This is my third ripened I-258 (potted) in South Carolina 8A. All three I’ve waited until they’ve fallen off the tree themselves. Texture is amazing - syrupy, gooey, couldn’t ask for more - but the flavor is bland with minimal sweetness or berry taste. They’re not off-putting or spoiled, just less sweetness than I’ve tasted in any other fig ripened to this level.
Is this a normal thing for I-258s? I believe it’s a second year tree that honestly produced many more figs than I was expecting for its age. We haven’t had the hottest weather recently - been more rainy with temperatures in the 80s but nothing bad enough from keeping my VDBs and Green Michurinskas from tasting great. Thanks for any input on this unexpected outcome.
Given that your VDBs and Green Michurinskas are tasting great, the lack of sweetness in your I-258s is a puzzle. The first thing I would check are potash levels in the soil.
Was this a breba or main crop? My main crop I-258s are always great, even when I jump the gun on picking. Brebas I’ve not been terribly impressed with, but I have a small sample size.
Yeah most breba suck and also Its a little early for ripe 258’s. Good catch agree it’s a breba.
I do have some figs that produce decent breba. Besides breba I’m getting Etna and Celeste figs ripe right now. Both great figs for my area.
Honestly I thought it was main crop, but upon further examination it is possible it’s a breba. I’m not great at telling where new growth starts and previous year’s growth ends. The tree is only about 2’ tall but had 8 or so figs on it, hardly any growth this year. But I suppose that would explain it being both early and underwhelming. Thanks all for the input.
I been growing figs ten years and I still can’t tell sometimes too. I think the tree will produce better figs. You know sometimes you get a bad tree what variety doesn’t matter, it could be any variety. I have had trees go south on me and one of the first warnings is bad figs.
Second leaf tree may not be mature enough to give top quality figs. Other contributing factors are rain and perhaps too many figs on a young tree. I have also noticed with many different fruit varieties (including figs) that the earlier ripening fruits on the tree have low quality, later on the quality can significantly improve.
I-258 is an amazing fig, with very rich exotic berry flavor. Just be patient.
Based on photos and descriptions from numerous legitimate online sources, I don’t think it’s a mislabling. I totally trust Chesepeake Figs to have sent me the correct variety.
There could be a few factors at play, but I think most likely is young age of tree and likelihood of it being a breba. Plus the milder temperatures. I have faith they’ll be much better next year with some main crop.
My bad. I do see pretty significant variation in looks between figs even from the same tree depending on climatic conditions - size and color but sometimes even shape to a small degree. In my collection LDA and Smith have shown this. But it does seem like I-258 is one that has a very consistent look.
Good topic and good info. I got that photo off the net I don’t have i258 or may as Genovese Nero AF l think that’s the one many feel is the same as i258. I wanted to show the cracking pattern on ripe figs. I’m no longer trading and removed a lot of figs from my collection. I’m getting old and winding it down. This spring was a bitch as I had a five pound lifting weight limit after spinal cord fusion surgery. Restrictions lifted now and I’m doing fine.
I feel like robo cop I’m mostly metal these days and I’m far from done. Adding more to my back at some point. My back is useless I’m kinda in trouble. Fix or give up walking.
Keep fighting the good fight, but your ailments sound like a real challenge. I’ve loved growing citrus in pots for multiple reasons, but one pertinent one is how much slower they grow thus less up-potting and moving around. Especially my Meiwa kumquat - very slow healthy growth and only re-pot it every two years or so. These damn figs take constant attention relatively.
Thanks! I have a year of recovery but it’s going well. Doing physical therapy etc. I have been enjoying the down time. I caught up on my reading, been enjoying that a lot. I do have more surgeries needed so this is an ongoing process and I need to devote a good chunk of my time for recovery and therapy.
Still I had time to pay attention to my garden and currently sorting out all the white and yellow nectarines and peaches. Outstanding year yay!! The tomatoes are so good this year too Today I had stuff from my garden for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating so much unprocessed foods is keeping me around!
I just harvested some purple potatoes. I love them sautéed with onion and garlic from the garden. A great tasty garlic crop this year!
I’ve really been enjoying life. I’ll never completely stop gardening its way to much fun.
