Thanks Bass for introducing a lot of cold hardy varieties. I often look at your auctions, and just can't swing those prices. Luckily many have spread and I have been able to obtain some, or have potential to obtain them.
Even some fairly available types have problems RDB, everybody i talked to has infected plants. A clean Ronde de bordeaux would be great!
I just started growing figs about a year ago. It's been fun! I grow mostly in pots, and keep them in the garage. This is the first winter, they look good! I will take cuttings of some and experiment with in ground plantings.

About 8 years ago, I planted a lot of trees in the ground.  Fig are their happiest if they don't suffer from a long long winter freeze.  I'm in zone 8a and I use to doubt it until this past year and comparing temps around Charlotte.  So, far this year, we've had 20 degree weather twice including today.  However I agree with Steve on KB.  It's a great tasting fig but it is very temperamental and will skip fruiting if pissed off by too much cold weather.  Improved Celeste rocks well in my climate and so does Hardy Chicago, Don Fortis, Florea, King Arthur (no its not the  same as Desert King, Italian Black, Desert King, Celeste, Brown Turkey and a few others unknowns.  I had over 60 trees in the ground years ago.  All do extremely well when winterized.  But it takes a lot of time to bag 60+ trees with leaves and burlap so I stopped.  Two years ago, I dug up my oldest Smith tree and placed it in a large self watering pot.  Today, it is one of my best producers of figs.  Smith is NOT cold hardy at all.  Black Jack is another tree that is NOT hardy!

Bass, I like your Brooklyn White.  I have 2 trees and may place one in the ground next week.

Thanks for your valuable input Bass and Dennis!  I will update the table in the 1st post.

Just a note that I have grouped the Mount Etna type figs together believing that they are very similar in flavour profile, fig quality and growing characteristics.  My intention was to make it less daunting to choose a few fig trees to plant for yourself in ground and still get some variety in the figs that will be produced. 

Drew, thanks for your comments.  I also have an RDB but mine does not show any disease symptoms. 
In the past some figs I grew in containers showed some FMV or similar symptoms.  Then when I up potted to a better soil mix or when I planted them in ground in rich soil.  The disease symptoms disappeared so the problem may have been nutrition related. 

Giuseppe, I totally agree with you that in zone 6/a and lower figs will not survive unprotected for too long. 
As we saw in 2013 and 2014 -29C/-20F for 2 months straight will end up killing any unprotected fig tree. 
In our zone I think it is a personal choice either do the heavy lifting to provide adequate winter protection for your figs or choose the work involved to maintain your figs in containers.  Either way it is a job many of us choose to do for little or no pay..lol

Added Valoze fig.  See pdf attachment in topic post. 

This black/purple fig with bright red tinted stems has been grown successfully in Albany N.Y. area for some 50 years since brought over from Italy. 
Grown in ground for 10 years by Paul (pvc12).  Found to be earlier ripening than Hardy Chicago.  Produces main crop only.  Quality fig, tight eye very sweet rich (dark) berry taste.  Along the lines of VdB.  For photos and details see posting on this fig;

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/valoze-fig-tree-7959096?trail=100#19


Additional information and comments welcome! 

Great thread. Thanks so much, Pino for your efforts and information. This will be helpful to many growers-including me. My rdb, lda, Lyndhurst white, Italian honey, sodus Sicilian, and several others fared pretty well in zone 6b with southern exposure and no protection over the last five years or so ( sodus - last two years). I am always looking to add more varieties to in-ground growing rather than in so many pots.

Thanks Bill!
Great to hear that in SE PA you are growing in ground rdb, lda, Lyndhurst white, Italian honey, sodus Sicilian. 
Southern exposure must create a nice microclimate!  How many ripe figs do you get with no protection?

Both Sodus Sicilian and Lyndhurst White sound very nice for us Northern Growers I will add to the list in the topic post. 

There have been many discussion threads on theses 2 figs! 

From the leaf and fig photos posted Lyndhurst white looks similar to Atreano(another great fig)?

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/lyndhurst-white-7054738?highlight=lyndhurst&pid=1284066345

Found this thread on Sodus Sicilian very interesting story;

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/sodus-sicilian-6525738?highlight=sodus+sicilian&pid=1279534497

Pino,
I came across this photo of my Valoze Fig (right) next to my Celeste (left). Both fig trees were protected identically the same. The Valoze had very little die back and the Celeste died to the ground. The Celeste is an improved type. This photo was taken 2 yrs ago. Last spring I was not as lucky, after uncovering them I found both trees eaten to the ground by voles.

Thanks for the update Paul!

Them there voles can be a real pain. 
This year I am trying tree guards (spiral type) and hardware cloth around the stems to stop them from feasting on my covered figs.  Hope they don't eat the roots instead just to spite me..lol

2 years ago was that miserable 2013/2014 winter many people in the NE suffered with their figs.  Valoze seems to have done well!

Heard Improved Celeste is an early ripener.  How does Valoze ripening time compare? 

Pino,

After I uncovered the trees and found the damage, the varmint had the audacity to return to chomp on the roots. I caught him in the act and asked him to smile for a photo:


This past winter I sprayed repentant on the tree and also sprinkled it on the ground before I covered them.  Here is what I used:   (I hope it worked!)

 

As for which tree ripens first, they seem to be about equal if they make it trough the winter equally well. The major difference is the fact that if the tree freezes to the ground, the Valoze will grow many figs and ripen some of them. If the Improved Celeste freezes it will not grow hardly any figs and if it does they wont ripen before frost.

Looks like a groundhog with a healthy appetite did it end up moving on?

That is great news for those wanting to grow Valoze fig in ground!    

He looks big in the photo but he was small as a mouse. I got so mad because of the damage he caused I picked up a rock and tried to hit him. He was too fast and got away. I haven't seen him since.

I  can't see his ears, but he looks like a vole. They are herbaceous grazers and look an awful lot like mice. Sometimes you can see their runs through the grass.

Thanks Dale!
Totally agree. As much as we don't like what they do to our plants they are great food source of many predators:)

bump!
Added Sodus Sicilian and Lyndhurst White to the cold hardy fig table.
Anyone else growing these figs in cool climates and can comment on their taste and growth?
Thanks