My Bronx White (all 2 figs it set) was pretty blah as well. Hopefully with some age and warmer weather it'll be better. Big figs though.

Conadria
One of our best figs this year.  Ripening has been slowing now with the cold weather, but still getting some good figs.  I keep seeing people posting pitcures of their conadrias and they are picking them green... they are missing out.  Let the go longer until they turn yellow and wrinkly, then they are 10x better!






Excel
This was grown inside over the winter from a cutting, then moved to the greenhouse when it was built.  It's about a foot tall and has three figs.  It had a creamy texture, very little seed crunch, a bit sweet and not much flavor.






Chicago Hardy
This is a good fig.  It has a nice texture with a good flavor.  I wish the skin had a bit more "snap" to it though.






Ronde de Bordeaux
The RdB continues to be one of my wife's favorites.  I find I like them better when extra ripe, nearly spoiled.  Otherwise, it has a bit of an after taste that knocks it down a couple of rungs for me.

The Ischia Black and Figo Pretos are really starting to ripen nicely now inside the greenhouse!  I'm really looking forward to both.  I've had one Ischia Black, but it was pretty badly sunburnt, so the skin wasn't too enjoyable.  If Figo Preto is anything like Black Madeira, I'm sure it will be delicious!

Ischia Black


Figo Preto



One of our zinnias is providing a show of color among all the green fig trees in the greenhouse as well!

Our two Sal's G trees are ripening now...







It was pretty good, not as tasty as Chicago Hardy though...

Today we got to try a Bifere that I got from Vito. It looks very similar to a Chicago Hardy, but not as flavorful. Slightly better than Sals G.





I have also enlisted the help of a fig guardian in the greenhouse to deter pests!

It has been a good week of figgin! The figs outside have been ripening slowly and the ones moved in the greenhouse have been ripening quickly...



















The conadria continues to be an awesome fig, although it has become milder in the cool weather. Sals G is a good fig, but the Chicago Hardy has a better flavor. The Figo Preto was my first, but it split as my wife watered it in the greenhouse. It showed great potential though!

Important day today... our first ripe figo preto!!!

We got to try it with two VdBs that my wife accidently knocked off a few days early.







The VdBs were good but definitely needed a few more days. This was my fourth VdB tree to ripen and finalized my opinion that Negronne and VdB, while very similar, are not the same fig.







Our first ripe Figo Preto and it was delicious!!! It had that wonderful syrupy sweet berry flavor, similar to Black Madeira. So far, I think Figo Preto is to Black Madeira as Negronne is to VdB. They are very similar, but different. Figo Preto tastes very similar to Black Madeira, bit the growth habit of my three pretos are very different from my Black Madeira... but either way, Figo Preto and Black Madeira are both amazing figs.

I have enjoyed reading your reports and seeing the pictures Nick. Makes me wish for a greenhouse, I wonder what will mature for me now with the colder temperatures, still lots of green figs I had hoped to taste. I did get one small Preto also, I agree that it is a delicious fig. I have a Preto next to a Black Maderia, they look nearly identical, but no ripe figs on the BM to compare yet.

Mike in Hanover, VA

Another new variety today... Adriatic JH











The Adriatic was grown in the greenhouse all year. It could have used a bit longer, but I have to travel this week and didnt want to miss it! It was very good! Sweet with a strong berry flavor.











The preto was delicious and oh so gooey! Amazing amounts of syrup in it. A strong strawberry flavor to it. One of the best this year.

I'll have to drop by for some Adriatic JH then! Had 1 the other week, can't wait to get my own. Very tasty.

Figo Preto looks wonderful..

The garage is attached with our bedroom over it. It got down into the thirties last winter and colder for short times when I had the doors open... I had no die off though. This year I will have many more varieties to store in there, so hopefully the same results.

I came home from a week of travel and the humidity must have been extreme in the greenhouse. A lot of figs split, some exploded, and some molded.



This adriatic was purple instead of green like the rest of them... very weird. The one ripe right next to it is green.





Green Ischia was one of my best last year, but these exploded before they could ripen.





Fico Preto had exploded...



Chicago Hardy continues to be decent although molded while others didnt.

I have a bunch of figs I have duplicates of looking for new homes, if anyone local is looking to trade or even purchase for a small fee (to pay for pot and soil), please contact me.

White Texas Everbearing (x2)
Flanders (x2)
Osborn Prolific (x2)



Bronx White



Chicago Hardy



Sal's G

One of the flanders and the bronx white are spoken for.

I also found a new casualty of the humidity in the greenhouse today :(

It was a figo preto, but dried out when it split. Bummed that Im having so much trouble with humidity in the greenhouse!

That being said... plant growth has been great inside!

Are you opening vents at all during the day? Might help a little with the humidity.

The vents open automatically when the temp goes above 80... that seems to only happen mid day on a sunny day with the low temps we have been having. Opening them at night would make my heat bill sky rocket and Im not sure the small electric heater could keep up. I think once the heater starts running more, it will dry things out a bit.

Today was figgin terrific!

My Sodus Sicilian ripened two figs today! The high humidity in the greenhouse didnt hurt it one bit, unlike the preto next to it which again exploded. Like most of the figs from the greenhouse, the color was much lighter than the one that ripened outside.

Headed to dinner, but wanted to get pics up before I left.

VdB and negronne were ok, they must need more sun than we have right now. Sicilian BF was still mediocre.

This was my first barnisotte and it was very good. A real strong berry flavor, looking forward to this one next year!

The Sodus Sicilian took the crown for best fig this year! It doesnt have the amazing berry flavor of black madeira, more of a vanilla peach marmalade. But it doesnt explode due to humidity/rain, produces a very large fig, and is extremely cold hardy.

I haven't posted in a while now, but the figs continue to ripen in the greenhouse.  The Black Ischia has finally started to ripen consistently.  It has been the longest ripening fig I've had by far, but they were worth the wait as they are delicious!  They aren't in the ballpark of Black Madeira, but nothing really is.

Here is a comparison between my Green Ischia and Black Ischia.  Both are delicious!









Most of today was spent pruning the fig trees that aren't in the greenhouse.  The weather turned quickly and temps have been dropping below freezing in PA with a few inches of snow this week.  So today, I pruned my trees and moved most of them into the garage.  The big ol conadria was too heavy and I'll have to wait for my wife to get back in town to help me. 

I'm going to try out ebay for the first time to sell some of my extra cuttings.  If anyone is interested in Improved Celeste, Negronne, Conadria, RdB, or Neri2 cuttings, shoot me a message.

If you are interested in Black Maderia cuttings, you can check out the auction I just listed:

http://r.ebay.com/RzshTi

are you giving away or selling the cuttings?