Looks like only a few weeks left till the first harvest!
After we had a realy mild winter with lows from -7°C to -10°C, seems like the Figtrees are a little ahead this season.

These pictures were taken today in the Town of "Forst an der Weinstrasse (engl.Whinestreet)" in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz near the Rhine-River in the southwest of Germany.

(pictures property of Bettina Michel)


I hope you enjoy!

Nice looking figs! You are way ahead of what I would have expected for anywhere in Germany. What are your average hi and low temperatures this time of year?

On a Spalier (espalier) very nice! I am surprised how big the leaves are already. However the Weinstrasse along the Rhineriver is known for early almond and cherry blooms also. I am so glad you had a beautiful winter. My branches are still bare and dry.

Christian,
  You are in the heart of Riesling country -- my favorite wine!  Lucky you!!!
Cheers,
Jim

Hi Christian,
Great Pictures
  I have many very good memories of the Rhine River,Ludwigshafen,Frankenthal Kaiserslautern,Ludwigshafen,Mannheim,Worms and many other cities in Germany and Europe.
Phil from Northern Ohio
  

Down here in the south-west of Germany we had no real winter at all. All my potted fig trees and citrus stayed outside and were only protected by some insulating material when the temperature went below zero - which didn't happen very often. All my fig trees - the potted ones and the inground trees - now have already got large leaves
and some breba figs.
Dalmatie had very large but not ripe figs when the cold season started and everyone told me to remove them.
They looked nice, stayed there all winter long, and when the trees broke dormancy a couple of weeks ago.
 I couldn't get myself to remove these figs, so I left them on the tree and thought, well, why not let them go on growing as an experiment. Right now they're doing well and  seem to be getting bigger. I can't wait to see what happens next - maybe ripe figs in May!
Enjoy the photos.
Lilli

(1. Dalmatie, 2. (from left) unknown French/Dalmatie/Goutte d'or, 3. Bayernfeige Violetta, 4. Morena)

 
        

Phil my friend!

I was hoping that you are sneaking around here and see those picture from near your old workplace back in the days!
I am glad you enjoyed the photos.


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Lilli,

You got some healthy looking plants there! 
They are ahead of my plants - and i got a greenhouse to start season. 
Are you sure you are 7a???
You must be at least 7b like me, if not 8a...

And: Schön mal hier auch einen anderen Deutschen zu treffen! Sei gegrüßt. 

Christian,
As advised by Mr Baud (France) I use a fertilizer that has 7% N, 3% P, 10% K. It's a fertilizer
for berries and fruit trees which is available at garden shops. (According to Baud the potash content
in a fertilizer for figs should be higher than the nitrogen content.) My fig trees love it!
My zone is 7a, but who knows what the microclimate in my garden is like, and besides that, the winter
we had was really extremely mild.

P.S. Auch Grüße.

Lilli

Hey Christian,
 How have you been buddy? Those are some good looking pictures.

Lilli,

How often do you fertilize? Once a week? I am using a 7-4-8 at the moment...I always try not to make a too big deal of fertilizing.

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Art,

So nice to hear from you again! 
Glad you like the pictures.

Unfortunaletly the cuttings haven't arrived, i don't know why.

Christian,
I don't use much fertilizer either. I give one dose when the trees break dormancy. I give the inground trees a modest second dose in June and tiny doses to the potted trees
every two or three weeks, but only until mid-July.
Lilli