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figs in Pennsylvania

It's amazing how people go to the extreme to get figs to grow in cold climate. here's some pictures of someone who went crazy planting figs all over. You should see these trees in the winter, they're covered with mulch then a large plastic tarp. 
The figs that were planted as hedges, are also covered with mulch then a large garbage container over it. 
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Hi Bass.  That is pretty amazing.  The challenge is part of the fun though.  When people say you can't grow that here, some of us just have to try it seems.  Sometimes the nay-sayers are right, often they are not.

Thanks for sharing my friend.

Hope you are having a great growing season.

Best wishes.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b
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He almost has as many figs as he has trash cans.


Joe
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Wow Bass you took some great pictures thanks.
Your right what folks will do for figs, there is something about them,  heck they been around forever if one gives deep thought about it.
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Bass, your doing a great job in locating figs growing out side in a very cold part of the country. 


How are you able to locate all these fig trees? Of all the people we correspond with who are trying to locate figs growing outside in the zone 6 and lower, none of us are able to locate as many fig trees in the cold part of the country as you do.

 Have you ever thought about having a tour once a year for people interested in growing figs in the cold north? 

There appears to be at least two different locations. Figs on the property of a brick house and figs on the property of a white fence. Or, are they on the same property?Bob
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It's an old folks home, the owner of the place lives across the street. The property is filled with fig trees and some of them are over 15' tall as big bushes. The owner is Syrian, and many of his varieties came from there.  

I'm about to go back when the figs are ripe. I could see many green figs already on them. 
A fig tour sounds good, and I actually thought about this. But some people are so protective of their fig trees. 
I have a fig radar, when I drive around I seem to easily locate fig trees. If you like there's a lot more pictures to take of large fig trees in my area.
I grow most of mine in containers.
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Nice Pics bass if you get a chance to go when the figs are ripening please take pics.
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Bass, do you think the figs that are 15 feet tall might indicate that those are the most hardy ones?


Could you  take pictures of the ones that are15 tall and see what they taste like.

 Bass, have you been able to locate any fig trees in your area that are taller then 15? 

Please keep posting your great pictures of figs being grown in the cold north.

Bob  
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There are several large trees in my area, but they all get some type of protection.



Here's Salem with his large trees in his property in Pennsylvania.


This is the Salem Dark


Here's the Salem White
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Bass, the pics are amazing! A lot of effort to protect the plants, but the crop should be well worth it. How cold it gets in that area?
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It gets as low as -20°C in winter. which is zone 6.
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That's rather cold, thank you! The trees look good nevertheless.
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That is amazing Bass.  Thank you for sharing these great pictures.

We don't get anywhere near that cold here.

Our problem here in the Piedmont is unstable Spring weather, specifically late freezes.  The figs will over-winter fine, then it will warm up, figs will leaf out, and then BOOM we get a late hard freeze.  The figs take the cold (down into the teens occassionally) just fine when they are dormant, but are very vulnerable when they break dormancy.

Thanks Bass.

Best wishes.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b
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Nice pictures!

I have been "training" my 10 year old what a fig tree looks like, shapes and colors or fig leaves etc. And I asked her to look both ways from her seat while I am driving around.

So far no luck spotting a single fig tree yet. But she did manage to spot a sign says "Fig plants" along a busy road. But the next a few days we went there again, the sign disappeared.

I live in PA too.
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Very nice bass.  There is alot of good fig trees here in Pennsylvania, especially the Mediterranean Ethnic neighborhoods of the bigger cities.  Philly gardener, if you are in Philly as your name indicates, you can go into the Old Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia, there are many many fig trees, you can't drive and see them, you need to take a bottle of water and park stop for lunch in the many affordable delicious little restaurants there and go through this large, but lovely neighborhood, you will look behind the brick walls and fences and you can still see many large fig trees. They will always be willing usually to talk about their trees and theres always a story with many of them.  I would search there in the Metro Philadelphia area.  Upper darby and Lansdowne, we saw a few. Scranton and the wilkes barre area also alot.  I never had a digital camera then, wish I did.  They all do keep them protected in the winter however.  Ciao
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Those are some impressive trees to be that far north. I hope some of my figs look like that one day!
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Thank you ItalianGirl74 for your detailed information. I've never been to South Philadelphia yet. I do live in the greater Philadelphia area. I sure will check out there with my daughter.
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I visited these figs today along with Ricci "jazzbass". We sampled a few figs. 

Here's the man behind that orchard.



These figs are covered with mulch in winter.

Here's the other backyard as the winter photos above.

The trees were about 20' high and loaded with figs. They're all Syrian figs.
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Hi Bass ,
thanks for takeing the time to post the pictures sounds like it was a fun trip.
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  • JD

Bass,

Please say more about the Syrian figs...taste...size...I am curious.

JD
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We walked around and sampled several varieties. The owner of the large orchard in the photo had about 10-20 different varieties, but he said he was one tree that he will not sell for $5,000. It was one of his favorite figs, a variety named Boydi from Syria. It had one fig, but I didn't want to pick it for him. The black figs are at a different garden, and the tree was filled with figs, I wasn't able to reach them. I will have to go back and knock on the door. 
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First off

Thanks so much Bass. I had a Great time. 
But that's not the whole story folks. I drove up to see Bass (I live in Willow Grove, Pa) this afternoon. I had a generous helping of the figs that Bass is growing. By the way, if any of you have Sal (EL) or Negretta in the ground (WOW). The Sal's is just like Jam. The Negretta has a very complex and nutty taste. Very tasty indeed. I need one NOW. Can't remember all the rest of the figs that I tasted at Bass's house. Those two stood high among the rest.  

Then Bass offered to show me some of the figs he has located in the Allentown region near his home. The gentleman that has the orchard was very nice to the both of us. He fed us figs as lead us around his yard. Very tasty collection. The gentleman and his son own a bunch of fig trees, apple trees across the street from his home as well. There are many trees in this community. Most of the photos in this post are only a few blocks apart from each other. I think that I will have to ask Bass to introduce me to a few of these people. I didn't get a chance to taste the dark fig in the last photo. Perhaps the next time I visit Bass. Bass also took me to a bakery shop close to the fig orchard. I did get a chance to obtain some fresh pita bread made that day I don't think I'll eat another pita bread from the super market again.

To put it in a nut shell, what a GREAT DAY. Thanks again Bass 
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It was fun sampling and seeing all these figs. Glad you had fun, specially driving all the way up here. 

I hope to stop by that place with the black figs to sample them. It looked like they were left for the birds. It's not fair....
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  • JD

Thanks Bass & Ricci.

JD

PS: Negretta? It never ends...so many...so good.
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Hi Bass.

That sounds like a great day, and lots of fun.

I know of several places around here where they have perfectly good figs that are just left to drop to the ground and rot.

That really bothers me, when they could be enjoyed fresh, made into preserves, etc., but it's their figs to do with as they wish of course.

I can tell you that not one fig goes to waste in our orchard though.

I greatly enjoyed reading this post Bass.

Thanks.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b
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