Hi all,

Discovered this forum after hearing about it on a garden forum. Forum looks great!

I recently bought a house in San Jose and wanted to put in some fig trees. My questions are these:

If you could grow only two varieties of figs in Nor Cal (zone 9), which would you choose?

I have the option of putting one or both in the ground, or one or both in half wine barrels (29 gallon containers). Any preference to this? I've heard figs produce well in containers.

These are some common varieties sold at local nurseries..
Black Jack
Black Mission
Brown Turkey
Conadria
Flanders
Janice Seedless
Panache
Violette de Bordeaux

What two figs would me most distinct from each other? I would love a really sweet fig and not have my other tree taste the same.

Thanks for any input.....
Justaguy

One has to be Violette de Bordeaux.

I dont have experience with flanders, janice or panache but of the others I would go with vdb/black mission and conadria.  One white and 1 dark.  All 3 are excellent figs.

You can't go wrong with Mission but if you are in a hot zone, Panache is to die for...it's one of my favorite figs. Stay away from Brown Turkey...a mediocre fig at best.

I'd put them in ground, less work on your part once established.

Welcome to the group!

Sue

Thanks for the replies guys....I guess Mission is a no brainer as lots of people grow it around here and it is a good tasting fig, just interested in varieties I've never seen or tasted before too.

How much more work goes into container figs? I'm okay with extra pruning and watering although if it's something that can't stay in a half wine barrel and has to be re-potted I guess in ground would be my choice. I was looking at saving the "in ground" spots for fruit trees that don't do as well in containers. The property has more concrete than yard.

Mission is apparently great as long as you don't get a lot of rain.  I know of two trees here now in the Southeast, and they're both really not that exciting.  Taste watery and diluted to me, but there's rarely a week without a few inches of rain here.

It's dry season for Nor Cal in the summer, usually no rain June-Sept. I just moved from ATL a year ago and it certainly is rainy, hot and humid during the summers....

When i returned from California with the rest of my fig trees i brought with me Janice Seedless has some figs which fell....the trip was long from California to Wisconsin with the truck...but after a month here in Milwaukee Wisconsin the month of July new figs come ...Janice Seedless is the Fig Newtons used

Black Mission Fig vs. Janice Seedless Kadota Figs

Who wins the flavor battle between Black Mission figs and Janice Seedless Kadota figs? The verdict: Black Mission figs are damn good, but Janice Seedless Kadotas are damn better! We're jealous of Homegrown Neighbor who has one of these beauties.

Patented in 1993 and sold wholesale by the Dave Wilson Nursery, Janice figs are white and incredibly sweet. Ask your local nursery to order one from Dave Wilson for you. But note, this is a variety for Mediterranean climates.

For excellent directions on growing figs see this info sheet from the California Rare Fruit Growers.

Italian immigrants desperate for the flavors of home pioneered growing figs in northerly climates. See this discussion over at GardenWeb for cold climate fig strategies.

I'm also in San Jose- east hills, with limited space, and have been growing figs for only 6 years so this is still a work in progress. My best trees thus far have been Bourjassotte Gris (or other spellings) and Lampiera.  The B. G. is a slower growing tree, and didn't really produce much for me until its 4th year in ground, but its a winner. Green/violet medium sized fruit with rich tasting dark rose red flesh. This year even with our nearly non-existent summer it produced great fruit from Sept - Nov, and pretty tasty until mid Nov. 

Thanks for the info gwarring.....

I had heard about the CRFG exchange. What would the difference be if I got a cutting instead of a potted fig at the nursery (besides price). Will the cutting bear fruit the same as a bare root/potted fig or would it take an extra year or two to catch up? I'd rather have my own figs sooner rather than later. I might have to skip work Sat and show up to this!!

The cutting will take longer. You can buy a potted or unpotted tree from a nursury or garden center this spring and have at least some figs by this summer, more if you get a bigger plant. Most figs grow pretty fast, but most cuttings will take at least a couple of years to start producing.  Both is good if you can squeeze in a pot or 2 more.