So obviously I am a fig enthusiast myself and I have my own personal reasons.  First of all I enjoy plants that root easily from cuttings because that means I can end up with an easy supply of that plant.  Figs of course fall in that category.  I also like figs specifically because they fruit much sooner than other fruit trees.  For these two reasons alone, figs seem like the way to go for the future of mankind.  However for me personally the fig has deeper levels of meaning due to the huge significance of figs in the scriptures, so while figs are great for our future they have been great for our past as well.  The plant is shrouded in deep symbolic meaning.  Aside from all that my great aunt has an enormous 40 year old heirloom variety that is a type of the "Southern Brown Turkey" at least I believe at this point in time it is.  I have fond memories of eating those figs and climbing that fig tree.  Other than those listed reasons there is something much deeper to the fig tree that seems to draw people in, almost and in some cases definitely creating a bit of an obsession.  Since I have been up here I have learned that there is an entire fig community out there, go figure.  I have been truly amazed at the information on this forum and am very thankful.  I have even been gifted fig cuttings by my new friend figgyfrank ;).  I plan on posting more on those cuttings in the coming month or two.  Anyhow, I was sitting here thinking, what is the deal with figs?  I have my reasons for enjoying but why do you enjoy them?

Growing them for the wife. She luvs fresh fig. When the wife is happy, there's peace...... and better
home cooking.

Besides what you mentioned they are disease resistant, don't require sprays for the most part, so it's easy to grow them organically.
Although I also love brambles and stone fruit myself, and many other edible plants. For me it's not just figs, it's fruit. Fruit you can't buy in the stores!
You can grow red fleshed apples, and white fleshed strawberries, and yellow raspberries. Rarely if ever seen at the marketplace. Besides the fact they are awesome tasting fruits. I don't grow apples, but know many who do. I probably will one day. I do grow yellow raspberries and white strawberries though! And Red fleshed nectarines!
I also love peppers and tomatoes and grow massive amount every year. Every color and varying flavors. Fantastic stuff.
Also I know many who share my passion for all things fruit, it's not just figs for us.

Pineberries (white strawberries)


Arctic Glo Nectarine

Drew I completely agree.  Essentially I am interested in all types of plants.  I really enjoy berries for instance, growing them especially and of course eating them as well.  I am very interested in gardening and all forms of sustainable living.  

Paul, having a happy wife is important.  Keep growing those figs!

Thanks for the pictures by the way!

I couldn't agree more with drew, growing fruit of all kinds is very rewarding. I am new to the fig growing and only have 3 very small trees at this time but am hoping to have around 30 varieties growing in the yard this year along with my peaches, blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, alpine strawberries, and 30+ varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Then there is the 150 varieties of peppers this year.  And the watermelons.

My friends and family say I need help with this addiction called gardening……..I always agree with them and tell them to come over and pull weeds.  

I read Alan's reply and it reminded of another thing about figs. The trees last forever. With a peach after 15 or 20 years the trees are so beat up production begins to decline. Some exceptions but most peach trees need to be replaced after 20 years. Figs will outlast us easily!
The acid comment though I disagree with. Our stomachs are sulfuric acid pits! I can't imagine the extremely mild citric acid doing anything compared to the massive amount of naturally produced sulfuric acid in our stomachs! The citric acid will be ripped apart in seconds! It's so strong stomach lining cells are replaced every 24 hours.
Diabetics best stay away from figs, or at least monitor intake. Not to mention the number sugar can do to teeth (acid too for that matter). Anything can be bad in excess. Very off subject, just wanted to post some of us see things a lot different.

Hey Alan, thanks for the great response.  I left out a lot about figs purposely hoping to get responses from folks like you.  I hear fig leaf tea is great for diabetics.  I have also read where fig sap can be used to remove skin tags, moles and warts.  I am a huge fan of pomegranates as well and I can't wait to get into growing them.  Do you grow them?Thanks for your insights.

Podpiper that sounds incredible.  Do you grow organically?

Drew that is a great point about the longevity of figs.  It seems there are way more benefits to figs than what we may think.  Oh and about the diabetes thing, fig leaf tea is supposed to be great for diabetics.

I would have to see studies, and then studies confirming claims about acid helping cancer cells before I would believe it. and no diabetics cannot consume massive amounts of sugar. I know some studies show Absorbic acid is a cancer preventative.*  Acids are also used to treat cancers **  I know snake oil sellers are claiming acid helps cancer, but they offer no proof and are pushing alkaline products. I know aristolochic acids can cause cancer, but they are found only in certain rare herbs. I would not consume these. Stay away from herbal remedies, and you won't have a problem. As far as diabetes fruits have mostly fructose sugar which is harder to digest, but it's still just chains of glucose. I never heard of loose sugar, i have no idea what that is? (I'm in the medical field too). When I googled it I only got hits for the loose sugar wholesale bakery. Their are two kinds of diabetes. Sugar consumption, of any kind has to be monitored if you have either form. Sugar used to be used (in the form of orange juice mostly) after taking insulin (to make sure you don't go into insulin shock), and still may? Some new forms of insulin are being used now that are quite remarkable, and don't require sugar consumption. I'm sure some diabetics are here and know more than I do.

* http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/371790
** http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/zoledronicacid

Back to cancer

The American Institute of Cancer Research has found the theory of acidic pH giving rise to cancer to be totally unsubstantiated. According to the institute, this theory was based on lab studies that suggest that cancer cells thrive in an acidic medium. However, these findings are applicable to cells growing in laboratory conditions. The findings do not apply to cancer cells growing inside the human body, as it is almost impossible to create such an acidic medium inside our bodies. The acid-base balance inside our bodies is tightly regulated by the kidneys and the lungs. Even a slight change in this pH, due to a malfunctioning of these organs can be life-threatening. Given this reality, there is no opportunity for acid to keep accumulating inside our bodies over the years.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/494740-cancer-and-the-acid-balance-in-the-body/

I can confirm, and so can any doctor any slight change in body PH up or down can kill you. Our pH does not change#, the stomach completely dissolves and breaks down all foods including acids.


