had one today.. only one of the yr, but tree was just rooted last winter. this thing is honest god good. definitely a keeper. sort of on the small side. i didn't expect much, didn't take pix, ran it through garden hose and just pop it into my mouth. i was expecting something like what i have been having this yr off my VdB trees. sort of bland and weak.. but no... this thing was good. sort of comfortable good.. like Paradiso and Kathleen's Black good. i know i'm going to enjoy this next yr. can't wait to see how the taste improves on it. 

You ran it thru the garden hose?

Man, that sounds small (to fit through the garden hose).

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

Pete, 2 yrs ago, I had 2 tiny little St Rita cuttings. I didn't think they would strike but they did. Now I got a little trees. Figs were on this year but I removed them. Next year, I will be eats some with ya!

Everything I hear about this fig is great. I might get a chance to taste it next year. 

In one story when St. Rita was dying, she was asked by her cousin if she desired anything from her old home. She asked for a rose and a fig from the garden. It was January and her cousin did not expect to find anything growing in the snow. However when a relative arrived to the house he found a blooming rose as well as a fully ripened edible fig which her cousin brought back to St. Rita at the convent. The rose bush is still alive and often in bloom today.  I believe that the fig comes from the town of Cascia, where the convent was. If someone out there knows otherwise, please correct me.

That's an awesome story. Thank you.

I started St. Rita this past year. A few figs ripened. They were small, but I like small figs. The flavor was very good, especially from 'a tree' less than a year old. Definitely a keeper.

There are some for sale on ebay now (Nov3) (2 listings), from a reputable seller.

So, Pete, do you still think all figs taste the same?

If someone calls his fig St. Rita you can be sure it is what he says it is. There are many possibilities as to how you end up with a tree called St. Rita.
The stories are usually handed down from generation to generation and only the local people know the true story behind a tree.

One way you end up with a tree called Saint Rita is as follows: (All of it is speculation on my part. )

After the miracle of the fig for example, many people from the town who heard the story probably rushed to the site to get cuttings from this blessed fig tree. Most likely they killed the original tree by taking too many cuttings at the same time. The tree probably was replicated and survived through the original cuttings and as the successful growers kept spreading it exponentially throughout the town or  the country, the tree kept its name as St. Rita.

Another possibility is that a fig tree existed at the Convent where St. Rita lived and died and someone took cuttings from it upon his visit to the convent and called the tree St. Rita  in her Honor. We will never know unless someone tells us exactly where the original cutting came from. Was it from the tree in front of her original house, or from a tree at the convent or just a tree from the town where she lived and died.

No matter how you look at it there can only be one St Rita fig tree. My belief is that its figs if not descendants from the original tree that she ate from, at the very least must be from a tree similar to the one St. Rita ate from before her death and from the location where she lived or died.

We need someone from the town of Cascia to tell us.

St. Rita was introduced to this froum by one of our forum member. one of his neighbourhood gave him the cutting and hold him that it's from old country and that he will name it after the old town's patron saint or something like that.

anyway, i'm noticing that there are few figs that're just good from the get go. RdB, CdDB, St. Rita... then there are figs that takes few yrs.

the figs that has amazing taste from the first fig is rare, not typical. but i have to grow more and taste more before i can be certain. out of 20 or so different figs i've tasted, only 3 stood out. CdDB, St. Rita, and RdB. VdB was very good on first yr, but we had lot of rain this yr and VdB didn't perform.

way it rained this yr, if the fig taste this good this yr, it will only be better in more typcai yrs to come.

Pete, my story doesn't really count but thought I'd share anyway about first fig off tree experiences. my first RdB wasnt good as it was ripened indoors during winter near semi-sun window the last week went outside in spring but again no heat outside yet and was just a young stick in a container. The second one it gave was a tad better as it was outside for an extra week before it ripened that one.

Thank You for your input Pete. Just like I thought, Someone called it St. Rita in her Honor. Now I must go in search of the real St. Rita fig. (just Kidding)

From what I've read there must be something special about the way that fig tastes. I'm hoping to get to sample it next year, if my plant makes it through the winter.

pooya, if i have to choose between RdB and St. Rita, i would go with St. Rita. they were both good. as soon as i bite into them it was "god, this is good". but St. Rita, at least to me, had brighter taste. little more defined. they are both first yr figs, so i'm sure the taste will get better and improve over the yrs.

If I had to give up all my figs and keep only one. It would have to be Col de Dame. I did not taste the Noir or Gris yet but I also have very high expectations for these ones too.
One word of caution about Col de Dame. My feeling is that it has to go in the ground to maximize its potential as this tree is not going to do well in a container forever. My trees are growing too fast and outgrew their containers in one season. The one that went into the ground gave me about 4 nice ripe figs so far this year. The one in the container although it looks healthy and grew taller, was also productive but did not yield any ripe figs yet.
My CDDB is in full sun. The more heat the better.

that all dpends and how your cutting will do, soil mix, watering, fertilizer schedule, and root pruning.  i have CdDB in 3 gal container. i got 2 very ripen figs off that tree this yr. there are 3 more on it, and one that i took off little early to see how it's doing. it was rooted spring of 2012, and this is the first yr giving figs.

i'm sure inground fig tree will do much better, however, container culture on almost all the fig trees are possible. i intend to keep all my trees in container and it works for me. i might move few into the ground if i get around to it..

Pete did you ever get to eat a Black Maderia.

Sas - Fig plants do excellent in containers if <properly> maintained.
Does not matter if its fast grower this i know firsthand.

Martin, Thank You.  You are probably right as you have more experience raising them in containers.
What I would like to know is how long do figs live in a container vs in the ground.
It would be interesting to get some statistics from container growers if they keep the data.

sas, i'm sure martin can provide good information for that. he's been growing figs in container for longest time. i also grow my figs in containers, but no where as long as martin has.

i have trees going into 5th yr and they are still doing great. if my winter is good one, and i don't run into any specific issues, i'll be doing proper root pruning this yr. if you root prune them every 2-3 yrs, and remove 1/3 of the root mass each time, you will be completely removing old roots in 6-9 yrs. and new roots will grow to keep the tree going. 

That is a very interesting way of looking at it. Never thought about it this way. So if I use 5 gallon containers, Which is the maximum size I could have in order to keep my 50 plants.
How often do think I have to root prune.

Thank You

My St. Rita is in a pot and tasted like mulberries. It is one of my favorites. Once I put it in the ground, that flavor may change though. I think it is possible that terroir, much as with wine grapes, can affect flavor. Soil chemistry is hugely complex; and plants grow and fruit based on what they are experiencing. That said, St. Rita is a favorite right now. My hope is it will be spectacular when allowed to really dig in.