Good evening, let's talk about those Unlikeable figs that you don't hear too much about. We all have them. For personal reasons, I'm not talking about Brown Turkey. Why? Because I love the brown turkey figs that I grow. And every state in the USA has them. And I don't think brown turkey figs are in this category. In other words, they are likeable.

What I mean when I say "Unlikeable" I'm talking about those that most won't talk about. I have 4 that I've been growing for years. They are Black Spanish, Black Jack, Improved Brown Turkey, and Texas Blue Giant. These are my oldest fig trees. I confess though, in years past, I've neglected these trees. My IBT was my latest addition. I got it last Fall. It was very large when I got it.

But let me say this, last year was the first time I was able to taste the real sweetness of these figs. I know these figs are not your favorites but once given more time, I have to admit they do taste pretty darn good! I think we do newbies an in justice by not mentioning these figs. I'm sure you have some too. But these 4 are mine. They are keepers. Last year when I visited Mr Robin, I asked him about his best fig. And he told me something that totally changed my outlook on all figs. He said: "my best fig is the current one I'm eating". I LOVE THAT RESPONSE! So, instead of frowning upon my 4 "unlikeable" figs, today I give them the utmost attention as my others.

This year, I brought these 4 in doors. In a few weeks, I will be repotting them in self watering pots. Out of all of my figs, these 4 are very prolific especially the Improved Brown Turkey. Every year these figs get sweeter and sweeter. I think newbies should be told about these. So these are my "unlikeable" figs. Just give them more time and you will be surprised.

Do you have any unlikeable well known fig? If so, what are they?

I wish this forum had a "like" button!!

Yes. Black Jack is definately a dwarf. And the same is true with Black Spanish. Both are very prolific!

can't really think of a fig i don't like, yet. i don't have that many to start with, and i'm still testing number of them. i, on purpose, do not acquire figs that are no very desirable, or are disappointing to other members. mainly that is due to lack of space. as much as i would like to collect everything under the sun, i'll have to start narrowing things down soon.

Dennis, its okay to love brown turkey.  I also am a fan of the brown turkey.  then again i am a fan of any fruit hanging on the tree.  I cant understand why it is considered the 'stepbrother fig'

A few people poo poo Celeste, but it is one of my favorites.

True, Celeste is one of those too.

The Black Jack I have tasted were OK, the tree looked to be 2-3yrs old....does it get better..????    My New Impr.Brown Turkey was the Best last year, this year I blew it with over watering it.

I'm still too young at growing figs to have such a fig variety, not to mention I have not that much of space, and my trees get hit now and then by cold weather leading them to die back, and leading me to not being able to evaluate them properly.

As to brownturkey, my "back from the ground" 2 years old brownturkey made 2 edible figs this year, but the tree keeps on growing large - witch gives me good hopes for next year .
How were those figs ... Well honestly just edible, but it's true that if next year those fig ripen at a time that I only have those - they will be my best figs at that moment.
This year, they were on the table in the middle of some of my "unknown from the italian" and some "Dalmatie"... Hard to try to compare, although I have to admit that the tree was the youngest to produce and those two figs ripened in a rush.
The tree was installed in fall 2011, then died back to the ground, and is growing on two thick stems now - from the nursery, the trunk was just so thin .
What I'm awaiting from my Brownturkey tree is to have lots of figs, as supposedly it should have . If they rank 6/10 - it will still be ok, until I find a better strain for my location - if that strain ever exists .

Growing a "Texas blue giant" figtree wouldn't be a problem for me as long as the size of the fig is consistent with the name of the variety, and they rank at least 6/10 in taste and the tree produces regularly.
By the way Dennis, do you have photos of all those four strains ?
Are you growing the Brownturkey in a pot ? is there a reason for that ? If you already explained it, feel free to just put a link to the old post .

But for sure, if I had a better strain to replace four established big trees, I would still throw them away for sure .
I'm now testing several "supposed" cold hardy strains, and in five years, the choices will be made.
But as you said, although they are cold hardy, I'm protecting them for the winter with a thick dark plastic bag over each tree so that I set all the chances on my/their side.

It is funny, because a neighbor of mine, told me he wouldn't protect his trees anymore, and that if the trees shall pass, then it would be fine for him ... It was in June before he saw the production of my trees .
I looked at his trees last week and he protected them all ...

