Here are some photos from the seminar on Fall Fig Care that I'm sure many of you are curious about. If you have never been to Bill's Figs in NJ I can only describe it as a "fig fantasy" Here's a gentleman who makes his living propagating fig trees (and selling potting systems) and selling fig plants.
I couldn't resist of course and bought a beautiful  one year old Negronne along with one of his his potting systems.
The photos of his figs all lined up is maybe 25 percent of what he has all over his property and they are all different WOW.
I had been here once before and use Bill's system for quite a few of my trees and I am a true believer. I also have a few of my own versions of the pots. Phenomenal results.
Bill started the presentation with a tour of his property with(I think he said) over 650 varieties. Unreal! The seminar and slide show that he does in his barn was mostly for newbies. My interests were in his pruning techniques, but they were a bit brushed over very quickly. Still a real fun fig day
A bonus was had in the end when I had a nice opportunity to chat with the lovely Donna from Philly.

   

Sounds wonderful. It's on my bucket list now.

Coop-

Thanks for posting the photos.   Bill has a fig farm!  Never been there, but now, I must go after seeing what I missed.

(Dom's kids are doing fine).



Frank

    Bill from Bill's Figs is one of the good folks who took me to the next level in this wonderful hobby...I paid my first visit to his fig farm three years ago, and have gone back at least once each season since then...I have purchased over a dozen trees from Bill during that time, along with 3 of his self watering systems, and I am a very satisfied customer...Bill always takes the time to answer any questions, and to explain how his "little" hobby grew into a very successful business...if you don't get a chance to visit him this year, then put it on your list of things to do in 2014.

Thanks for sharing you experience and the pictures as well.

Notice a trend here at these meets.
Grey hair and or balding . ROFL

Hi Martin and Vince
Glad you enjoyed the post. I know there are a lot of fig crazy fig folks out there curious about Bill. We are lucky to be in driving distance. Its a real treat

Here's  a quick tour:

Figaro thanks for posting the video it was enjoyable to watch.

Good ole' Bill. I too am a satisfied customer. Am wondering whether any member has experienced difficulty with absorption of fertilizer due to fact that in Bill's containers are covered and do not receive hydration from above-does the soil nevertheless fully absorb nutrients deposited on top of the root mass?? Thank you.

Rafael
We live close to each other and I have had more success with Bills pots than any other method I have tried. I put the slow release fertilizer in at the beginning of the season and it seems to do the trick. I am assuming it all gets absorbed, but it is hard to tell because you don't open the plastic until the next year. They do grow beautifully, so I think the fertilizer is doing its job.

Thx Coop

Coop/VInce,
I am planning on going to Bills spring class next month and wanted to know if you had any reccomendations on which of his figs you had good luck with and tasted great?! I also might pick up one of his pots, i hear there are two sizes have you guys used either one? Thanks.

Hi Robert,
You will not regret making the journey to Bill's. He usually has quite a few different  varieties and he can be helpful recommending the right plant for your zone. If you want a suggestion, Bill has a Negronne that I really like. Ive been growing it for about 5 years and it is a delicious fig that would do well in a pot for you in Newark.
He usually has a list of the plants he grows, and  also sells both 1 year and 2 year old plants. You can save some money on a 1 year old, and it will grow quite quickly. The 2 year olds are bigger, and hard to resist when you see one.
I have only used the larger pot as a SIP. Ive had tremendous success with it. If you can handle the larger pot, go for it. Keep in mind that you will have to move and store it in the winter. Those pots with mushroom compost are very heavy. They need a dolly and some brute strength to get around. If the smaller pot is more manageable, go for that but keep in mind that you will be root pruning at least every other year.
Good luck and enjoy your trip to a most amazing fig farm with a most legendary fig man