Jose,
Thanks for posting those photos. Very nice.
As always, I am interested in the details. I am sure that I can find the answers to these questions are in one of your previous threads but I think it is worth repeating here: Was is your tree and row spacing? What size holes did the post hole digger make? What did you fill those holes with? And how much water per tree?

Q and A..

Very nice looking Orchard Jose!

Great looking place , Jose. Soil looks good , if it was used for alfalfa it must be good ground.
What is the long term plan ? A u-pick fig orchard or a fig CSA ?
Nice to see the early and later pictures.

thanks Jose!

DWF, we think we are going to build a fig orchard for fresh/dried figs. I have close to 150-200 fig trees with most being unique. I see some trees right now that show some promise with ability to die back and grow figs:

Zuchinni Fig,
Bayernfiege Violetta,
Los Lunas Fig,
Naples White,
Hardy Chicago,

Late figs:
Col de dame white, negra, grise
Vasilika Sika

All the best of luck to you loslunas.  Your hard work will prove it a success.

Jose,

Thanks for your good advice and for posting pictures of your nascent fig orchard. 

My situation is a little different in that I plan to add 20-30 trees a year simply due  to time issues as well as the need to obtain cuttings and allowing them to grow in pots for at least a year. The slower process will also allow a trial and error approach (all the eggs are not in the same basket, so to speak).

Just a few more questions, if possible:

How much land do you have to work with?

It looks like the distance between figs is 10-15 feet, correct?

It looks like you did most of the planting over a short period of time...how did you manage to get so many different varieties in such a short period of time? I am assuming a lot here.

Lastly, would you be willing to rent your kids out to help with setting up my orchard?   ;=)

Just a few more questions, if possible:

How much land do you have to work with?

It looks like the distance between figs is 10-15 feet, correct?

The spacing is around 6-8 feet.

It looks like you did most of the planting over a short period of time...how did you manage to get so many different varieties in such a short period of time? I am assuming a lot here.

My collection is over 7 years, I just got tired of spending 1-2 hours a day watering.

Lastly, would you be willing to rent your kids out to help with setting up my orchard?   ;=)

My 9 year old expects min-wage.. We are not right to work state ( ha ha)...

Over the last few weeks more trees have been added to the orchard and as f tonight it looks like this:

It's hard work, but satisfying. 

Alma:

Petit Negri keeps on giving:

Great Job!

Scuppernong grape vines, Dom...and in the second last picture is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. LOL.

nice...great job...you have been busy...one thing, whats growing in with the one fig? looks like a cross between beans and poison.
                                                                           luke

Luke, those are different types of beans..mung, black, chick, navy and black eyed.

It is my version of a  nitrogen fixing green manure. I am hoping the figs like it.

 Big dogs only for me.I don't do well with small dogs. I hurt myself tripping every time! LOL

that sounds like a great idea, with the beans. i would have never thought of trying that. let us know how it works. i read in the past that beans have nodules(spelling?) that have nitrogen fixed on the root. nice.
                                                                                    luke

Thanks for sharing those pictures.
Hope you have a lot of tasty dark types planted in that orchard !
Want to add my brother had a pair of them same dogs.

Looks good Frank...real good! And your Petit Negri looks awesome.

So you started the N. FL Fig Farm without us...I know. I know...way too much fun and satisfying when you do it yourself. Good work.

One quick note: I recall that depending on what was composted, the Apalachee mulch could be heavy on cedar. Is yours? I ask only so that you consider that the soil might become slightly acidic which would be contrary to the sweet soil loving figs as well as the limestone-adding practice promoted by fig nuts way more experience than I am.

Again, thanks for posting these photos of the Back40 Fig  Farm.

Jimmie, the compost from the local recycling center, is as variable as the day is long. Sometimes it is a beautiful dark, rich, loamy substance that dreams are made of.. Other times, like today, it was a woody mix with little compost still hot to the touch. Therefore, I always lime heavily. 

I know how busy you and Jim are these days but we should get together sometime soon and exchange potted air-layered plants. I have a nice Petit Negri and Beal for yous guys as well as large rooted cuttings from the giant seed grown celeste to use as grafting rootstock. Yes, the air-layering went very well.

Martin, I am completely with you on the superiority of dark figs. I have my fingers crossed that the cuttings I brought back from Europe will be of the black persuasion. It's just like Forrest Gump said about life and chocolates.

Luke, if my figs start tooting then I'll know for sure they like being surrounded by the "musical fruit".

December update:

Since September, 32 figs have been planted in the "North Florida Fig Orchard". Thanks go out to Jimmie and Jim for their contributions.

Some have been put to bed wrapped in frost blankets but the smaller trees rest under a pile of pine straw. There was a sudden and unexpected freeze that may have killed off some of the smaller specimens. We shall see.

.

Wow looks great Frank! I don't think it got cold enough to damage the little figs. I still have little guys with leaves on them in pots in the back yard. No burn or anything.. It might be a micro climate thing, but it stayed around 32 here in Killearn and only for an hour or two it seemed...

Definitely microclimate, Miguel. My little corner of Tallahassee was down to 25.
I think the roots were protected, though.

Frank, that is just positively AWESOME....I know what I want to do when I grow up....

Those all look incredible Frank and Jose. There's gonna be tons of figs over there next summer. Thank you both for sharing.

Hi Frank,
 
Loved the discussion and watching your progress. Awesome work!
 
For what it's worth I would remove all grass, weeds and anything else growing out for three more feet and I would start mulching heavily. My thoughts are that the roots will outgrow the canopy and if you mulch now and continually replenish it you will be creating a very nutrient rich compost bed for you fig roots to grow into. I would first break/till the ground around the ring and then add the mulch. If you keep it deep enough earthworms will move in and start breaking everything down. You can even take kitchen scraps that are compost friendly, pull back the leaves, throw them down and then recover. After a few years you will start seeing the rich soil building up under the mulch.
 
Where I live the drip system will not work. Our "soils" are too sandy and it will precipitate straight down wetting a spot about the size of a dinner plate. The micro-sprinklers that someone else mentioned is what I am going to use. You can have a evenly distributed watering all under your trees and perimeter. The MS's are cheap, as cheap as less than $2 each for quality ones. You can probably find them much cheaper than that. I would suggest a cleanable filter system at the output of you water source. If you go to JF&E he will show you his system.
 
You better come up with a marketing strategy or you will be buried in figs! LOL
 
Really great work. You will be able to make recommendations to a lot of newbie figger's (like me) soon.
 
Thanks for your help!