A very productive tree,but(my opinion),taste and look similar with Hardy Chicago,Marseille vs Blk or Sal's El...   Thanks for looking.   Marius

Those figs look great. I have Gino's black on my want list. All this recent talk about the similarities between Gino's and hardy chicago make me wonder which one I need. In your opinion which of the two is least affected by FMV, is hardiest, and most productive. Any info you or anyone else can provide is greatly appreciated.

Nice fig knife.

I see your Gino this year did not develop the maximum black color they should be,and I bet they are not the best taste they can be.
It is the Summer,that is not perfect.
In my climate here,The Gino,is about the same color as yours,but Hardy Chicago is earthy brownish this year,nothing like Gino.
That is also because August was rainy,and very hot in the same time,so the figs are not tasting their best.
The heat and lack of ozone layer is so bad,that my figs get burned the side facing the sun,and so that side get boiled inside the fruit ,and makes the fruit spoil before ripe,starting on the damage surface.
My Stupice and Woodle Orange tomatoes,get also damaged the same way,this year,something I never seen before.
Stupice is the tastiest early tomato,known to me,and the most tolerant,to climate but this year,it has problems.
And so do,many of my fig cultivars that otherwise had no problem in 2010,but had problems in 2011 and 2012.

Those are some great looking figs, and lot of figs. 

Hi Herman:
How would you compare the Gino's to Hardy Chicago? Do you see differences between the varieties? I have a Gino's but it is still young and the figs on it won't ripen this season.

Leon:The fig is naturally smaller,much smaller than Hardy C,wants to grow,tighter eye,and Darker interior and exterior.
Comparing:Superior in everything especially in my climate,where at this point,every HC fruit soured if I was letting it to ripe properly.
That bad August 2012 was.
Gino,soured about 20 percent but the rest were ripening much better .
In your climate,or for that matter in Marius climate,these problems might not surface because the climate permits to produce good fruits from both,but ,my locality was very difficult in the last 2 years.
So in the Fall I will have to eliminate some of my cultivars that just can't make it here due to the climate change we had in the last 2 years.
They can be superior figs in other dryer climates but not here.

Marius,
I recently acquired  this Gino's Black and it had some interesting color on it. I'm glad I didn't wait to take the picture as the next day my little red thing was gone. Here's the figs.

Herman, do you know what this was? Sorry I don't have a better photo.

I appreciate your opinion Herman. Thank you.

That was a little fruit burned by scorching sun,and the leaves are also damaged,by heat.
The fruits are much larger when ripe properly.

Herman, 
     Thank you. This is this fig now. Figs haven't changed at all and growth slow. I also included a photo of a fig that was on the plant when I bought it. Not a lot of color. This tree had been living in the shade. Do you think that kept this fig from darkening up? It now gets 6 hours of full sun and has been here several months.

Down here,in my climate 6 hours of sun is not enough,to ripe proper fruits but in Virginia it might be enough.
Your fruit is a deformed fruit that fig tree produces when young.
It will become normal when older.
That fig is genuine Gino's fig,the bluish color on leaves ,tells it all.

Thank you very much Herman. That's one I can now count on and if anyone ever asks for cuttings I'll be able to send without worrying about wasting their time on a mis labeled fig. Ever think about writing a book on IDing figs? I'll buy one in a New York minute and that says something coming from a southern boy.
I'll move it to a place that gets more sun and see if I can get it to ripen the other figs.
thx again
mgg

marius/ herman - could gino be same as dark Portuguese?

they seem to have same leafs & fruit

thank you, eli

I need an answer to posting # 14...and, thanks for this information.

Frank

I do have a black/dark Portuguese,wich is very similar with Gino's.See the pictures...  Marius

Marius,  Is this the same Dark Portuguese that is sold by Bass? I believe the one sold by Bass looks different if I'm not mistaken.
 
 Thanks,
  Peter

No,Peter,IT IS NOT THE SAME.