I’ve never had that occur with figs.
Those look great, Steve!
Any real standout as far as taste?
Which ripens earliest for you between Preto, BM, I258?
3 Likes
I haven’t either. Occasionally some varieties get mold in the eye. Usually that can be cut out. If the humidity is high all sorts of things go wrong; splitting, watery flavor, and moldy surface on the skin. @grasshopper is in LA and shouldn’t have many issues with figs.
2 Likes
Steve,
All your figs looked very good. Can you do a Brix test on fig? Possible?
Tony
1 Like
I haven’t done many. The primary issue is getting a couple drops of liquid. I could on several of those pictured because they are kinda juicy. I did a shriveled up Strawberry verte once by blending an equal weight of figs and distilled water. Then do a brix on the 50:50 mixture. I got a reading of 22.5 which equals 45 in the fig.
Some things like figs and blueberries can be squeezed in cheese cloth or agrion row cover to collect enough liquid to test.
I think my figs are often 20-45 brix but probably mostly 20-30. A few watery ones are probably 10-20.
3 Likes
I can’t give a real answer. Nearly all of my figs were moved last winter. That messes with maturity dates.
The pictures above of those three were all taken the same day so the bulk of first harvest was all about the same. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. I-258 matured 90 days from the 1/4 inch stage. Preto and BM figs had two growth spurts and fruit sets. The first is maturing. The second that are 90 days from the 1/4 inch stage are not yet swelling. Those two, Black Madeira and Preto, often set figs before many other varieties. That’s one of their best traits.
1 Like
Nice looking figs. Do you have a favorite
All those figs are premier figs, not your common, common fig. All are outstanding. Saying that I don’t have any of them. I have other premier figs though.The Luv fig is worth a small fortune, all the others sell for big bucks, most anyway.
I wait for the rare chance to get these types at low costs. It happened yesterday, for postage only I got a Maltese Beauty plant. I have seen these go for over 90 bucks. Dan Foster offered it up, a very respected local fig collector. I happened to log in another site one minute after he posted and got it! Luck be my lady!
2 Likes
Lots of good ones. But I still go back to Strawberry Verte/Paradiso/Battaglia Green. These are fairly common and high quality. At least in dry climates.
There are so many factors in fig eating quality and growing conditions are critical. A recent post by a West Virginia grower was a good example of the effect of growing conditions. He said Paradiso skin was bitter. But it was because he was having to pick them green to beat the mold/splitting/critters, etc. Here the skin of Paradiso is the best tasting part. I’m picking mine a week or more riper than he could.
Of the newer ones I really like Bourjasotte Grise, Socorro Black, Maltese Beauty, and CdD Roja. I have and haven’t tasted many other new ones. Or haven’t tasted them well grown yet.
5 Likes
For the Midwest in containers I suggest Hardy Chicago, MBvs, and Red Lebanese Bekaa Valley. Bekaa Valley is outstanding, ripens well even in the cold, the most intense taste of any of my figs.Prolific and a good grower. It has that wow factor! VDB is also outstanding and any of the black figs. In warmer environments these can be just OK, Although many rave about Bekaa in all zones.
4 Likes
I have vdb in a pot. I have 2 brown turkey in the ground and 1 Chicago hardy still in the pot. should i put the ch in the ground? All just first year, the vdb has made a good crop, and grown about 6 feet tall. The others are small and just a few figs.
Kadota?
Maybe thats the name somewhere else.
I dont know the name of the variety 
It could be this one.
https://www.praskac.at/fruchtfeige/ficus-carica-bauernfeige
1 Like
Usually it is grown in a pot for at least two years to get a large root system before putting in the ground.
In colder zones the general rec is to wait until the tree has some size. I’d plant next spring, not now.
3 Likes
Age is entirely relative when it comes to trees, and size doesn’t necessarily impart any hardiness either. Larger trees take more watering to get established, the loose mix around the roots invites voles, which are the biggest threat to the survival of inground trees, not cold.
I’ve planted out hundreds of 3-4 month old cuttings, its the safest place for a fig tree, even here on the top edge of zone 7. Ideal planting window is March-April for dormant plants and May-June for newly rooted cuttings.
p.s. VS (herman2) changed his mind about this around 3 years ago, been growing figs his whole life.
5 Likes
That’s what I observe here. 
2 Likes
Those are gorgeous
2 Likes
Ryan (MisterGuy) is in zone 7 while we are in the dry zone 10, so our experience may not apply as once someone wise told me.