Good Morning Everyone!
I'm new here and have enjoyed soaking up all your wisdom and can't wait to put it to good use.

I recently found this forum when searching for how to root fig cuttings that i got from a lady in Austin with a very old tree that she says is green and taste like honey.  I haven't actually tasted for myself yet.
When I search online I only see a relatively small amount of varieties recommended for central Texas. We have plenty of heat and little rain from June til Sept if any.  No real rains usually until October.

This seems great for Figs, but...

Most summers have at least 30 days over 100 degrees (some way more). We won't see below 90 from June til Mid September. Winter will hit 20's, with every few in the low teens.

What varieties would perform best for this climate?  What Celeste variety would perform without dropping too many figs here?

Thanks in advance!

I think your freezing winter is your biggest hurdle.  Figs love heat.  There are quite a few Central Texas members here and they will probably chime in with some varieties for you.  Are your figs in pots or in ground?

Suzi

Yes, the freezes are what limit my plumeria and pachypodium collection.

I don't have any figs at this moment :(  I have unknown cuttings from friend and I just purchased Salce, and Acciano cuttings from Saxonfig.

I have space for about 5-6 full sized figs SE exposure, but most would be containers.  I have used wicking barrels (H2O is at a premium), what I've read on here referred to as SIPs for my vegetables, so I would likely go this route.
55 gallon barrel cut in half, so about 15-20 gallons of soil.

Crazy thing is I know some old figs around here are enormous and aren't irrigated, and survived our drought (still in) of 2011 where we had over 100 degrees for months.  Ground became so dry I thought we were looking at another dust bowl for sure.

Thanks,

The only problem with heat it from sunburn where fruit is not shaded sufficiently by a healthy leaf canopy.

Don, welcome to the forum.
Your post serves as a reminder that the fig growers' hurdles
here in the U.S. are numerous.
There is no perfect growing zone for figs.
Some areas are too sandy, some are too dry, some are too cold...
Yet we still manage to grow this delicious fruit in all kinds of extremes.

Figs are tough! I think if you give your plants plenty of mulch to hold moisture
and a little shade in the hottest months, they will be alright.

Like most of us, you will likely have lots of varieties, and a couple of them will
prove themselves perfect for your land.
Bigger containers (as you're planning) don't dry out as quickly as 1 or 3 gallon pots.
In a year or two, your favorites will be ready to go in the ground, and will do just as well
as those majestic trees in your neighborhood.

Don, have you ever seen the videos about permaculture (specially in the desert?)

Here, they use fig trees- why not prepare sometime of this nature in my smaller, enough for your own plot.

Where I live, Seattle, it the opposite, we have cold, rain,mold spores,  and too much moist.  Slowly I am doing this turning around of my soil and burrying lots and lots of wood and wood chips.

this could be your solution!  If you wish to try my fig, I am happy to send you. Look me up, you will see the pictures of my fig. It is unknown.

i half buried my container figs in  full sun. they did fine even when the temp hit 109.

they are going inground this year, but i had to build a fence to protect from extreme cold.

read up on creating micro climates. 

Hi
With the help of a generous canadian member am growing RDB and Niagara Black now and wonder if somone is growing these in the heat?

RDB grows just fine in the heat.  It's first summer was in the desert.  Last summer it did fine at a higher elevation that wasn't in the 110 degree range... more like 102 max.  It's going in-ground today.

Suzi

Those long hot summers mean you can ripen the best figs out there.  The basics are still what matters.  Fig roots need both water and air.  If the soil mix is too porous you have to water it continuously throughout the day.  Too  compact and the roots rot.  Organic material holds water well.  Large pieces of pine bark, some small ones, some peat moss and some NAPA Floor Dry should work well for you.  If the pot has a center hole block it.  Amend the soil under your pot with organic material if it's sandy or clay.  Mulch around the pot so the side holes are under the mulch.  Let the roots grow out the side holes into the soil.  Water the surrounding ground deeply, more so as the season wears on.  When it's time to bring them in cut or pull up the roots.  If you use SIPs you'll have to work hard to keep them watered enough when it gets hot.  You'll need to check them every few hours once the plants get big until you know how much water they'll need.  You may have to prune the top to keep it from outgrowing what the roots can supply.  Sell the cuttings or plants you make from them.  That way you'll be able to pay the water bill.

Penache and Kadota do very well in CA's central valley which sounds like a similarly scorching hot place in the summer.  You will have colder lows though.

Thanks for the suggestions.  RdB, Panache they are on my list, it's already a long one.  Like most everyone else, I want harvest from June until frost, usually early December here, This year November 15th.  That's another thing our weather patterns have been all screwy, hard to say whats normal anymore.

Grasa,  great videos.  Reminds me of several things.  First to be grateful, it is downright lush, and verdant here in comparison to Jordan.  Second, I have tons more work to do to transform this place.  Third, watching that guy make falafels made me hungry for lunch!

I have seen very positive results in my garden after amending the soil with goat and chicken manure compost.  Started when we moved out here 3 years ago, and besides the plant vigor, the amount of water needed has dropped, and I no longer need to till the beds.  Working on the whole permaculture thing here, with a very small space to boot.  Like one of the girls in the video was saying, we may be poor but we eat very well.

Burying the pots is something I hadn't considered.  We also have an abundance of shade trees (couldn't image summer without them) so I can shade them as needed.

Please by all means keep the suggestions, and varieties that have performed well for you coming.