veggies in raised beds this year. It only needed a little lime to raise the PH to 6.8 to 7.0, barn lime is cheap also.

I kind of like the steel drum idea, I could prune and cover the tree and drum. Use electic heat tape around the drum to keep the temperature above freezing over winter. Plus I can use the bobcat to move them around if I had to.

IDK… hard telling what I’ll do next spring with my figs starts. I have all winter to plan something.

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Dang, that’s gonna be a unique fig set up if it’s what you go with.

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I have another batch coming on Saturday or so. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes next year :heart:

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I agree with many of these choices but:

Adriatic JH is definitely too late to ripen. I have trouble ripening it here.

Longue d’Aout is late midseason, so probably too late for Z5.

Stella, if I remember correctly, is a synonym for Dalmatie. Dalmatie is also too late.

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@Bigmike1116 can you please give me the reipening and cold hardiness low down on these varieties, i’m in zone 7a

Fignomenal

Violette de Bordeaux

Kadota

Beers Black

Yellow Long Neck

Hardy Chicago

Celeste

Olympian

Thanks

Olympian will only produce brebas on the previous year’s growth I believe?

Like I said earlier, most of what I know is based on what I’ve read and compiled from various websites I’m far from an expert.

Fignomenal - I have no info on this

Violette de Bordeaux - Ross Says complex berry flavor. Bordeaux family of figs. ross recommends but not high in rakings. 4/6 for cold hardiness. 5/5 for beginners. 5/5 for rooting ease

Kadota - synonyms Peter’s Honey/Dotatto/white Texas everbearing. honey family. a fav of Bill from off the beaten path. was in his “starter pack”. 4/6 for cold hardiness. 5/5 for beginner. 3/5 for rooting ease

Beers Black - I have no info

Yellow Long Neck - honey family. ross recommends, but not highly. notable from bill at off the beaten path. in bill’s cold hardy pack and sweet pack. beginner 3/5

Hardy Chicago - ross fruity berry. dark berry family. ross recommends, but not highly. cold hardiness 5/6. beginner 5/5. rooting ease 5/5

Celeste - Ross Figgy. sugar family. ross recommends, but not highly. Ampersand list says cold hardy, Beginner, very productive, and tasty. 4/6 cold hardiness. early and productive pack. 5/5 beginner. 5/5 rooting ease.

Olympian - ross tropical flavor. sugar family. 4/6 cold hardiness. splits easily. flavor reminiscent of peaches. 5/5 beginner. 5/5 rooting ease.

This is all the data I have on each of the varieties you asked about.

again, this is data I have compiled from multiple sources and some may even be contradictory. I’m not an expert. I’m offering it to be helpful but take it with a grain of salt.

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You are likely quite right. I don’t track ripening time in my spreadsheet. I was referencing mostly cold hardiness

Edited list for ripening time:
Florea
Ronde de Bordeaux
Teramo
Marseilles Black VS
Malta Black
Improved Celeste
Takoma Violet

As always, take all of my fig suggestions with a grain of salt

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if it would be helpful, I tracked and published ripening dates here for a few years, but not this year. I also published a a recommendation of the best choices for growing in the north / northeast. You can find these posts on the Ourfigs forum. For example:

https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/1262279-what-if-i-can-still-grow-only-n-figs-in-the-northeast-which-should-i-choose

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Thanks

here are the tags that came with the fig starts.

Beers Black


Fignomenal


Very nice Cosme Manyo and BNR. I have them too. :sunglasses: Yup you caught the fig fever for sure.

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I’m currently only tracking 106 varieties I have some interest in, and only available from a specific seller that I’ve had really good experiences with. I think there are something like 700-800 named varieties. If I can’t get cuttings from this seller, I don’t typically track it. It just makes my life easier. I steer clear from nursery figs as I had issues with 2 I got (my first figs) that were grown from tissue cultures. They were expensive (50 each) and still haven’t fruited.

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I got my first rooted fig starts from profig (Brian) they came with the tags.

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My suggestion: Make friends. Buy from, or trade with, the friends. Most growers will sell prunings cheap and/or gladly trade them. For example, I grow roughly 40 varieties, all of which must be pruned every autumn. The prunings end up in a burn pile, unless someone wants them. If someone says, “Hey, I can drive buy. If I do, can I get some sticks?” then I almost always say yes. You just have to get to me before I prune.

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I’m not really a people person lol. I have to be for work (to an extent) so I don’t want to be on my own time. I would rather buy from a seller I like.

Looks like the fig addiction hit you :rofl:

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Also, the number of branches counts. I keep mine to 8 or 10. Better tasting and bigger figs if we don’t as the tree to produce too many. It’s the same principle as thinning your peaches and apples and any other fruit.

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