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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
trying to find out who is growing figs in this state (pa.) >? was just wondering,would be nice to know if someone is near by ,could share ideas and trees with,i see  a fig tree near by my house it is probably not even a 1/4 mile away ,i heard through the grape vine he is an elderly gent, who it appears he doesn't protect it for winter. it is bush form ,and multiple branches and about 5 foot tall in height .  i would really like to meet him and learn about his tree ,hope i see him out sometime.i am not really posting this for gain ,i have around 25 varieties now,and gaining,i have 7 in grounds i protected,and about 24> 5 gal trees in shed,and some cuttings rooting now ,(about 100 +),so i was just curious if any paer's would like to chime ,thanks,
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eboone

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
There are more than a few of us, Chuck  :)
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Ed
Zone 6A - Southwest PA     
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Short wish list: CDDG, LSU Red, Dark Greek (Navid),  Col Littman's Black Cross.   And any cold hardy early fig.
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Quote:
Originally Posted by eboone
There are more than a few of us, Chuck  :)
~yea i know ed .there got to be a lot more hows the figs ed ? happy new year to you and yours~! i put the stella you gave me in the bag ,i had it in water a few days to hydrate hope it makes it if not maybe an airlayer this summer if possible ?
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Tonycm

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Chuck, there's dozens of other people who grow fig trees around here. Some don't know about the forums and others know but have no interest in joining.
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BoyerHoldingsLLC

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Hi Chuck,
I am in Yardley pa. Where are you?
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Craig A. Boyer 
Sparky

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Happy New Year  Chuck, Dr. Ed, and Tony and Craig.  Mark me down from New Kensington.... small grower now,. but have BIG plans for 2017.
indestructible87

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Happy New Year  Chuck, Dr. Ed, and Tony and Craig.  Mark me down from New Kensington.... small grower now,. but have BIG plans for 2017.


I'm right across the river from you in Cheswick. I know of a few other people who have figs in there yard in my neighborhood too.


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bigbadbill

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Hi Chuck,

I'm over in Lancaster, PA. There are a few of my neighbors that have some fig trees brought from Italy, Greece, and a few from the Middle East. Over in Hershey, there are a lot including the famous Testa Fig- http://georgeweigel.net/favorite-past-garden-columns/hersheys-famous-fig.
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbadbill
Hi Chuck, I'm over in Lancaster, PA. There are a few of my neighbors that have some fig trees brought from Italy, Greece, and a few from the Middle East. Over in Hershey, there are a lot including the famous Testa Fig- http://georgeweigel.net/favorite-past-garden-columns/hersheys-famous-fig.


~thanks bill very interesting link appreciated it a lot,i know there are a lot of fig growers in pa. i posted this hoping more would speak up and share like you just did, thanks a lot bill. and happy new year all~
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BoyerHoldingsLLC

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
hi Chuck,
Bill has helped guide me in purchasing several figs from his collection. He is always generous with his time when I stop in and has been available to answer many follow up questions about rooting cuttings and growing. I highly suggest you visit his operation at least once! He is a true resource to us Pennsylvanians!
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Craig A. Boyer 
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoyerHoldingsLLC
hi Chuck, Bill has helped guide me in purchasing several figs from his collection. He is always generous with his time when I stop in and has been available to answer many follow up questions about rooting cuttings and growing. I highly suggest you visit his operation at least once! He is a true resource to us Pennsylvanians!
~thank you~
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoyerHoldingsLLC
Hi Chuck, I am in Yardley pa. Where are you?
~uniontown,pa.~Fayette county~
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stekewood

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
I'm in Bucks County.
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Quote:
Originally Posted by stekewood
I'm in Bucks County.
~thanks for letting us know ~
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johnnyq627

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Berks county here.
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Wish list - Galicia Negra, Paritjal Rimada, Black Ischia UCD
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnyq627
Berks county here.


~thanks i'm in fayette county here~
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Garrett4534

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I'm in morrisville, bucks county. There's seems to be a few of us from bucks on here.
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Garrett kramer
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garrett4534
I'm in morrisville, bucks county. There's seems to be a few of us from bucks on here.


