Hi everyone, 

i am looking for a new fig, maybe someone can give me good advise:

Is there a difference between Ronde de Bordeaux and Negronne? If so, which one is better? or is there any similiar fig to those which is recommendable?

Which is more cold tolerante and do they both have breba and main crop?

thanks in advance
amsman

If you dont have a RDB you must get it. It just a must have in the fig world. negronne not as good in my opinion but i have it too just a bit smaller. As far as hardy i live in Louisiana so I cant give you a true answer. Both have breba crop

Negronne, AKA Violet de Bordeaux Negronne and Rhonde Bordeaux are two different figs.

Both are rated very well. The Rhonde Bordeau is a cold hearty fig, maybe more than the Negronne.

I have both growing, but they are new (4-8 months)and have not fruited yet.

They will go in the ground here, 6b, so I hope they are CH.

                    Mike

I agree with both Mike and Richie. RdB is reputed to be cold hardy, not sure about Negronne. I have both and prefer the RdB. In my climate, it does produce a nice breba crop.

As a newbie, Just checking if I am reading this correctly:
RDB = Rhonde Bordeaux
VDB = Negronne
And is there another called VDB Negronne in addition to the above two?

SO many figs so little time!

Yes, Jodi, RdB is Ronde de Bordeaux. VdB = Violette de Bordeaux = Negronne..... although some feel that VdB and Negronne are slightly different. They are very similar, though, if not the same.
How about those figs?

Thanks everyone, 

it seems like RdB is really good. I am thinking to order one...

But still one question: Does RdB have a breba or not? because in this topic, it seems not:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/rdb-breba-6940341

Does Negronne have a breba?

thanks in advance

Yes, in the right climate Negronne produces breba. Mine is planted for now in a 5 gal bucket and I kept it in a heated shed all winter (although it turned out to be a short mild winter). Now it is out in the sun and covered with brebas. I hope it keeps even half of the baby brebas on it now b/c if it does I will have a nice mini-harvest in June.

As I said, my Ronde de Bordeaux produces a breba crop in my climate. Good, but not as great as main crop.
RdB breba 6/16/2015  
 

Hi Gary, 

sorry, i was a bit confused, so i wanted to ask again.

thanks for the pics!

RDB is not generally known as a breba producer and never does in my NH climate, except for last season when it formed many but only ripened one or two, all the rest dropped at very young stage.
In the 5 years I've had it , it never formed breba before last year at all.
Figs are fun-ny.

Another good trait of RdB, apart from being cold tolerant is relatively short period is needs to ripen. So it is a good variety for areas with short summers. Again, don't confuse short summers with mild summers. RdB will need to bright and hot summers to produce a decent crop, but doesn't need a long period to ripen.

When looking for selecting a variety, don't just look for cold hardiness alone, but look for how long they take to ripen. Then you can base on your local climate and weather pattern and decide.

On the topic of two versions of VDB. I found this blog post, that compares the leaves of both types.

http://point09acres.blogspot.com/2011/09/go-figure.html?m=1

Interesting, I wouldn't have thought that cold tolerance was a trait Australian need for figs. What sort of equivalent to the USDA Growth Zone are you in?

If it gets cold enough, I think the RdB brebas freeze a little more easily. Outside of that, I don't know why some of us with potted figs which are protected during the winter get brebas while others don't. RdB is also great because since it ripens so quickly, if you have a longer season you might be able to ripen 2 main crops. I go for the brebas and one main crop with plenty of time to spare after the main crop has ripened in my zone 5b. The brebas if you get them are a nice treat, even if their not as good as the main crop they are still better than anything in the store that time of year.
I'm not sure if you can get Petit Negra there or not, but for me it is different enough in taste from RdB and so far for me anyhow produces the best brebas of any 2 crop figs I have. Petit Negra is also a close relative of VdB/Negrone.