Mine are finally starting to come in steadily! Ciliegia Dolce, Dr. Gowaty, and Olympian. My Nero Genovese AF are still green and rock hard. Just need to stay ahead of the ants!
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Smith has to be one of the best varieties to grow here. It ripens earlier than VdB and most mt Etna types and is better in my opinion. It is as productive as VdB and more productive than etnas
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my figs had another struggle year. don’t know if I’ll ever get another '21 kind of crop, and I’ve got double the trees going. all container so far.
all are in the greenhouse now, we’ve had frost and I don’t want to lose whatever crop they’ll make. everything got a late start this year.
next spring I’m going heavy on fertilizer and right to direct sun outdoors ASAP. I put it off this year until mid May as it was still getting damn cold at night. I should have let them out earlier.
I didn’t hit them with fertilizer until June. horrible timing. I know the things I need to do for them, I’m just bad at it some years. all my starter props took great though, so that’s a plus.
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Your figs are so late. It is a warm enough zone for them?
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it’s extremely hot and dry all summer but the season is relatively short- mid May to early October. I feel like I fail with figs and I try different strategies every year. I know locals who do container figs like I do who get a good amount so I know it’s me, not the place.
edit I do have a greenhouse and I extend the season with it; heater and insulation and all. doesn’t seem to matter much.
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Today’s harvest, many Calderona. I’m ready to be done with figs. It’s been more than 5 months of harvest. Some varieties aren’t what they were earlier or are getting spoiled. Calderona is still top notch.
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I ate exactly 1 Calderona this season. The rest were taken by critters. Surprisingly it isn’t as late as I thought. But they didn’t have the high sweetness I expect they would have in your climate/greenhouse.
Our fig season is a lot shorter but not too bad. I started eating the first figs in mid-late July and expect to keep eating them until about 1st of November.
Right now is peak season for main crop.
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I’m going try to get my hands in one or two cuttings of Calderona to give it a try here in the east coast. @fruitnut those photos of your figs look really good.
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Thats a beauty!
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I am on my way over for a few tastings
What variety?
LSU Scott’s Black and VdB.
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Final harvest of the year. An RdB, two LSU Purple, two LSU Scott’s Black.
We ate some and liked them, decent sweetness and still nice flavor if not as strong as normal, will probably have the rest for breakfast on December 1st.
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Anyone else in Zone 7 or 8 grafting in-ground figs? I’m gambling on mild winters continuing but I don’t want a new tree for every new variety I can’t live without. So this Spring I put a few grafts (Hative d’ Argenteuil, Smith, Green Michurinska, Campaniere) on a few older trees.
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Nope, although I am going to start the same kind of project next year, on just one root stock. I will start smaller. with less varieties to see how it goes, although in 7b. For me it will be a protected tree with high end frost cloth, Christmas lights, and a few ‘Thermo Cubes’, that I will plug in for every night that may reach 15 degrees or colder. I am not sure how well under 15 degrees would go for you when it comes to grafted trees.
It would also depend on what varieties you are grafting to, some are more cold hardy then others.
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I grafted to Malta Black, Takoma Violet and Battaglia Green, all pretty winter hardy. I gave up on winter protection as it didn’t seem to make a difference for me here.
Yes, they are.
Yes, same for me, that is why I am going to add heat. An online friend of mine is having success with added heat.
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