Early this winter I started looking for a single fig to complement our VdB. Then I went into major mission-drift and decided to create a micro-repository containing examples of known genetic groups and flavor groups.
At the moment I’m cultivating over 300 varieties. To conserve space I’ve converted 3 of my vegetable beds to hold 15.5" x 9" tree pots. A list of what’s under propagation is here: Fig cultivar list (public) - Google Sheets
Over the last month I’ve decided to take on a larger quantity of plants for measurement of morphological and genetic characteristics. Using the Steuwe 3.2 gallon ribbed tree pots I could handle about 600 cultivars at a time in a total of 3 growing areas. Today I got busy and starting building it out
This is truly awesome!
When you say “genetic characteristics” are you saying that dna mapping is going to take place on all these varieties? If so, is this information going to be released in some form to the general public?
I have a few of these varieties myself… maybe the debate over whether or not figo preto & black madeira are one and the same can be put to rest.
Last Thursday I obtained 5 large specimens in tattered fabric pots. Today I picked up new 20 gallon nursery pots which should keep them going for another 5 years or so. The cultivars are:
Bajtar ta’ San Gwann (Common)
Tsapelosiko (Smyrna)
Ohra Tabahonosika (Smyrna)
Fracazzano Rosso (San Pedro)
Morena (tbd)
‘ta’ San Gwann’ refers to all the fig varieties of the Islands of Malta
Bajtar means 1st crop, Tin means main crop. The name of the fig variety that you have means ‘first crop from a Maltese fig variety’.
Although there is a fig variety named ‘ta’ San Gwann’, the variety you have is some unknown fig variety from Malta. It’s nothing like the ‘ta’ San Gwann’ variety.
the actually variety called ’ta’ San Gwann’ is actually an edible caprifig and it has large figs. It has two crops, the first crop is ‘Bajtar ta’ San Gwann’ the second crop is ‘Tin ta’ San Gwann’. Most people in Malta know very little about the figs that they eat and they don’t even know that there are any more than two different figs in Malta. Both of which come from the same variety/same tree.
The one that you call ‘Dominick’s Black’. Is that the one that Jim Cooper introduced, that has a great story to it? I have never seen that one get called ‘Dominick’s Black’ before.