# Our body works optimally at a pH (the degree of acidity or alkalinity) of 7.35 to 7.45. Maintenance of the pH between these levels is necessary to keep the body's various metabolic reactions in good working order. If the pH falls below 7.35 it can lead to acidosis, coma and death. If the pH rises above 7.45, the condition is called alkalosis. It can give rise to hyper-irritability of nerves, resulting in spasms and convulsion and even death.

All the above are good reasons to grow figs for sure.

I started with figs because we had a severe drought which killed lots of native trees, and most of my fruit trees, berries, etc. even with irrigation, the endless days over 100 just did them in but I would still see figs trees alive (no figs fruits mind you), so this piqued my interests. 

Then after I tried some of my friends fig fruits, wow, I was hooked.  Cuttings from this first tree rooted easily and now I have fig trees scattered anywhere there is enough sun to grow them.  

Ease of propagation, fruit at young age, taste, and drought and heat hardiness are all good reasons for me to fall in love with this gift of nature.

thepodpiper - I am assuming you grew those gorgeous melons that the little angel is sitting on.  

Please tell me your secret to growing melons......I have tried for years with very poor success!  Live zone 7b north central Arizona with sandy soils and nice hot (but not too hot) summers.

@thepodpiper, I'd love to jump in on this too and learn your secret! 

Growing up, people around me grew cheap, common figs which never tasted very good, so I never liked figs. I grow citrus, grapes, plums, apricots, apples, other odd fruit and have enjoyed them a lot. The stone fruit trees produced a lot for a few years, then all but a few stopped fruiting. I thought it was my fertilize and did all the culture stuff recommended by the local aggie advisers. I finally figured it out. With the recent global climate changes, my stone fruit have stopped producing because now we're just not getting enough winter chill hours here in SoCal. They have to be replaced. Also, with the water shortage, replacements have to be water conserving. 
Since fig trees need little if any winter chill hours and are drought resistant once established, they are the perfect choice. After reading posts on the fig forums, I was ready to give figs another taste try and am glad I did. Fig trees grew easily and quickly from simple cuttings to producing trees in a matter of months. Some of the figs my new trees produced last year tasted amazing. I've been on a calorie restricted diet for thirty years and these little bundles of sweetness are flavorful as well as being healthy. And there were different flavors to sample: honey, brown sugar, an assortment of different berry and melon tastes.  I hope to share cuttings from my best trees with neighbors so that no child ever has to suffer eating mediocre figs again. That's the deal with figs for me. 

Don that was fascinating.  This is something many people do not know about figs, they are extremely hardy and drought resistant.

Sharing with your community sounds excellent, I plan to do the same.  I have never actually had a fig I didn't like but I don't live in Cali.  I appreciate your informative answer.  Figs conserve water, don't have to have winter chill hours, and grow very fast.  Do you fertilize?

I've learned some very cool things about figs from all these responses that just confirm so much.  Looking forward to hearing from more members!

Oh great question.  Ditto on the ease of growing, the stately ancient trees, the history, the food, etc. but for me I'd have to say is the number 1 reason I have gone from 1 common variety in ground, was tasting the figs off a great tree at our local farmer's market.  I bought basket after basket for 2 months and finally convinced the fig lady "Daisy" to let me come look at her tree.  It was so beautiful.  (See posts 'Daisy's Corniio Brown Turkey')  I was really hooked.  Then I found this forum and off I went.  I have helped Daisy with her tree, getting to share the vigorous cuttings to neighbors and new friends here on the forum.  I am rooting up the last of the cuttings I have received from the generosity of members and I am up to 57 varieties and counting.  Now the first thing I do in the morning is check on the figlets.  My sweetie thinks I am "FIGNUTZ" for sure and I am sure that the fruits will win him over this summer.  What can I say, it is just good old fashioned garden heaven from this amazing plant and the people it attracts to sit in the shade of the fig tree and share the bounty.  Happy figging all.  Jodi

PS And there are several posts and links to info that tea made from the fig leaf is beneficial to people with diabetes to help control their blood sugar.  I have no experience with the diabetic side of things, wishing those who have that challenge vibrant health.  And I do know that the leaves I have tried make a very nice restorative tea.  There are even sites on the web selling the leaves for tea.  Go "fig"ure!

Lets see, my interest in figs started because it was a huge favorite of my mother's and I love making my mom happy. One of our neighbors at my childhood home had a very small fig tree they had planted within the last two years of our move to our current home and once gave us a small baggies worth of figs. They were absolutely divine! I think my interest in them personally peaked when I realized how easy they were to propagate from cuttings. I love the idea of having fruit trees and veggies in my own yard to grow and collect from as well. I will also add though that my interests do not solely lie on figs - I love berries as well :) 

Yes, I have tried different fertilizers that people recommended on the fig forums.
Some fig trees may need 100 hours of winter chill, according to the Dave Wilson Nursery website, but that's a lot less than my plums and apricots.
My black mulberry tree didn't produce either last year after thirty-five years of heavy fruiting. I'm afraid my mulberries will be the next to have to go. Oh, well. More room for figs. 

![alanmercieca/QUOTE]Where you live is very close to our climate. Fig trees grow great here. It will be very interesting to see what grows well there in the ground because the only major differences up there is higher elevation, and major gopher problems.