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Toronto fig trees give away

Hi all ,

Looking to get rid of a bunch of fig trees , many known varieties . Many mature fruit producing trees .
Got into beekeeping this year in a big way and don't have the time to care for 100 fig trees anymore .
Pick up only , will not ship . 

Thanks ... John

Some lucky Canadians will be getting an early Christmas gift...;-)

Hi John..... I would be interested... I'll send you a PM..

Wow!  This is very generous of you John!!!
PM on its way.

Bump for a great offer.  John really knows his figs.  There will only be figs worth having.

Very nice offering, generous.

I will need till around the first week of October to go through the trees and see which 20 or so I will keep and make a list of the doubles and others .
Nelson and Chivas ( James ) have been very generous to me over the years and will have first pick .
Nelson lost a lot of great trees over the winter .
I will try to put a list together soon .

John

Thanks John!   
Take your time.   Hopefully we get some hot weather to help ripen some figs.
I admit that I can't wait to see the list of your extensive collection.... fingers crossed.

John,

Those are invalid links.  They will only show up on your PC.  If you right-click the file within DropBox, you'll see "Share DropBox Link".  Then, you simply right-click and paste the link here.  Hope that helps.

Thanks Frank .
Just signed up , seems like a handy site .

John

bump

John, this is an impressive list of figs!  You are truly one of the few great fig collectors in Canada!  I am glad you are keeping a nice size manageable collection.  I wouldn't be surprised to see your list grow back after your generous giveaway.  Fig fever is hard to shake..LOL

If I am lucky enough to get some of your babies I guarantee that they will love to sink their roots in my sandy loam soil. 
The Lake Ontario lakeshore protected by the Niagara Escarpment is not California or the Mediterranean but vinifera grapes and cold tender fruit do great here and I have been growing in-ground figs for almost 20 years(since 95). 
I can't guarantee some of these varieties will successfully ripen fruit here but discovering that is part of the fun.  You can be sure that when fig ripen time arrives you will be sure to get an invite to come down and indulge.  

Hello John,

I am in Brampton and would love to have some of your leftovers since I'm just starting out.

Raffaele

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  • FMD

Hey John,

I'm visiting Toronto at the end of the month for Mom's 95th birthday. I'll ask my big bro if he is interested in one. Nice of you to offer.

Frank

Hey Frank ,

Nice to hear from you .
Let me know by tomorrow if possible because by Saturday I will be giving them away .
Did NB make any figs for you this year ?
For me this year NB , Capelas , Norella , Italiano , MVSB , Florea , RDB ,and one of my new favs LSU Scotts Black are definitely nasty climate figs .
Oh and the absolute number one variety for us in the great white north is DESERT KING !!!!!!!
It ripens end of july beginning of August with great tasting figs .

John

John
That might have been a hard decision to part with something that you cared for over a long time.
But hopefully you will enjoy the changeover to Bee-keeping as much. Also, the fig population in North America is increasing but the bees population is said to be decreasing. So, hopefully your new endeavour may help.

A couple of times a few Desert King main crop fruits ripened here in Ottawa. I am not sure if the common bees are learning to pollinate !

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  • FMD

John, thanks. Do you have an extra Desert King? My brother is actually looking for an early ripening fig. If not DK, what other figs ripen early in Toronto?

The NB has produced some tasty figs for me, indeed, John. I and a slew of other Americans are grateful for your find.

I only have some small rooted cuttings that I rooted earlier in the summer , but I find this variety is a slow grower for me .
It takes about 2 or 3 years then it takes off , so they will take some time .
I had Gillette but the quality of fruit was not anywhere near DK .
So no another productive breba type I know of thats worth while .

john

Hey Akram ,

Unfortunately honeybees can't quite figure out how to pollinate figs . Maybe I should start a fig wasp apiary ... hmmm ???
The main thing is that I just have too many trees , and they take up too much of my time . They also do not get enough attention , sun , fertilizer , pruning , up potting etc . So they suffer and do not produce to their potential . 
I will not be transitioning out of figs completely , I just need to bring things into balance .
Its easy to get caught up with all the different varieties on offer , and once you get to know people like Nelson , Rafed and Chivas ( james ) and give them 1 variety they give you 4 great ones back so you find yourself gaining rather decreasing everytime you go to give something away .It doesn't take long till it gets out of control .
I hope to reduce down to 10 awesome varieties for our climate in the next year or 2 .

John

John, LSU Scott ' s Black ripens for you? Everyone has such good things to say about it. Being it is a late ripener I decided to not try it. I am trying hard keep the numbers down myself.

Hi Calvin ,

Scotts black really impressed me for a first year fig . it is 5 degrees c at nights , with plenty of rain lately and this tree is ripening figs perfectly 
with no cracks . It is productive and branches well too .

john

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  • FMD

Thanks John. Can you spare one of your rooted cuttings of DK? Half the fun is in anticipation anyway.

Strange offer for someone who is culling, but can I bring you anything up from Florida, sunshine and heat excluded.

I would be interested in seeing the list of what you decide to keep, I hope you share that with us.

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