The only bad fig I have ever tasted was a pale yellow one I think is an Alma. But came was from a severely neglected tree during an unusually cool and humid summer last year. Otherwise, some figs are better than others, but all figs are good. BtW, I don't see anything to complain about with Brown Turkey, I eat them all the time as they are common in Central Arkansas.

It is a matter of,If,they ripe properly in your particular climate in a said year,or not.
The only truly bad fig cultivars are the ones that drop imature fruits in all climates,or makes fruits ,dry inedible,sour,or woody, in all climates.
Most of us grow fig tree in less than ideal climate for this plant.

The 4 I mentioned above are in pots. Why? Well, at the time I decided to start gardening again, the only figs I had were 3 Black Missions from Lowes and 4 trees from TyTy. Back then I had just bought my house and wanted a few figs. Google gave me TyTy. Years later, my TyTy trees ....well most ended up being Celeste. But back then I ordered 1 Kadota, 1, Italian Everbearing, 1 Negronne, and 1 Black Jack. One died, one is still an unknown and the others were Celeste. I planted these in my orchard and 2 years ago I yanked them out.

Today, my orchard is pretty much maxed out. But I will be planting on Tx Everbearing and one Black Jack in the ground.

Yes, Black Jack will get better with age; most figs do. In my climate Celeste is pure sugar, an excellent fig. This year, not one dropped from my trees. If stressed, Celeste is known to drop all of its figs. This year we had so much rain that I was able to be 2 crops from my Celeste trees.

How Bout Those Figs!!!!!!!!

I like this thread Dennis. I venture to say it's going to become a well liked thread by most of us.

I'm just now starting to to come full circle, so to speak. In that I'm just beginning to see that no fig should be neglected based on someone else's taste or preconceptions. I think many of us start out this way in our quest to get "the best" figs in favor of those that aren't considered to be "the best". 

Definite props goes to Mr Robins for that quote. He gets no argument from me on that! Here's mine: "A ripe fig in the hand is better than a dozen unripe ones on the bush" (granted it's more of my own adaptation of another famous quote;) ). 

H2, I also fully agree with you on what you said above. In fact I think you've said this same thing sooo many other times. We really shouldn't discount ANY fig variety until we've fully tested out how it does in our specific climate. Something that I know you've been working on in your area for many years now. Don't make a final decision until it's been trialed and tasted - Right? 

Having said all this, it still hasn't made it any easier for me to decide which ones will get neglected or not, since I don't have enough time for all of them!! Oh, the bane of the fignuts! 

Now that you asked, I have one that I can call ignorable but I have not really ignored it totally. In my location it seems to be a misnomer to be called "Early Violet". It is not early at all here. It has never ripened any of the few figs that it bears for the past 4 or 5 years.
May be that is the reason it is not mentioned too often.
When I water other plants I water Early Violette too without discrimination telling it that 'OK you too get the same amount but you have done nothing to show for it except green figs overtaken by frost every year'. But I have patience with it because I remember seeing another F4F member (forgot who) picture with Early Violette tree that was loaded with dark figs. It did not say if picture was taken late summer or fall.
I don't know how many member can really testify that 'Early Violette' is really an early ripening type and that it is just not happy with me..

So, let me put my very humble, Mediterranean input into this!!! :)
We all desire to grow our own wonder fruit the "Fig" which grows , originally, in semi desserty environment but we want them so much that we want to grow them in our backyards. Ignoring the fact that the only reason that a fig tastes so good is because it grows in hot weather and lets sun's rays dehydrate it's juices turning it into irresistible little pouch of sweetness and aroma that one might thing is fit only for Greek Gods and Kings.
So we plant them, in pots, taking them in and out and in and out of basements to garages to living rooms to outside and back and forth...do anything in our physical power to make them survive.
There is no such thing as Bad Fig.
There is sun starved, not properly ripened, not well developed and immature figs.
Stop renaming the same fig over and over because it tastes different.
Stop thinking that just because your figs taste better it's because of you.
Stop torturing yourself to come up with answers to please others about "Bad Figs".
Secret to good fig is nothing but Climate.
I would say feel blessed to have what you have, enjoy each fig you see on your tree whether its in pots or in the ground.
Did you know that the fig is one of very few foods that balances body's pH. pH imbalance can make us very sick, too much acidity creates malignant tumors. so, the Fig is considered to be an Alcalinic food. Another one is Lemon ;)

Good point Aaron. I can't get my fill on figs. I can remember years ago when it was 100+ every summer. And we had random showers when we were suppose to. So my climate is pretty good for figs. But i think those in Texas grow the best figs due to their weather.

