Another "mountain fig" came through today: Improved Celeste. Picked and eaten this afternoon. I'm learning to follow the ants. When little ants start walking on particular fig fruits looking for a way into the sweetness, the fig is clearly ripe. The ants are easily blown off when the fruit is picked.

The first tiny fruit on this IC appeared about 65 days ago, quite fast to ripening. Strawberry peach sweet.

Some other cultivars that showed early fruit weeks before the IC ever did have yet to ripen.

Thus far, in ground, no protection, die-back to ground, zone 6b, fruit ripening dates:

1. Mount Etna Unknown: September 1 -- 1 year old bush (planted by cement drive)

2. Celeste PP: September 3 -- 2 year old bush (planted in open ground)

3. Improved Celeste: September 13 -- 2 year old bush (planted by house and cement walk)
   

I've read through this thread multiple times over the past year and really appreciate it.  Thanks for making it, Tony.

Another cultivar to keep an eye on might be Salce.  Out of the 14 cultivars of 1st year plants that I planted outside this spring (after just rooting them as cuttings), Salce is the only one that has produced fruit so far.  The first fruit was picked about a week ago--fantastic, with a peachy flavor imo--and the 2nd fruit is going to be picked today.  For reference, the other cultivars in that test plot are MBVS, HC, Italian Honey, Celeste, O'Rourke, White Marseilles, Blackjack, Grasa's unk/Vern's BT, Panache, Dottato, Dr. Monticello's, LSU Gold, and Osborne Prolific.

They were all planted in fairly poor soil w/o mulch and received occasional irrigation.  None of the other cultivars in that plot have even made figlets yet, but Salce produced and ripened 2 figs.  I have duplicate 1st year Salce, MBVS, HC, Celeste, and Panache plants that I kept in my greenhouses, and they've all fruited.  I'm not sure why the Salce outperformed the other 1st year plants outdoors.

James, will be interesting to see how Salce springs back next year from the ground. Do you have pictures of the Salce leaves as grown outdoors?

Very impressive James!  Nice to see Salce growing in ground in Z6a.

I want to thank all of you for the continuing updates and evaluations in this great thread.

Fantastic thread for everyone in cold zones!  Thanks!

Thus far, in ground, no protection, die-back to ground, zone 6b, fruit ripening dates:

Mount Etna Unknown:  9/1 -- 1 year old bush (planted by cement drive)

Celeste PP:  9/3 --  2 year old bush (planted in open ground)

Improved Celeste:  9/13 -- 2 year old bush (planted by cement & house)

Hardy Chicago:  9/20 -- 1 year old bush (planted in open ground)

Binello:  9/29 -- 1 year old bush (planted in open ground)

Binello is the first light exterior fig to ripen here after ground dieback. All have dark interiors, with the Celestes being the least dark.

Interesting comparison and additional information below: Herman2 on his fruit ripening after dieback to ground.
He is in a similar growing zone, probably somewhat warmer though further north. His fig bushes are considerably older than mine.

2014 Herman2 ripening from ground dieback:

Ronde De Bordeaux:  9/1

Improved Celeste:  9/1

St Anthony:  9/6

Takoma Violet:  9/10

Adriatic JH:  9/11

Notice that Herman2 has 2 light figs that ripened among his first five, St. Anthony and Adriatic JH, though I assume their interiors are dark (red or purple)?
So, most of the hardiest figs are berry flavored, of a sort? The Celestes being the main exception?
I'll be able to report on the in-ground response of RDB and Adriatic JH next year here, though with very young bushes. Still need to obtain St. Anthony.

This is a great thread, I love cold hardiness reports. I have often wondered why some plants don't produce a fig crop after dieback to the ground, when they will produce figs on new wood when not killed to the ground, it's all new wood, so what's the difference?

Mike in Hanover, VA

Should have also mentioned that Tim Clymer has noted this year (Earliest In-Ground...post #40), in a similar if slightly warmer growing zone, Improved Celeste and Florea ripened in late August after dieback to ground. And his Marseilles Black ripened 9/5 (I assume after ground dieback).

So to sum this list of 2014 figs that have ripened from ground dieback before October, in ripening order:

1. Improved Celeste
2. Florea
3. Ronde de Bordeaux
4. Mount Etna Unknown
5. Celeste PP
6. Marseilles Black
7. St. Anthony
8. Takoma Violet
9. Adriatic JH
10. Hardy Chicago
11. Binello (Gallo?)

