Favorite figs??

[houseodessey]

I want to plant some fig trees and would like everyone's opinion on the best tasting ones that will be ok to grow here in the South. I know that brown turkey figs are supposed to grow well here but how do they taste?

Also, what dwarf varieties of other fruit trees do you have good experiences with? I'd like an orchard but don't have much room so dwarfs might help me accomplish this goal.

[mbrown]

Michelle,

I was raised about 100 miles southwest of Fort Worth and we had a fig tree (bush). Cannot remember the variety. I have a brother who is a master gardner in Texas. I'll see if he remembers.

Mike

[redbrick]

I have a Golden Fig that has very sweet, mild-flavored figs. It grows well here in PA, although I do have to bag-and-wrap it for the winter each year. I think I posted pics of that process here, but I'm not sure. If not, I'd be willing to post them if anyone wants to see how I do it. I'm sure they would do fine in Texas, though I can't say for certain.

Wish I could get Brown Turkey fig cuttings to strike roots for me! I must have tried five different times, now, all with no luck.

What dwarf fruits are you interested in? Many of the small, fully-dwarfed trees like apples on Bud 9 rootstock can be trained on a trellis, similar to a grape arbor. You can fit an amazing number of trees in a small space with this system, called espallier, but boy is it addicting!

[houseodessey]

Mike: Thanks so much. I'd love to hear what your brother has to say.


Andy: I love all fruits so it's hard to narrow it down. I'd like peaches, plums, apricots and cherries, mostly. I'll look into the golden figs, too.

I know nothing about fruit trees, particularly dwarf ones, so any suggestions are new and welcome knowledge to me.

[redbrick]

I really can't help you with the stone fruits. My area of exposure is with the pomes (apples and pears).

You can tell what fruits do well in your area by observing your local orchards. Remember that if it won't grow well in a given region, then commercial operations won't gamble with it. That doesn't mean you can't grow it (remember my fig?), it just means you'll probably need to work harder at it.

[mbrown]

Michelle,

Finally heard back from my brother. He believes mom's fig was a brown turkey fig. Had a great taste, but did not produce good every year depending upon conditions. He also says he can remember it froze back one year but came back for a few years and then was frozen and killed. His guess is these years correspond with the times it got cold enough to kill the St. Augustine grass.

Mother lived in Zone 7b, which is probably the same as you.

Mike

[houseodessey]

Andy-I'll listen to pome tips, too. I like apples and I have 5 pear ancient pear trees that actually look like they may actually get ripe fruit this year. I don't think about them as they never have had a crop that survived past golf ball size.

Mike: I'll get brown turkeys as well as some of the goldens that Andy recommended and report back. You can't have too many figs, afterall. Thanks to you and your brother for the advice.

[ottawagardener]

So I was wondering exactly how hardy is Chicago Hardy figs? 'Cause I was thinking of trying it as a lark even willing to wrap and mulch it heavily. Those that do figs around here grow them in pots.

[bunkie]

we planted a dwarf brown turkey fig tree this past spring. from what i understand it is a hardy one for the northern climates.

redbrick, i'd like to see the 'bag and wrap' process when you get a chance.

[plantsnobin]

I have a fig in a pot in the unheated greenhouse, hope it will survive, but I am not counting on it. It has dropped its leaves and I may try some dormant cuttings though it isn't very big yet. Just bought it last year and it didn't produce any fruit yet. If I can get some cuttings to root I will try planting outside on the south side of the garage, but they are pretty expensive to experiment with.

[bunkie]

andy (redbrick) asked me to post this link to pics of his 'bag-and-wrap' process...

www.idigmygarden.com/forums/album.php?albumid=66

[canadamike]

Karen, it should survive. I have a friend in Quebec that has many. they are small, because every fall they are dug up and laid in the ground to be covered with soil, then straw. They are re-planted in the spring and produce fruit every year. They don't get big, but he gets the fruits. They basically look like whips,,,

[ottawagardener]

Guess you gotta really love figs. Did I mention that I really love figs? Ritchers sells the hardy Chicago for cheap. I had never tried a fresh fig until I was in orange country in Spain. I couldn't stop eating them (and the oranges).

They also had fancy ancient stone irrigation systems laid out on the hill this orchard was on. I wish I had been a garden snapper then because I'd have some great pictures.

Thanks for the instructions on wrapping the fig in leaf bags. Yet another use for them in the winter. I had heard of laying them on the ground and covering them with leaves but not of burying them with soil then straw. Neat idea.

When I get property, I may well try this. In the meantime (next year) mabye I"ll do a potted fig.

[orflo]

I have a brown turkey fig over here, outside, but sheltered. It froze years ago, but resprouted the next year . But production over here depends so much on a good summer, I didn't see a ripe fig this year...
I also have 5 varieties of special selections for pot-growing (pingo de mel, white ischia and others), I can place these in the greenhouse and these do produce a few figs every year, I overwinter these dark and frost-free, they are more frost-tender compared to brown turkey. Figs can have an enormous root development, so they fill up the pots rapidly, and they absorb lots of water!

[ottawagardener]

How long do they stay overwintered like this? I have a cellar that would work but they might be down there awhile.