Just a word to introduce myself to you fellow figgers. I was born and raised in South Louisiana in the city of Houma about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans. As I was growing up all of my relatives had fig trees and I used to love to visit them in the fig season. Seems like they all has Celeste but I can remember one of my aunts having a large white fig which although delicious, would split and sour during our rainy summers. As far back as I can remember my dad had a Celeste fig tree in our yard. After taking a couple of cuttings and getting them started and producing, he cut down the original one which he thought had a rust problem. After fruiting was complete the leaves would get all rusty and fall off. This was usually in the latter part of August. The tree would then go dormant. Although Dad is now gone we kept those trees until hurricane Gustave finished one that had been hurt badly by freezing weather and a thunderstorm took out the other. It too had been severely damaged by the same freezing weather. A few years without figs got me interested in planting my own.

I had already bought three. An LSU Gold, a Black Mission and a Celeste. The Celeste was a big dissapoitment in that it only bore small marble size fruit even after 4 years and a complete pruning down to the main trunk last winter. I was going to cut it out completely but got busy and it sprouted again this spring and grew back to it's original 8' height this year, but again, only small fruit.

The Black Mission didn't grow for two years and then in the third year grew to a very large size in one season and put on some beautiful fruit. The only problem was I didn't like the taste. They were somewhat dry inside and sorta left an aftertaste in you mouth that didn't leave you with the idea that you wanted more. Its forth season didn't improve the taste. Gustave took it out.

The LSU Gold bought a Lowes was an ugly tree to begin with. It was forked about 3" above the ground with a small hole where a sprout had be broken off. It's first year in the ground produce some big and delicious figs and set a second crop on some new growth. Most didn't ripen because it was too late in the year. The second year it did well also. By the third year it had lost it's vigor and produce a small crop and many looked like they were forced ripe. I found out that termites has gotten into the root system and killed off one of the two trunks. Again Gustuv came along and took it out.

From the parent LSU I got cuttings of which I have 2 growing. One is a 2 year old and the other is three. They both have fruit this year. I also just bought 5 other trees. Three were purchased from Almost Eden Plants on line and two from James Robin. Both nurseries are in south La. From Mr. Robin I got an Improved Celeste (not O'Rourke) and a Hollier. The other three are Conadria, Strawberry, and Osborn Prolific. They will be put in the ground this fall.

That is my fig history. I have some property in the county south of Houma where I hope to put in a small orchard over the next couple years.

I've already gleaned a lot of information from this site and want to thank each and every one of you for it. Hope I can contribute one day.

"gene"

Eugene Collins

I hope a lot of new members see Eugene's post and how he introduced himself. Seems as late many sign up and do not put location , hobbies , etc , anything in there profhile which is to bad.
Euguene your first post was terrific and i hope other new members can learn from that and come forward some more.
Also a warm WELCOME !

Amen there Brother Martin :-)


Ya never can have too many of them good Cajun friends!

thank you Eugene for sharing your story with us

HAHAHA

Damn, I love it!

Dan, yer tooooooooo much.....HEHE

HAHA
Makes sense to me!

HAHA......like I said "I love it"

Thank you for the warm welcome. My first post was a little lengthy but I want you to know the ''who, what, when and where'' about me. I'm still trying to learn "how". I have little knowledge of figs and that is why I joined the group. Not only do I want to grow figs myself but I want to promote the planting of figs where ever I visit. It use to be that every house had at least one tree or more. That has changed drastically. Old homesteads are sold and leveled, salt water intrusion and storms have taken there toll and the younger generation just doesn't seem to have the need to connect with their heritage. So I take cuttings and I give trees. I would even go so far as to plant them if needed. I'm just beginning this journey but as I hope to retire in about a year and a half I should have plenty time for gardening and fishing (my other passion).

Dan we all know you can't do anything with first making a roux. You say you live near the river not far from Houma where is that if I may ask. Second question do you let people view you trees, like in a friendly Cajun visit. I'd love to meet up with you, see some trees and maybe get some ideas. I'm not into the scientific side of figs but just a good healthy curiosity. Oh and did I say I love to eat them.

montreal_Fig, I just can't picture figs growing that far north but if you say so I'll take you at your word brother. I may be wrong but being you're from Montreal does that mean you have a little Cajun French in you also. My wife's family decended from some of the first French settlers that settled Newfundland. Now known as the Theriot clan, and Theriot can be spelled a million ways. My self I decend from the Colin family from France although someone took poetic license and changed the spelling of our last name to the more English spelling, Collins. But English we ain't.

Once again thanks for the welcome. I'm looking forward to some interesting discussion and pictures. Man did I say pictures, pictures mean everthing or how else will we spread the good news about figs. I'll have to try putting a couple up just for the fun of it.

From the bayou,
"gene"




 

spreading figs may be good.....if you do we will call you "gene fig seed"
there is a lot of figs here is houston but just in places that are inaccessible, other peoples yards or gated vacated property. I've been trying to get a hold of many figs around my area for the longest but neighbors seem to be over protective of their trees.

Three of my five new trees.

My Improved Celeste.



Improved Celeste again, did I tell ya I was a stutterer. Just kidding and no offense.



My Osborne Prolific



My Strawberry fig



From the bayou,
"gene"

I don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me but the first two pictures are the same.

Thanks americanfig boy. Like I said I was gonna try.

"gene"

sorry i didn't mean to offen you in anyway, i didn't see the part when you said you were gonna try.

Looks like the first one needs a bigger pot.  Them roots are trying to escape!

Welcome, and best of luck with them!

those could be grass

No offense taken americanfigboy and you got it right. Those are grass sprouts in the first picture and for some reason I see them in the second on too. Ha.

Jackster you are almost right about needing to move up to bigger quarters. In 2 months they will be going into the ground in their new home hopefully to grow into large trees with lots of great fruit for years to come. Thanks for the welcome.

Nice intro Gene and a great welcome. Hope you will a great time in this contagious hobby.

I have seconded Martin's request and deleted most of the posts on this thread. I really did not think this day would come, when I would have to use my "Delete" pen, but here it is. It is my hope that Gene will find a new home here and enjoy the comraderie of the forum and learn with the rest of us who continue to experiment and learn about this very interesting fruit. Hopefully everyone else will move on from this and once again turn their efforts to the purpose of the forum: enjoying their figs and sharing informaton about them.

Tom I wish I had the answer and with my tree only a yearling I don't think that it will ripen it's fig this year. To me figs taste like figs although i realize that there is a taste difference in the different varieties. I seen other describe figs that had a strawberry taste or a peachy taste, but I believe it's the color of the inside that gives it it's name.  Of course figs could be like fine wine. When I drink wine it taste like wine but wine fanciers taste all sorts of flavors. When I get some ripened figs I guess I'll have to turn up my taste buds and try and sort out flavors rather than lump them all into one taste. Thanks for the question.

I think I read somewhere, "Strawberry figs taste just like chicken"

Joking of coarse (the devil made me do it)

Cecil, now that's funny.