Hi Tony
Don't know if you want to add it to your list;  My in-ground U. Ciccio Nero has been producing nicely since Sep 16.  I think it is a Mt Etna mountain type fig.
Here is the link to a posting I did.
Thanks

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/cold-hardy-u-ciccio-nero-ripening-nicely-7086723?pid=1284469828#post1284469828

Thanks for the update and consolidation with Tim's results, Tony.

BTW, I went back and replaced the Salce pictures I posted earlier in this thread with some better ones of a leaf and fruit.

Pino, U. Ciccio Nero sounds like a "Mountain fig" to me, cold tough, early ripening, and should be included on an exhaustive list of such figs that anyone might want to draw up or keep updated at any point.

Currently I'm simply keeping track of fig varieties that have died to the ground and then ripened fruit the same year, in zone 6 approximately (especially though not exclusively if the cultivar received no winter protection beyond some mulch). So for that reason on this list I've excluded Herman2's Malta Black which, though it ripened fruit and quite early, I believe he noted did not quite die all the way back to the ground due apparently to the winter protection he gave it. That said, I assume that Malta Black could be considered a "mountain fig" so to speak, and I suspect that it would have fruited even if it had died back to the ground. 

I'm also limiting my list at least for now to this year, arbitrarily, although the unusual harshness of this past winter, at least in the eastern US, sets a nice benchmark.

Hi Tony

Thanks for your reply!  This posting is tremendous in identifying new varieties to grow in-ground! 

I have 4 figs varieties in-ground minimally protected that are producing figs this year.  I am very happy with that given last winter and thus my posting on Ciccio Nero, Stella/Dalmatie and Bifara.

I have 1 fig tree that was left unprotected by accident.  A wind storm tore the cover off in early January in the middle of -24C temperatures week.  It is an Italian white and it has bounced back with new shoots and some with figs but they are not ready yet.  Usually it is ready early.  I am waiting to see if those figs ripen.

Looking forward to more updates to this thread!

Tony, you could add the cultivar Black Cartagena to your cold hardy fig tree list.
I have one in ground, started as a cutting five or six years ago.
I used winter protection, with mulch and a plastic bag.
She started in spring from ground level and now has fruits almost ripen.
I got ripen fruits starting last week 24.09. Fruits are small and sweet.
You can see leaves pattern and a small fruit in picture:

Malta Black should be added to the list in my opinion. It's a "Mt Etna" type but seems different in that it's earlier and perhaps larger. Mine's in a poor location in the orchard but still ripened fruit pretty early (maybe within a few days to a week of Marseilles Black VS). Like most all of my figs it died to the ground. Location in a yard can have a lot to do with ripening dates if one tree happens to get a bit more shade than another.

I wish someone would do some genetic testing on these Mt Etna types, it seems there are a lot floating around. Three out of four of my collected figs seem to be Mt Etna types and it may not be worth keeping all three if they prove to be essentially the same.

Tim its funny you said that last line... as I was looking through this thread that's what I was thinking too. MBvs, Sal's EL, Hardy Chicago, Black Bethlehem.... honestly if my plants lost their labels I'd be in trouble figuring out which is which. Leaves are the same... fruit appears the same. My Angelo's Dark (which hasn't fruited yet) also looks similar. Just how big is Mt Etna anyways lol... could there be that many different ones there?? lol

Tyler

Tim, Malta Black is on my original "Mountain Figs" list (post #1 here). I had mistakenly thought it was a Mount Etna fig, but clearly it's not, very different leaves. It seems better than a Mount Etna fig. My Malta Black went into the ground this spring also in a poor location and also is the only cultivar in that location that has ripened. It's loaded, it's still growing, and yes the figs look bigger than Mount Etna figs. Though it's very anecdotal, the one ripe fig so far was amazing, like a big VDB. I didn't put my Malta Black on the dieback list this year because it did not dieback to ground here but came out of garage. Next year I expect mine to make that list and I expect it to be one of the best "mountain figs" up there with RDB, the best Mt. Etna strains, and so on.

Since you say your Malta Black has ripened after dying back to the ground, I'll add it to the dieback list in a future post at the approximate date that you indicated. If you have other cultivars that ripened after dieback and can supply the approximate dates, I'll add those to the dieback list as well.

I now consider the Mt Etna varieties to be strains of a single cultivar, more or less, rather than separate cultivars. However, I am seeing important differences between the strains and so am continuing to differentiate and keep track of them. Currently, I would grow Takoma Violet and my Mount Etna Unknown before I would grow any other Mt. Etna strain for their various qualities, but these two are followed not too distantly by Gino's Black and Dark Portuguese and so on. I find it very interesting and hopefully useful to note the subtle or more significant differences among the Mt. Etna strains that may or may not be of large significance in the future. 