As for Early Violet, it is not early for me. It's actually late. My EV was loaded but chappy weather ruined them. So yes EV is one of those great unknowns. At UCD, it's an excellent sweet rich fig.

dennis, i have to thank you for something you didn't intend.  you just told me that those figs take years to get good. i have to say this puts them on my ''do not want'' list which i keep in my diary.

speaking  just for myself, i want only figs that taste great right from the start. i have no patience to wait years for yummieness.

all in all they are all special- all depends how much we let the tree mature and level of ripness of the fruit.
Now i wonder if some figs are better when not over-ripe.

Yeap, that's good Susie! Peter's Honey is one of those that takes years to get freaking outstanding. Just make sure the trees you get are at least 5 yrs old. And make sure you have it growing inside a huge pot and not a 5 gallon bucket. La Goccia d'Or is another one of those that takes years. Mine is about 5+ years old and this year put out some amazing figs. I had to rescue my tree from the raccoons this year. The coons bent my tree down to 45 degrees but I was able to relocate it and taste some figs. LSU Purple is another that takes a few years. My LSU Purple is at least 7 yrs old and the figs were very sweet. In previous years they were pretty but blah tasting.

I'm not sure if Smith takes years or not. One of mine is in my orchard. It is NOT a hardy tree. In my studies, I have found that Smith is nothing but an ugly Black Maderia! IMHO, they taste the same. In my climate and at an early age, the figs were small and dropping. It was a large older tree when I got it around 4 years ago. But after planting it in my orchard, it has not grown much but does give me a handful of figs every year. The cold temps in my climate has hurt my orchard tree. But in my climate it gets cold around 25 degrees at night and 55 in daytime. It doesn't get down to 25 degree and stay there. It gets cold, then warms up.....get cold, then warms up. The USDA says I'm in 8a, but I question that. I think I'm in 7.

This flux of temps isn't a good thing. One might say just winterize the orchard tree. Although this does work but it also hurts because we have days of 60 degrees plus and the tree can cook all covered up. This year I winterized my in ground Smith tree. I didn't want to take the risk of loosing a large tree. But Smith, Peter's Honey, LaGoccia d'Oro and LSU Purple are not unknowns. They just take time and heat.

In a previous thread, I wrote about this late ripening fig called Main Street Purple. It's listed in Jon's database titled: Mike's Main Street Purple. It's an unknown that will be "likeable".

dennis, what do you do about winterized trees? here, tempa can get to -5 but i put up a fence to keep out cold wind.

still i gooa winterize them and long  before  the last frost date we get temps in the 60s.

how do i prevent cooking?

Hi Suszi, I dump 6 inches of mulch around my trees and let Mother Nature have her way. BUT, there are 5 trees that I love and can't risk loosing. They are De La Senyora, Smith, and Italian 258, Adriatic JH and Black Celeste. For some, I just make a tree jacket out of commercial burlap and leaves. For others like Smith, I use Shrub jackets and leaves. The problem with wrapping trees with leaves is rodents. I've already seen damage from my Black Celeste by a rabbit.

How do I prevent cooking? I remove the jackets and leaves as soon as temps reach 55 degrees for 3 days in a row; which is mid March. The problem with that is in my area we ALWAYS have one more hard freeze around Easter. It's a risk but damn if you do and damn if you don't. But I do have a bunch of figs stored inside my garage and basement....about a 200.

thanks dennis. i'll try the 55 three days in a row thing. it hadn't occured to me that cooking was an issue. i kinda thot once ingroung things would get simpler.

but now that you brot it up, cooking is a risk.

anything else i need to know?

Yes, if they get too much warmth....mold will come. If it does, just throw some dry dirt on it.

I've never tried any properly ripened fig I didn't like.

doesn't mothballs keep rodents away?

dennis, tell me more about I-258. i have two of them and promised one to a member. is it worth keeping around?