I've started posting so I should say hello and thank you. This site has been a great help and pulled me in hook, line and sinker. I started growing cuttings in Sept., 2015. I have purchased and traded with many of you as sikorsky_mike on ebay. Your help and generosity has been tremendous. Filtered the bad. I did not think these little suckers grew this fast and have given away @15 plants already. Still no room. Man, was the wife mad when the washroom door didn't open. I started with @20 types, but with extras members gave me and starting a couple locals, the number is @40. Daily life now, fig plants, lol. The wife said "Blah blah, addictive personality, blah blah, I don't want to look out the window and see a fig orchard." Poor woman, didn't tell her they are coming inside the first year.

  Gardening from seed @18 years
  2015 Garlic 1500+ plants 19 types, have grown 35 
  Garlic planted for 2016 1600+
  Collection of Heirloom Tomato @80/Bean@200/Soybean Seeds 10

                           Many Thanks, I have already started to pass along this addiction.

                                Mike Tolokan III 
                                Wallingford, Ct., Zone 6b

Glad to see you on the forum Mike

hi  mike

Welcome to the forum, you never know the wife my change her mind when she try's her first fig ;).

Hi Mike!  I believe you and I did some business a few months ago on Ebay.  I am excited to grow the garlic this year.

Folks, Mike is an extraordinary guy.  Extremely sincere and just an awesome person.

I hope you stick around, buddy.  Good luck with the Mrs!  We've all been there!  haha

Welcome Mike!  I'm a newbie to figs too.  In my case, it's my "Mr" who just sits there and shakes his head as each new package of cuttings arrives in the mail.  But he told the kids, "She could be addicted to worse things than figs! (and it helps that he likes to eat figs)."

So excited to see what happens with the cuttings that so many have provided - have most in coco coir and most have put out initials or roots, have a few more in a cloner, and they also are starting to root (one cutting this morning has small roots and it just went into the cloner last Friday!)

Best of success to you - the folks on this site are just awesome!

Hi Mike,

Nice garlic growing! Which varieties do you like best? I'm assuming you sell some of it?

In ground now, I have about 350 heads/7 varieties. Pretty much all for home use, but I give some away.

The best performers by me have been German Extra Hardy and Romanian Red. I've been replanting this seed for about 7 or 8 years. The others in ground now are Inchelium Red, Killarney Red, Turkish, Xian, and Lorz Italian.

In all I've probably tried growing about 25+ varieties.

Arne

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum. Nice to see the number of nutmegers growing figs increasing. Hate to tell you Mike, but your addiction is just starting. Maybe someday us Connecticut growers can get together for a meet.

  Hi Frank, happy new year and thank you. AKO1974, actually, I've never sold any. Softnecks don't do well for me here. They grow but get smaller. Hardnecks acclimate in a couple years and do well. Turbans and Créole have taken 8-10 years. 1/3 get replanted (largest ones), 1/3 used & family, 1/3 combined, give away, too small, loss, or gets old by type.

Which is best is like asking which way I like shrimp best, it changes. I have I have Killarney growing, its real nice, close to Spanish roja and Belarus. I am also growing the Belarus which outperformed the roja. Taste + performance; Russian red and giant, locally found Chesnok red, Nutmeg, Siberian, Okanogan Blue are a couple. I have about 5 found in farm markets around New England and Hudson Valley Ny.

  I have grown the Lorz, and Inchelium. The Inchelium for @8 years. They were very good, two of the very best softneck types. You are probably south of me. Kettle River Giant is a great one too.

Welcome to the forum, Mike.

Hi, Mike and it's good to know you.  So, are you going to modify the back door & laundry room?

Your garlic collection sounds awesome!  I am working on starting up some ginger as well as garlic.  I love the heirlooms and especially the tomatoes! One year I grew 16 varieties but had to hang them from my patio in those hanging baskets because I have a tiny yard.  You know what, they were healthy and good and we got tons of tomatoes from each plant.  Not to mention the fact that it looked like a very nice jungle growing around my patio. 

Glad to see you on here.  Enjoy!

Welcome, Mike!  My uncle shared your addiction to garlic. (Just passed away) He had 22 acres; wasn't enough.   His place no longer has a lawn...  all garlic.

   The wife was born in Gilroy, CA   ...garlic capitol of the world.  Ever had garlic ice cream ?  You can get it in Gilroy. 

   Meg, we'll have to find you a bigger place;   Mike and Meg, we'll need to compare notes and reviews on the heirloom tomatoes.  Mine are @150 or so.  My "cages" are now 16' cattle-panels, cut in half and placed vertically.

                     The plants take every bit of that 8'.  

       Too fun!    Blue

Hi Mike,
Welcome to the forum.
What do you do with that much garlic ? I barely use any when I cook .
....Do you have vampires around ?
Do you make garlic jam ? Fig jam might be tastier ... :P