I'm still holding out hope for Nero 600m / Valle Negra (among others) to be one of the best "mountain figs" too (especially since the leaves are exceptional) and so am surprised not to see much said about it this year, unless I've missed something. Mine won't be ground tested until next year.

But please anyone with fig cultivars that have ripened fruit after dying back to the ground this winter, mention the details in this thread or in another thread on the forum so that hopefully all that information can be gathered into a full dieback list for this fruiting season that has followed the harsh winter of 2013-14. Tim, I know that you have many, many fig bushes grew back from the ground this year. Do you have a list handy of those that have ripened fruit?

Off-hand my list of died-back-but-fruited:

Sal's EL
Hardy Chicago EL
Enola Italian (local unknown)
Local Unknown (Mt Etna or Malta Black type)
Latarolla (just this past week and just 1 fig)
LSU Improved Celeste (fruited way back in August)
Marseilles Black VS
Gino's
Florea

I don't think there's too much hope for my Nero 600m this year. It's in a good location in my yard but may do better it hadn't died back fully. The one I had in a pot was excellent. It may end up being one of my main cultivar selections at our new farm: nice sized, beautiful tasty figs that ripen late August in a pot (in a cool summer and only its second year of life).

I like your thoughts on the Mt Etna types. I haven't yet figured out my favorite and Malta Black may end up trumping them all if it's earlier, larger, and consistently darker-skinned (important for u-pick or selling fresh).

Updated list of this year's fig cultivars that have ripened fruit from ground dieback, in zone 6, based on reports from at least three states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia):

1. Improved Celeste

2. Florea

3. Ronde de Bordeaux

4. Mount Etna:

   (Mt Etna Unk, Marseilles Black, Takoma Violet, Gino's Black, Hardy Chicago, Sal's)

5. Malta Black

6. Celeste PP

7. Enola Italian

8. St. Anthony

9. Adriatic JH

10. Binello

11. Latarolla

I included Malta Black on the list since it all but died back to the ground based on one report, and seems especially likely to be dieback robust based on additional reports.

Hello guys!
I expanded Tony's list about the Mountain figs, and I added a few extra on the list. My question is the following, are there any new cultivar which is should be add to this list? Does anybody has any new mountain fig?

So the list:

"MOUNTAIN FIGS"

(Cold Hardy Early Ripening Cultivars - CHERC)

DARK

Ali pasha
Black Bethlehem
Celeste Blue
Celeste / Creech
Celeste Dark
Dark Portuguese
Florea
Freckled beauty
Gino's Black
Hanc's English Brown Turkey
Hardy Chicago (Mongibello)
Improved Celeste
Laradek English Brown Turkey
Macool
Makedonian Dark
Malta Black
Marseilles Black
Ronde de Bordeaux
Salem Dark
Sal's GS/EL
Takoma Violet
Mitchurinska 10
Natalina
Negretta
Negronne / Violette de Bordeaux
Nero 600M /Vallecalda
O'rourke


LIGHT

Atreano
Bécane
Dalmatie
Lattarula
LSU Gold
Marseilles White
Orsara/Rosselino
Saint Anthony
Saint Martin
White triana

Hi
Great topic.  I may have a new one.  There is an old fig tree near Ashville, NC that bears large black figs (nearly tennis ball size) from the picture.  The sales rep. brought me a few cuttings and one actually grew.  The sale rep said they were great and she had been house sitting at the house.  No one seems to know the history of this tree but the pictures of the figs look promising. 

Should Bayernfeige Violetta reputed as being the most cold hardy fig be on this list?

As to whether Bayernfeige Violetta should be on the list.

It is cold hardy, large, attractive, and exceptionally sweet. But here, it has not been the most cold hardy fig tested. I suggest it now only for growers who can accumulate at least, 800 cooling degree days, calculated with a base of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Or grow it in ground roughly no colder then a zone 7.

In the years since we have been testing it against 24 or so other cold hardy figs, it has not ripened its main crop but 40% of the time.

Whats the sense in growing any fig, cold hardy or not, if the fig needs more heat then your area of the country can supply.

But, since it bears so heavily, I think for any one who has a green house it might make a good potted plant, in areas of the country that are colder then zone 7a.

For those who are interested in growing cold hardy figs, I can send to them a list of the figs we found to be cold hardy. Send the request to <robertcharper@gmail.com>.

Use the heading, "Cold Hardy Fig List"

Bob