Hello, friends!
I live in the foothills of south-western NC some 50 miles north west of Charlotte, and my winters differ from 7B to 8B. The precipitations are around 4" monthly year around. The soil is hard red clay which does not get dry too fast and in case of excessive rain will just shed into cricks the extra water. It is south but not as hot and humid in the summer like in Washington DC or NJ. Last year, when most of the south, and not only, was over 100 degrees for days and days I had just a couple of days reaching 100. This year the maximum was 92 degrees as it is a cooler summer, but sun's radiation is pretty high as I am located at the latitude of 35.6 degrees which is similar to being a bit north of Los Angeles, to parts of north Africa, Sicily, Cyprus, Syria, Teheran etc. Well, not all varieties will take my winters, but for a backyard gardener a dozen or two varieties will be plenty.

I moved into my new house in 2010 and started to plant my figs in the spring of 2011. The first cuttings were planted directly into the bulldozer disturbed ground along the western wall of the house. All of them took, and last year I had my first figs. This year the plants are full of fruits and when I have seen  that, I have reworded them with some chip mulch. This year I have planted some last year's starters along the eastern wall of the house and in the yard. 

My plants and fruits are not bothered by any critters underground or above the ground, and I do not even have a dog in the yard. I do not know how to explain it, but it is true. I have watered my plants just in the first year  of their life.

Sometimes I dream of some milder winters and no April freezes, try to imagine  a fig paradise around my house, but at the same time some bad associations start bugging my mind like scorched rocky soil after a total of 0.16" rain in July, fig trees covered with hungry bugs, gofer tunnels, birds pecking the best figs, netting and cages around the plants, expensive irrigation systems with high water bills, salinization of the soil etc. No offence, but those fig plant's pictures I have seen posted from dry and rocky hills of Israel and Spain made me fill sorry. Those plants with twisted twigs with three leaves on the tip made me think of them as of some poor children that wait to be adopted by a Norway Spruce size Celeste from my neighborhood. At the end of the dream I would just say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Calm down and leave in the neck of your woods whatever it is."
 Above are some pictures I took yesterday. In the higher hedge the plants are 2 years and 5 months old, in the shorter hedge they are 1 year and 5 months old.
Best regards,
Boris

Thank you for the pictures, Grasa. It looks like you have used the omega grafting tool this time.

Congratulations on your success Grasa!
Like George I am curious if you scrape or cut off the outer yellow layer of the root where it touches the cambium of the cutting. From the pictures it remains unclear.
Thanks,
Boris

So, who knows what kind of grafted scion would improve a self-fertile tree from EL? Male or female?

"Доверяй, но проверяй. if the person doesn't check out.. don't bid. "


Pete,
Since when are you speaking Russian?

Xenil,
In former Yugoslavia they had a variety Uzbekski Sladki Nar which is translated as Sweet Uzbek Pomegranate. This one could very likely be Kazake, as Kazake is a sweeter variety compared to Salavatski which is from Uzbekistan as well. So you can try to find that variety through some ethnic Hungarians who live in former Yugoslav republics and are members of the gardening forums.

Also, as a member said above, you can look for an early ripening variety which will not necessarily be cold hardy. Instead you could make every winter a box around it and fill it with leafs, hay, or straw for insulation.