I really appreciate this website and forum.  Thanks Jon for all the hard work and others who contribute their knowledge.  This picture is what I was hoping for.  It is the second growing season for this Hardy Chicago and 3 other figs I planted mainly for food but also for fun.

Tim, that tree looks great.  I just had my first ripe HC yesterday off my tree.  The taste is great.

Wow Tim!  That looks fantastic!

And I would certainly second your comments on the Forum, Jon, and everyone that makes this such a fun and informative website.

I learn something every time I come here. 

Some of these guys and gals are real experts, and provide a level of expertise you couldn't even buy locally, because no one locally has the knowledge and years of experience they have.  Herman is pretty amazing, for example, but there are lots of extremely knowledgeable people here.  And importantly, you quickly find that figs really are a lot of fun.

Your Hardy Chicago just looks fantastic for such a young plant.  You must be doing all the right things.

Our Hardy Chicago figs have been exceptionally tasty this year, and very productive.  Hope yours will be too.

Best wishes.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Beautiful pic.  The tree looks very productive.  Enjoy.  Mine dropped quite a few figs this year.

Only time my hc dropped most figs was when i root pruned and failed to trim canopy.
Next season the roots sytem could not handle the crop.
Otherwise one here and there but thats it.

Hi Tom and everyone. 

Our HCs are dark purple/reddish like yours Tom, but I have seen pictures of others that are lighter colored and more brownish tinted in appearance, but thes are pictures from people who really know their figs and identified them as HCs.

Has anyone else seen this different coloration in HCs (darker/purple reddish vs. lighter brownish tinted) or is this just an illusion of the cameras?

If they are different, is one strain better than the other?

Best wishes to all

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Hi again everyone: Please disregard my question posted above.

I recalled all of our HCs being darker purple, and most are, but I just went outside and did a thorough comparison in full sunlight, and we have both color variations on the same plant.

And it's not a function of ripeness.  One of the lighter HCs was dead ripe too, so ripe it fell off when I removed the net (and was delicious).

So yes both color variations occur, even on the same plant, and there is no difference in taste, as it's the same fig from the same plant.

I'm still pretty new at this, so I am going to ask some dumb questions.

My apologies, and I appreciate your patience.

Best wishes.

John

Hi John,
there can be a varieation in color and shape of fruit in my opinion perhaps due to climatic conditions in a given year. Least in my yard i have observed on trees.

Color
I have yet to see my Hc brownish like some websites i have ran across.
I have noticed some years they may have a pretty bule bloom that covers them just before ripeining. Some type of figs from what i have read this bloom can be rubbed of by ones hand and cannot on other figs. It starts from the stem area and works its way toward cheeks of fig after it turns and right before its ripe.

Purple to dark i have seen this in a given year on my HC. 

Shape and Size.
John this season is the largest i have seen my HC figs and they are taken a round shape very similar to my el.sals. We had record rainfall from start of summer to about a week or so ago in that period total rainfall was a record according to meteorologist. The figs were normal looking before getting ripe and then took on a round shape and grew larger than i have seen them in past. Something that only happened once several years back this morning i noticed 1 split hardy chicago as it raned almost inch last night.
The bigger round shape these figs took on this year made the eye larger than normal and thats what i think was a contributing factor to the split. Others on tree are slower to ripen but soon to come in good.
Its been a very warm season here and this tree is showing that as figs are less richer in taste along with increase in size.

Hi Martin, and thank you.  That was very interesting and helpful.

I am still pretty new at this, as I mentioned above, but I am learning a lot fast it seems.

One thing I am discovering is that figs seem to be very much like wine: Every year the end product is different.  The amount of rain, heat, pruning, all seem to greatly affect the taste and quality of the figs.

And while that creates a considerable degree of uncertainty about the outcome every year, that also makes it endlessly interesting.

Our HCs have been great this year, but we haven't gotten excessive rain like you have up there (interesting that even the shape of your HCs was affected).  We've actually been a little on the dry side, but not bad, which is probably just about right for figs.

I grew up in Northern Indiana, and my Mom still lives there.  It has been a very hot and wet summer in that area, lots of rain, heat, and even some bad storms and flooding here and there unfortunately.

As Fall approaches though, you should enjoy some really nice weather.  The Great Lakes area is beautiful in the Fall, with all the Maple trees.

Hope you are well my friend.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

p.s.   I wonder if the color variation is at least in part related to how much sunlight the fruit is exposed to, with the darker figs receiving more direct sunlight than the lighter colored ones.

Im a stones throw from Indiana 12 miles east of me.
My figs basically color the same on tree but i try and keep the interior of tree open so...

You were right on about the wine and fig bit , basically if you start off with a decent good fig it will be pretty consistent with "normal" weather though.
Last season couple sesaons been cool summers here we had total 4 - 90 degree days this season i think he said 14 so far.
Back in 1988 we had 44 days total above 90 during season and i was out on lake mich enjoy my old 1958 christ craft cabin cruiser i had (long story).
We did brake record for consectutive days above the 80 mark i forgot how many daus in row but its been warm here warmest growing season they have seen. Odly enough last season was coolest they ever seen like many other folks experienced.   ; )
Oh yes Fall season here is my very favorite and i wish it was much longer .
Then BAM - SNOW & COLD

Dieseler
My HC is not even a month closer to ripening figs in my Zone 5. Luckily we still can expect some 45 more days before normal frost date.
How different are the two Zone 5 in summer behaviour !

Hi Martin.  I remember that heat wave in 1988.  We were still living in Indiana, and it was very dry that year also.  Even at night it didn't cool down.  A tough summer.

And Ottawan, I don't know much about your zone 5, but I do remember in Indiana/Illinois zone 5 the season changes were quite distinct and dramatic.

Martin wasn't kidding: Heat and humidity that can equal the South, and then BAM! snow and cold like the North.  Spring and Fall can be pretty short some years there, but it is a beautiful time, even if too brief.

Best wishes to all.

John