I'm curious because here in Southern California, most of my figs are going dormant, but not that Verte!  It is very green and has a hopeful fig at every leaf!  I know those figs will never mature, but is Strawberry Verte a cold climate fig?

I don't know from growing it myself as gnats got my cuttings last winter. But I do know a few members in zones 6 and 7 grow them.

Great to see you posting again Suzi missed ya ;-)

I was under the impression (though I could be wrong) that cold climate figs, i.e. ones that withstand cold zones, can sense when it is the appropriate time to lignify their wood and go dormant so they are prepared when cold weather comes.  For me, the ones that stayed green, did not lose their leaves, and continued to have green stems even as cold weather approached were the ones in self watering containers.  But I'm sure there is a genetic influence on this too.

I'm not sure I'd call Verte a "cold climate fig", in comparison with some others.  But this was my second year with it here in zone 5a, and it ripened 5 or 6 figs this year.  They were well-ripened, and their timing was right in the middle of the ripening season for me.  They were very tasty too!  So while the tree may or may not be particularly suited to survival in-ground in this climate (I suspect not, but actually I haven't put this variety to the test yet), it seems plenty able to produce fruit as a potted tree in cold zone 5a.

Good luck with yours, Suzy!  (Do you spell your name Suzi or Suzy?)   If you can get fruit from this variety, it's worth the effort.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

My Verte was in a 2 gallon pot, and replaced a dead Panachee (thanks to the overzealous painters who did not cover the plants).  The Verte has trippled it's size since it went in ground, and has a fig at every leaf!  There is snow on the big mountains that surround this valley, and we live on a mountain smaller than the big ones, but still high.  The temps are getting cooler, but that Verte shows no yellow leaf.  Just vigor! 

I'm thinking it's getting cold, and we now have a big down comfortor on the bed.  But that Verte doesn't get it.  The other figs get it.  They are going dormant.  Not the Verte!

Suzi

My Verte held its leaves longer than most, too.  But there were others that joined in that fun (e.g. Sal's EL, Sicilian Red, Petite Negri, Monaco, Aubique Petite), so it wasn't alone.  But most of the other trees were pretty bare when that one was still going.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

I think Verte is a cold weather fig.  Might be a nice one for those in cold climates.  Am I assuming too much?  I just see what is happening here.  We now have the big down comfortor on the bed, the heater is on, and all the other figs have dropping yellow leaves. 

The Verte and the RDB are still green and producing.

Suzi

Here in South Florida, my Verte does not want to grow. I tried to make a tree out of it but after growing for a season, the next season the stem remained exactly the same: no growth at all. Instead it branched at soil level. Now I will let it grow as a bush and see what happens.
Compost, mulch and fertilizer did not help. I was careful not to let the soil dry out.
Had a few fruits and they were very good. I thought this climate might be to hot for the variety.

Sal, I think you convinced me.  This is a fig that loves cold weather.  We do have it here, so it should be happy.  We get snow, but it never sticks!  The snow is so pretty coming down.  But the weather has been in the 40's and most figs got the message:  Go dormant.  But the Verte just trucks on!

Suzi,

Was that the Panachee that you thought may have been possibly heat cured of fmv?

Yes Calvin!  The sad Panachee story.  I have one other in a pot, but it has FMV. 

I'm very happy that the Verte is growing so nicely.  I want it to grow huge to shade the house from afternoon sun.  It sits halfway between a deck and a lower driveway, so picking figs should be easy up on that deck.  I hope next year it will at least make rail level on the deck.  It will need to put on about 3 feet to the rail, and about 6' more to do it's job of shading.  There are 3 main trunks and I am not going to pinch any of them this year.  I want them to keep extending up.  Fingers crossed all those nice figs will ripen.

Suzi

So sad.

Yes, sad about the Panachee, but happy about the Verte!  It is an amazing fig.  i will not have cuttings this year, because I want it to grow tall.  I'll pinch at 15' and then there will be a galore of cuttings!

This photo was taken on a cloudy day when the sun was going down, so it's hard to see, but the little plant you see is the Verte.  It has tripled in size since we planted it a couple months ago in ground.  It's mission is to get higher than that rail on the deck.



And here is a shot looking down from the deck.  See how green the leaves are in late November?

EL lists the Verte for Zones 6 to 8

I would think in general a plant that keeps keeps it's foliage longer is more prone to cold damage as an active growth plant, and a plant that has lost foliage would be more hardened. It's that way with many plants would assume Figs to be the same. Just a differing opinion  on a plant  that doesn't seem to want to enter Dormancy that it would be more at risk to cold damage.

hope all those figs ripen for you!

I hope they ripen too, but I'm not counting on it.  If we get a weather pridiction of low 30's (rare), I'll go out there and cover the fig with something.  Maybe put Christmas lights on it.  There are a lot of electrical outlets on that deck.

I seem to be living in paradise!  We picked a few persimmons and one mandarin orange today.  They were dynamite in a salad with sliced almonds, red onion, power greens and raspberry vinegarette.

The lady who sold us the property told us that one day the persimmons were orange, and the next day they were gone!  So we protected them with chicken wire and bird netting.  So far, so good!

We thought a pomegranate was ripe, but although it was red, the seeds werent.  I think they need to crack to be ripe.

Back to Verte.  I am in zone 9a, so maybe a little warm for Verte, but it seems really happy!!

Suzi

Hi Suzi. I have noticed the same thing here in Henderson NV zone 9a. My verte likes the cold! It seems to take more water in my large SIPs early in the season then go stagnant in the summer then late season take more water again than the others that are going dormant. I am studying more than 1 Verte tree in my collection to record its progress. I am wondering if it is not the best choice for my zone which also makes me question how good strawberry verte and battaglia will do? All figs seem to grow well in or near coastal southern California where you don't get the highs and lows we do in the desert. Freezes are not the big concern as sun exposure in summer time is. If plants die easily from excessive sun exposure there first season here if it gets too hot too soon before they get well rooted. I had 3 panachee die as I believe that cultivar grows best in longer but milder coastal California climates. Others had died here as well I thought were established from excessive exposure. If you temper the sun by filtering it with light burlap sack or shade cloth I get an incredible growing season all summer long.

Thanks for your comments Giacomo!  You have made me understand what might have killed a couple 1 gallon perfectly healthy plants that went in-ground.  They got plenty of water, and the soil is very well drained, but they got zero shade!  Some are doing great in full sun, and others are still waiting to go into the ground. 

There is a Paridiso that has really taken off in full sun.  I don't know much about it as far as fig color or flavor.  It has no figs, but one trunk and a couple shoots.  It's one trunk is pretty sturdy, so I expect it to really take off in Spring.  It looks like a fast growing huge tree type!  It's low on our hill, so it will never block anybody's view.  There is an Adriatic that is very tiny and very green.  It has grown, but I wonder if it has a dwarfing habit.

This Verte gets morning shade, afternoon sun, and late afternoon dappled sun, so it's probably in it's happy place!  Sure seems happy!  I bought it from Driveway Farmer, a member on this board.  It arrived healthy and still is.  It has ceased growing taller in favor of fattening up it's figs.  There are many figs on the tree, and every day they get plumper!  My fingers are crossed that they will ripen, but I'm not getting too excited....  It's almost that most wonderful time of the year!!

Suzi