~thanks~
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mvfd801

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
I'm in Lancaster County. 
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mvfd801
I'm in Lancaster County. 
~thank you~
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EB18702

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
LUZERNE COUNTY
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Growing: DK, VdB, Brown Turkey, Hardy Chicago, Black Mission, Verte, Negronne, Natalina BI, U. Italian Yellow BI , U. Yellow Greek AD, U. South Plainfield, U. Orangeburg 
U. Carini RG,
Rooting: Prosciutto, Naples Dark, Azores Dark, Columbaro Nero, De La Tira, I376, Des Roig Manyo, Greek Church U.

Wishlist: ANY PEACH OR PLUM SCION PLEASE PM ME. Smith, any in ground figs for zone 6.
Erik
zone 6A northeast Pa
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Quote:
Originally Posted by EB18702
LUZERNE COUNTY
~thanks ~ i have a contender peach a real fast growing frost tollerant tree i need to clip a few limbs here soon if interested in a few cuttings let me know (pm)~i am in zone 6 too~
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonycm
Chuck, there's dozens of other people who grow fig trees around here. Some don't know about the forums and others know but have no interest in joining.
~yes tony i know. i can't seem to find hardly any here where i am,i look for trees in yards without much success,~i need to meet my neighbor but hate to intrude i talked to someone, who said he is very up in age and hardly ever comes out ,i'm thinking it's a mt etna type that goes uncovered in the winter but have to go by again and see for sure ,haven't checked in a while.
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jkuo

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
I'm in Lancaster. I've seen a good number of PA peeps on the forums, and I'm sure there are lurkers too.
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Johnny - Lancaster, PA, Zone 6b
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elrese

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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Hi everybody and a Happy New Year,

I also live in Lancaster, PA.

Have been growing figs here for over 25 years.
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
Quote:
Originally Posted by elrese
Hi everybody and a Happy New Year,

I also live in Lancaster, PA.

Have been growing figs here for over 25 years.
~thanks for responding ~
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
Quote:
Originally Posted by eboone
There are more than a few of us, Chuck  :)
~i was noticing your wish list i have florea if you want air layer this year let me know ,they are small but can do one. i don't know if you have florea or not ??
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snaglpus

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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
PA is one HUGE state!  I'd bet there are lots of unknowns figs in many backyards across the state!
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Dennis
Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a 
chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #29 
Quote:
Originally Posted by snaglpus
PA is one HUGE state!  I'd bet there are lots of unknowns figs in many backyards across the state!
~i agree dennis~and i liked what santa got you ,i needs me one like that ! nice ~!
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jsmvmd

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Posted Reply with quote  #30 
Howdy. I live in south central PA.  I started some figs from cuttings Feb 2016. Most sprouted and 7 survived, which I placed in 3 gallon pots. They all got fungus in Apr/May, which partially resolved with foliar application of antifungal spray. The BT that I transplanted next to the house in July, southern exposure grew five feet in 3 months after trenching, applying compost, borax, lime and watering 10-15 gal per week. Many small figs were produced Jul/Sep that did not ripen. I'm hoping with the current biomass I'll get more figs this year. The Celeste I got from Lowe's was a bush and stayed a bush with good growth and 7-8 figs. I'm going to ground layer the branches to keep it bush form and maintain about 8 trunks. If anyone would like to share dormant cuttings, please reply to jsmvmd@aol.com.
jsmvmd

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Posted Reply with quote  #31 
Here's a link for The Italian Garden Project in Pittsburgh area

http://theitaliangardenproject.com/

Sewickley has a nice group of Italian gardeners who grow figs and other heirloom plants.

Sincerely,
Jack M.
jsmvmd

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Posted Reply with quote  #32 
Here's a link for The Italian Garden Project in Pittsburgh area

http://theitaliangardenproject.com/

Sewickley has a nice group of Italian gardeners who grow figs and other heirloom plants.

Sincerely,
Jack M.
bigbadbill

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Posted Reply with quote  #33 
I should mention a fig hero of mine who doesn't post often anymore, Art ( kubota1) out near New Castle, PA. Art found some really interesting varieties including chiappetta, vibo Valencia, mittica white, and a few other outstanding varieties. He is a great fig hunter.

Dennis is right, there are a lot of interesting unknown varieties in the great state of Pennsylvania. Bass has certainly found many in the Allentown/Bethlehem area, and Art has found a lot in the Pittsburgh area.

