Hey fellow fig growers!  Hope you're all having a good season so far.  Here in Arizona it's been hot, but we've been getting some much needed rain so my fig trees are perked up and looking happy.  So far LSU Purple, VDB, and LSU Gold have ripened main crop figs for me.  The unknown I've been calling Joe's Jersey is about to ripen its first main crop fig of the year.



I'll post a photo when it's ripe.

Lookin good Joe. Does it rain there? I thought only in the mountains. Lived there 4 winters and can only remember it raining once. I was shocked, when it did.


luke 

Im gathering this grew in Jersey? Is it hardy? Was it grown uncovered?

Pretty sure the answer is yes to your questions Tim. I also have a question, at the NE fig meeting last year I got what is called Joe's Large Green. Obviously this is not the same tree, but is it the same Joe? I'm trying to find out a little more about it. 

Hey Luke.  We've been getting monsoon thunderstorms lately.  It's a summertime thing out here.  Yesterday there was a real hard downpour for almost an hour.  I love it because it gives me a break from watering and it perks up all of the plants.

Slingha this tree was grown from a cutting that was taken from an old unknown tree in Clifton, NJ.  Lukeott has seen the tree.  That original tree was never protected.  It has been cold hardy in Clifton, NJ which I believe is zone 6B, though in some of the newer zone maps it might be considered zone 7.  Back in 2010 I gave a rooted cutting to a grower in Methuen, MA who is growing it in the ground as a bush, but I'm pretty sure it is protected up there in the winter.

Hey BLB.  That Joe's Large Green is not from me.  Joe's Jersey is the only unknown fig that I have anything to do with.  The original tree is at the house that I lived in as a kid.

Looking good, Joe.  The rain and accompanying  humidity really perked things up here to the north of you as well.   The trees all look happy.

Hey Dave.  Yeah the trees seem to like this weather.  And the figs that have been ripening up lately are plump and juicy.  These summer rains are fine by me.

Come on Dave, AZ with humidity. Tell him About humidity Joe.



luke

Great fig, Joe--I'm looking forward to seeing the photos when it's ripe. You may have answered this already in another post, but I don't remember--was the taste and size last year comparable to what you remember from the mother tree in NJ?

We got hammered with rain this afternoon--the rain gauge showed 2.25 inches in about two and a half hours, with a long break between a couple of major downpours. I haven't seen the aftermath in daylight yet, but my dirt driveway was running like a river and I'm sure other parts of the yard got some erosion. The plants are loving it though, and so am I, as long as there's not too much damage!

Hey Ken,

I was a kid when I ate the figs from the mother tree so I don't really remember what they tasted like in NJ.  I just remember that I liked them.  Here in AZ the fruit is small but flavorful.  The tree is healthy and productive in this climate.

2.25 inches is a lot of rain for two and a half hours!  The summer storms here are powerful.  And I like how it cools down right after the rain.

OK, a naive comment from me, along with a question.

The leaf in the lower left of your photo looks an awful lot like the leaves on my HC.  But from your description, I'm betting you're confident it's not HC.  How does Joe's Jersey (unknown) differ/contrast with HC?

Mike   central NY state, zone 5

Hi Noss.  The outside color on this fig is usually a shade of purple but some of the figs have some red and yellow mixed in.  The inside is strawberry red and the meat is kind of yellow.  The skin is soft on this fig when it is ripe.  Here is a link to my thread from last year on this fig.  It has lots of photos of the fruit:  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Joes-Jersey-5454335

Hi again Joe -- thanks for posting the link to your last year's thread.  I followed the link and see that you already did your comparison / contrast with Hardy Chicago.  I'm kinda glad to see I wasn't totally all wet with my observation that it looked kinda like HC.  Thanks for posting your pics... it looks like an interesting fig.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5

Hi Mike,

I also have a Hardy Chicago growing in my yard.  The two trees look very similar.  The main difference I see is that the Hardy Chicago is not as productive and the fruit has a different flavor.  I want to take a closer look at the fruit from both trees this year to compare but I will have to wait a few weeks for the HC to ripen fruit.

North- Mid and south AZ are all different Beasts.

If I had my choice, I  would live in Flagstaff in the summer and Chandler in the Winter.

We had our choice Dominick, and we planted ourselves (and our trees) halfway between Flagstaff and Chandler.  We get the best of both worlds, plus a rural lifestyle.  I would highly recommend our area to anyone about to retire.  (Don't come here looking for work though...cause the job market here is  brutal). 

One of my Lieutenant's retired to Gilbert. Verde is nice all year long. Gilbert is too hot to live all yr long.

Hey Dave, Wow..72% humidity. I glad I didn't bet money on that one,cause I would have lost. My guess 25% tops. Is this normal for you? I lived in Phoenix during the winter monthes at a young age, my pops would pack up the family in NJ and head to AZ to work in warmer climate.


luke

This is the monsoon season, Luke.  We get weather fronts like this moving through between July and the end of September.  Today, humidity is 72%.  If the front moves through, it could be down to 15-20% by the end of next week.      Most of our rain actually comes between July and September, and we only get maybe 10 inches a year on average.  The winters are dry.   

Takes a little getting used to, but we like it.

Hey Dave,

I think a Southwest fig gathering would be a good idea.  I would attend that.

Here is that fig today.


There was also a 2nd fig that was ripe:


There are a couple of other figs that are getting there.



There are many green figs on the tree that will ripen later.


Here is the tree.


Here are the figs I ate.   They tasted very nice. 

Beautiful. Wish I had fruit like that, but it appears I'll have to wait till next year.  Looks like corn and some kind of creeping squash or mellon in the background.  Looking Good, Joe.

Thanks Dave.

FrozenJoe:

It's now a year later, and reports of main-crop figues will be posted shortly, I'm sure.

Just curious.  This unidentified, variety originated in Clifton, NJ...probably growing in a Zone: 6b/7 climate.  Presumably when the tree was growing in NJ, it showed no symptoms of FMV.  Most trees grown in this colder region show no symptoms.  In fact, all the posted photos of your tree, show leaves that look clean and healthy.  The tree by your description, is a robust grower, and good producer.

QUESTIONS:  Now, since you have grown this tree out there, in Arizona, a warm-climate State, for a few years, has the tree/leaves shown any symptoms of FMV, or, is the "Joe's Jersey" tree still clean, and asymptomatic?

I will assume that mites carrying FMV can live in your climate?

What are your observations and thoughts?  Just curious if clean trees can remain clean in a warmer state?


Frank