I've been through Beebe a couple of times, nice area.  Thanks Angela. 

Tuscany Road entrance to the Learning Fields.  Plowed area to the left is the fig trial area.

 

It's been in the teens cold for the last couple of nights but everything in their greenhouse is doing fine.  Will be taking them some more potted figs in a couple of weeks.  They also have interest in hardy poms and persimmons.  My kind of folks for sure. 
 

Nice field Charlie. So is the plan to plant the fig trees inground on that field and leave unprotected year round to test cold hardines or will cover them during the cold months?

Charlie, no protection even on first year rooted cuttings? I've read on several threads that the fig trees become more cold hardy with age, say three years plus. Perhaps plant two of a variety, protect one for a couple years and not the other, then compare the results and pass that info to the public.

Really don't know their plan details yet.  I'm sure every comment here will be taken into consideration.

Hi fig friends, wanted to update for those interested.  I received eighty-six of ninety-eight requested fig cutting varieties from UC Davis and am donating them to the Learning Fields Fig Trials today, along with many cuttings supplied by forum members and many of my winter indoors plants that were strong enough to survive my newbness.  

Many were lost to various causes but many also made it and are now growing outdoors in full sun in the gallon pots.  It was necessary to move them outdoors sooner than I really wanted to.  They all were put on the front porch facing east, dropped their indoor leaves, were exposed to temps in the upper 30's and lower 40's at times, but they put on new leaves and adjusted. Figs are tougher than I thought, at least these are.

The whole point of this trial is to determine varieties that will do well in our specific area and we have a good start.

Thanks to those who donated cuttings, they won't be wasted.

cool project

Hi Charlie, do you know the names of the remaining varieties they are looking for?

any updates ?



...

Have not been able to put even one tree in due to ground being saturated, bad flash flooding around these parts for weeks.  Tentative date was moved three time and we were going to do it today. I'm not sure when now.  On a good note, all my figs are doing well in pots, sitting on top of a raised bed in the back yard.  Haven't had to water even once.
 

Apologies for the lack of update.  

We put forty varieties in ground on July 11.  It was very hot and I had some doubts they would survive.  Irrigation hose was installed and they have been getting regular water.  To my knowledge as of this post, all are surviving and last I saw a couple weeks ago, all have put on new growth.

Here is a variety list of what we have growing, either in ground or keeping potted over winter.  Some we have multiples of and some are duplicates by different names.  We don't know of any mis-labeled yet.
 

Purchased, found, gifted or traded for...

LSU Tiger
Italian Honey
Red Libya
Sicilian White
Vasilika Sika
Atreano Gold
Galbun
Paradiso JM
Peter’s Honey
Petite Negri
Nero 600
Unk Sweet Diane
Atreano
Magnolia
Unk Orangeburg Purple
Melanzana
Gino’s Black
Mead
Beall
Celeste
LSU Purple
Smith
DK Portuguese
Dominick Heirloom Italian
Sal's Corleone
Armando Family Fav
Black Mission
Benson Hurst purple
Peachy Pleamon
My Special Celeste
Brown Turkey
LSU Champagne
Norman's Yellow
MSVS Black
JH Adriatic
Unk Lake Spur
Panache Tiger Stripe
Hardy Chicago
Olympian
143-36 Emerald Strawberry
Black Jack
Mary Lane Seedless
Armenian Small Eye Var.
Conadria
Texas BA-1
Desert King
Violette de Bordeau
Green Ischia
Raspberry Latte
Bourjassotte Noire

The following are from UC Davis...

White Santa Cruz
Sucrette
Golden Celeste
Flanders
Yellow Neches
Black Figl
St. Jean
Standford
Little Panachee
Osborn Prolific
Orphan
Barnisotte
0000A Nazarti
Calimyrna
Capitola Long
Marabout
Excel
Grosse Monstrueuse de Lipari
Roeding 2 &Roeding3 & Roeding4
Tena
Mary Lane
Aked
Armenian
Deanna
Giant Amber
Karayaprak
Blanquette
Conadria
Rattlesnake Island
Marabout Smyrna
Milco
Castle Kennedy
Kadota
KAC117W
0000DFIC
DFIC110
UCR 276-49
UCR 143-38
UCR 152-4S
UCR 200-43
UCR 184-15
UCR 184-15S
UCR 187-25
UCR 278-128
UCR 153-7
UCR 143-28
UCR 143-5
UCR 284-11
UCR 271-1
UCR 347-1
UCR 309B
UCR 135-4S

The River Valley Master Gardeners all pitched in for the fig trial.