Hello to everyone!
This is also my first post. I'm Jeff the Chef from Philadelphia. I've been reading this forum since Nov. 2011 when I first started this great new hobby. I must begin with accolades to the members who have helped me get started by sending me great cuttings, which are pretty much all thriving after their 1st season, and are quietly sleeping in the shed. Thanks to Marcus, Marius, KKfromNJ, Barry in my home town, Kerry, and Martin, who sent me my fig quest - RDB - which are starting to pop in the shoebox with moss. Of course, thanks to Jon for the opportunity to enjoy this forum and its wealth of information brought here by all you guys and gals. My lovely wife already thought I was already nuts until she saw my order from Encanto Farm come in. Now she thinks I've totally lost it. But she is my planting and cooking partner, and is quite amazed by our success. She pumped out some really good fig preserves, and beautiful fig and ricotta tarts last year from the figs off our "big old tree". Thank you dear for giving up the kitchen window.
I'll try and post some pics later of that tart and tree, as well as some cool pics of this years cuttings under these LED lights that we got on ebay, which are doing very well.
We have a mini farm in the city. We bought our new house 3 yrs. ago with 3/4 acre, which I've turned into a wonderful setting with an orchard of fruit trees, grapes, blackberries and blueberries, raised beds and row crops, an incredible espalier apple fence, and now - 30 or so varieties of figs in pots to fill the gaps. Our fig tree was here when we moved in. We didn't know much about it then, but after a few seasons of being showered with these large green figs with strawberry pulp - we're hooked. I thought growing heirloom tomatoes was cool cause of all the varieties and colors and tastes. Looking forward to see if we get some figs of different flavors from some of our yearlings this season.
So thanks again for this forum and all it's tought me so far. I've got to go cut some cuttings down and poke them in this Root Riot thing and see what happens..... thanks Rafed! I can't wait to take some cuttings from our tree and put them in there. Based on how our tree cuttings took off last year, being so fresh, in baggies or moss boxes, I should see figtastic results.
Anyone interested in cuttings from our unknown tree, or ideas on what it may be, please let me know.
Jeffthechef