I've "discovered" a few in the Lancaster area as well. A few of my neighbors had some fig trees in their yard and I asked about them. Sometimes the language barrier was a little tough, but the love of figs is a universal language so we were able to make do. A few of my favorites were: 1- a nice lady nearby was growing a unique fig tree with the largest figs I'd ever seen. She raised the tree from a cutting she brought from Fengtai, China. The figs would split a lot, but were very impressive looking and the ones that didn't split were very good. 2- a nice Greek lady had a huge tree (looked more like a hedge- 15 ft long) that she started as a cutting from the island of Kos about fifteen years ago.

There are others, too, but one of my favorites was found by a fellow fig enthusiast in Dubois, PA, named Jim. This one came from Lebanon and has remained in the ground for over seventy years.

In the early 1900s, Simon Dahrouge ( Syrian living in Lebanon, where he met his wife) moved to Dubois PA to open a general store. Dubois, is very cold and in the northwestern part of PA, well north of Pittsburgh. His tree is still growing on the former general store's ground in the middle of town. It is over seventy years old and survived brutal, snowy, windy winters. The Dahrouge family ( 4th generation) is still living in Dubois, but the general store is now a beauty salon ( I think). For years, he and his wife would enjoy sharing ripe figs in August and September with the town's children who would stop by for fountain sodas and confectionary treats. The kids could ( and still do) ride by on their bikes and pluck a few sweet figs in late summer and early fall. His wife brought the cuttings of this really sweet hardy fig and a few lemon cuttings with them. It is a black medium sized fig that tastes like a sweet strawberry when overripe.
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jsmvmd

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Posted Reply with quote  #34 
Thank you, Bill. Very informative.  Living in Altoona, Dubois is only 1.5 hours away, and it does get quite cold there.  I'm not sure why the tree survives unprotected. Perhaps there is a unique meteorological situation, or maybe it is a Chicago Hardy type.

I recently learned of a protestant minister living in Mt. Joy who grows figs. I'm trying to contact him to get some dormant cuttings. It they take, I'll have some to share.  Ditto for some of the Sewickley contacts I've learned about.

Thanks a million!

Sincerely,
Jack
Tonycm

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Posted Reply with quote  #35 
Bill I'm assuming the tree in Dubois isn't covered in winter. Do you know if the tree dies to ground level every year or do some of the branches make it thru the winter unscathed?

There's a fig tree growing in Pittsburgh that has taken over the guys backyard. It suckers a lot sending sprouts up everywhere. In a mild winter the main tree doesn't die back and on occasions it reaches his second floor. He said they're dark figs.
I had a couple of cuttings but they didn't root. I need to go see him and get a few more to try.
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indestructible87

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Posted Reply with quote  #36 
I was recently in Pittsburgh and noticed a few figs sprawling out over peoples fences, in morningside and Stanton heights area. Im sure there are a lot more in the city.
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ross

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Posted Reply with quote  #37 
There are quite a few of us Pennsylvanians. Fortunately I've met/talked with most of you thus far! If we haven't chatted.. feel free to send me a PM so we can get acquainted.

I'd also love it if we could get together at some point during the growing season. I know Bass has a get together every year in Bethlehem, PA. But I've still yet to meet Big & Bad Bill :D

Perhaps Bill you'll have some kind of meeting this year as well!
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #38 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ross
There are quite a few of us Pennsylvanians. Fortunately I've met/talked with most of you thus far! If we haven't chatted.. feel free to send me a PM so we can get acquainted.

I'd also love it if we could get together at some point during the growing season. I know Bass has a get together every year in Bethlehem, PA. But I've still yet to meet Big & Bad Bill :D

Perhaps Bill you'll have some kind of meeting this year as well!


~thanks~
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #39 
Quote:
Originally Posted by indestructible87
I was recently in Pittsburgh and noticed a few figs sprawling out over peoples fences, in morningside and Stanton heights area. Im sure there are a lot more in the city.


~thanks~
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bigbadbill

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Posted Reply with quote  #40 
Hi Tony,

The Dahrouge tree is not covered and hasn't ( to my knowledge) been covered for a long time. I'll have to ask Jim how it fared, but he said even in 2015 (after the brutal 2014 winter), it produced a good amount of fruit. It seems like a mt. Etna-ish type, but there is something distinct about the flavor. I look forward to when this variety ripens much more than I do for the other classic mt. Etnas ( mbvs, Takoma violet, dark Portuguese, black Greek, black Bethlehem, etc). I think I may have a few cuttings ( they root easier than my other mt. Etnas), Tony, so if you're interested, I think I can send a few your way.
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