Hi

I moved from No-cal and need to start my new fruit garden.
First thing I'd plant is fig! I love them. And wondering which variety will go well in desert heat...

I like black fig - brown turkey, mission.. type. Anything else taste better?

Thank you!

Contact local CRFG Chapter at http://crfg.org/local/chapters/az_phoen.html

They have a wealth of desert growing experience.

I realize I'm coming two years late to the party, but just discovered figs4fun. I'm in Tucson and have been wondering about the same thing. I emailed the AZ Chapter of the CRFG to ask for their recommendations, but got no response. I know black mision does well here, and that brown Turkey (at least in my yard) is VERY prone to souring from little beetles, once they find you (the first few years were okay, and then, BAM).

So--did you get any good recommedations for the desert?

I am no desert expert.

I have heard of the Negretta (also known as Rock Fig), that
is touted as being very drought resistant. All I can say is that it is
rather dwarf ( I think it beats the Petit Nigra). My specimen
gets lots of water (specially because the lately constant rain).
I will be having some first fruit hopefully this year.

I have seen/heard of fig trees growing in all bizzare/arid places,
e.g., walls/sidewalks. Sooo, once extablished,
I think that most figs will tollerate (some) drought.

Another fig comes to mind; the Brunswick. It has to be good
somewhere in DRY conditions! It sours very easy if
the fruit gets wet while ripening (like here in NJ).
Maybe you may like to experiment and let as know how
it behaves for you...

Georgi, you are very right, the Brunswick here in Albuquerque, which is very dry, is excellent in our very dry high heat.

Having lived in Scottsdale, I know the dried fruit beetle can ruin the fruit production of a fig tree. The fallen fruit from the area citrus trees have contributed to this little pest.
It's imperative that you grow a fig with a closed eye in the Phoenix area.
I learned about the beetle from visiting the Baker Nursery in Phoenix. They used to propagate fig trees from their "Baker Fig", a variety which has been on site for many years. The day I went there, the mother tree was full of figs and virtually every single one of them was either loaded with the beetles or was soured by them.
it was virtually impossible to find a fig you could eat. All you had to do was squeeze a fig and beetles would come running out of the large ostiole.
This was back in 2001. I'm not sure if the Baker Fig still exists.
So do a little research and find a variety that has a closed ostiole or else you will be one disappointed fig lover when harvest time rolls around.
You may want to contact the Baker Nursery. They carry other varieties there, maybe some that are known to do better in your area.

Thanks for all the tips. I searched online and found that the Baker Nursery is still going strong, although they're offering the same kinds of figs as nurseries in Tucson, including the brown Turkey with it's severe souring problem. But, I'll give them a call.

As far as Tucson's climate goes, we're not all that dry or hot. We have a monsoon season right as figs are ripening (now), so we can get torrential rains frequently during the most critical time for figs. Tucson is typically about ten degrees cooler than Phoenix and we also get harder frosts (they can grow mangos, but we can't). So, I really need to find a Tucson fig fanatic who has long-term experience. My experience with local nurseries is that all of the varieties they carry, "Do great here!"--until you actually put them in the ground.

I'll try starting a new thread to see if I can find anybody with fig experience in Tucson.

Try Bakers Nursery in Phoenix

http://www.bakernurseryaz.com/

 I think Gino's Fig is probably available from a few collectors. I have not seen this one in the regular nursery.  Dan, I think I have a fig variant that maybe of interest to you. I still can't the picture yet. Would email once I find it, hopefully today which is an off day here.

The Gino's & LSU purple both sound like good possibilities. A couple of others that I've heard have worked well here in Tucson are Kadota and conadria, but I have no personal experience with them, yet.

I talked to the folks at Baker nursery in Phoenix, but they said their expertise was with younger figs in pots, rather than long-term fruit production in the ground. I also learned that the Phoenix chapter of CRFG has quit meeting, and no one ever responded to my other figs4fun thread about trying to find a Tucson fig fanatic, so it looks like I'll have to figure out which kinds will work here on my own, through trial and error.

Hey Ken. I just wanted to bump this old thread.

I have a good friend who will be moving to Wilcox, AZ (just east of you) in the fall of this year. He is very interested in learning what kinds of fruit trees he will be able to grow out there, especially figs.  What kind of figs did you fianlly find that will do best for you in Tucson?

From what I understand, Wilcox gets quite a bit colder than alot of the surrounding desert areas. Maybe even cooler than Tucson - ?

Like to hear from you on this. Input from others would be great as well.

Saxon Fig,

That's a good tip Cecil, thank you. Definately wil check that out. 

Ken, I'm also wondering, what has been your best defense against the fig beetles - ? I'm assuming I'll have to deal with that myself here in KY eventually.

By the way Ken, I was checking out your artwork on your web site. Wow! Very good stuff. Do you hang them on your fridge :-) ?

Willcox is located on Interstate 10, just west of the Arizona New Mexico  border. The climate there is more like Las Cruces NM or El Paso TX than it is like Phoenix or Tucson.

Hey Bill--glad you bumped the thread. It's been a while. As paulandirene noted, Willcox has a different climate than Tucson. I don't know how it is for growing figs, but it's well-known locally for growing other fruits, with several "you-pick"-type orchards.

Black Mission, White Triano and Hunt eyes will not let the beetles enter. Also, varieties which drip honey which seals an open eyed fig will also block the beetles from entering....Black Triana, St. Jerome, LSU Gold, Golden Celeste, etc.  Alma has resin which blocks the eye making it more rain tolerant than honey blocked eye figs.

I will again be posting the growing and fruiting characteristics of the figs that I am studying. Information about taste, productivity, rain tolerance, and bug resistance (beetles and souring insects) will be posted throughout the upcoming 2011 growing season. I had a thread going on the GW fig forum for the 2010 fig season.

Dan

Hi Ken. From what I can tell, Wilcox is in zone 7. So, in theory, the climate should be suitable for a variety of figs. I'm pretty sure it is hotter and dryer than the Z7 of the east. So maybe that will be conducive to some of the more heat loving types.

Those are some good leads that both you and Dan have provided. Sounds like more than enough to start with. My plan is to have a couple good starts ready for him to take with him in the fall. Should be able to have a Black Mission, LSU Purple, and maybe a LSU Gold ready for him buy then.

Dan, I look forward to your posts about the experiences your having with the varieties you are studying. I'm especially interested in hearing some details on some of the varieties I haven't hneard too much about such as Black Triana & St. Jerome.

Thanks to you both Ken & Dan for listing those specific varieties. This is good stuff to know when selecting varieties for each of our growing areas.   

Any updates from desert dwellers on what is your best in-ground fig?  I'm looking to remove a tree and put in a fig tree.  It will be out in the open with no protection from morning or afternoon sun which is virtually year round.  It usually doesn't get too cold.  It dipped into the low 30's/high20's a couple of years ago and killed off a lot of stuff.   Tree planting time is coming up soon.  I have VDB, Conadria, Atreano, Celeste that are in pots and could put one in there, but open to any variety if you think it is better growth and better taste wise in the desert.   I would prefer one that I can make more into a tree form rather than bush form.  This is near Phoenix area. 

Contact Lloyd Kreitzer at 505-266-8000.  He's the fig man of New Mexico.  I spoke to him a few days ago.  He has a wealth of knowledge about figs and will give you a good education on figs and how they grow in New Mexico.  He also teaches at the community college there too.  He told me he has some intersting rare figs. I'm planning on visiting him in October.  He also has a web site called the Land of Enchantement.  Good luck.

Figfinatic, I can't offer much advice because my trees are still too young to draw many conclusions. Maybe frozenjoe or someone else from Phoenix will chime in with better information. Of the four varieties you mentioned, I have all but Atreano.

Conadria has grown the fastest and seems like it will be prolific, but I have yet to taste a fully mature fruit. I wouldn't count on Celeste due to its tendency to drop fruit in hot, dry climates (I'm ripening a few on my young tree, and they're pretty good, but many more drop off than actually ripen). By all accounts VdB should be the best of the three varieties we have in common, but my tree is still too young for me to speak from first-hand experience.

My Black Mission tastes very good and the Black Mission NL tastes even better, but neither seems to produce very abundantly (BMNL is still too young to judge accurately), and both have been cold sensitive in my yard--though in Phoenix they should be fine. I'm starting to lean toward some of the LSU figs--I have LSU Purple, LSU Gold, LSU Improved Celeste and LSU Scott's Black. They're all too young to have ripened fruit yet, but from what I've heard all should be very good bets here in Tucson.

Fignatic,

I've been in the East Valley since 2010.  The varieties that have done best for me so far are VDB, LSU Purple, and an unknown I have from NJ.  Desert King does well here too but it is only reliable for the breba crop.  Black Madeira is loaded with a main crop that has not ripened yet.  Those 5 are the best varieties I have found of the 13 that I trialed here.

Love that area but the July/August Monsoons must be brutal on the trees. 

Here is Lloyd's page:

http://www.landofenfigment.com/index.html

Phoenix is in the same zone as La Quinta, and all figs grow easily, and happily here.  They love the Mediterranean climate.  It's what they were bred for.  Just got 4 from rcantor, and in two weeks they are mighty nights!  HUGE!  They love the heat!

Suzi

Dominick, my trees have a harder time with the dry period just before the rains get started. They all perk up when the thunderstorms start, and usually begin a growth spurt. The only real monsoon damage I've had to the fig trees is from hail--I'm sure there'll be a lot of perforated leaves before the season is over.