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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
not just the weather. counting fig wasp, cheap land, affordable houses, cheap water... where is the fig heaven in US?
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
pitangadiego

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
You're going to have to trade some things.

Fig Wasp, pretty much only CA.

Cheap land and stuff is more like Detroit. You can get a house for $40. Wouldn't call it paradise.

Affordable houses are not found where the fig wasp is, or the "paradisical" climates. Warm place are more expensive, but no snow tires, galoshes, mud boots, snow boots, snow blower, heated driveways, heavy coats, ginormous heating bills, etc.

If it is cheap it is because it is not paradise.
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HarveyC

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Madera, CA for the USA.
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Harvey - Correia Farms
Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14

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armando93223

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
I would think Madera California which is 15 minutes north of Fresno. It still has orchards of Fig Trees. I have not went into the countryside to look for them. The Housing is cheap, It gets Hot 100+- during the Summer and its a dry heat, low humidity. It should have the Fig Wasp. In the winter it can get down to 20 degrees for a week, but normally it is around 38 degrees in the early morning and the high around 55 degrees.
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brianm

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Fresno ca.
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armando93223

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Me and Harvey Posted at the Same Time...LOL  Great Minds think alike.   Housing is a lot cheaper in Madera. Fresno can be cheap in some areas. If I had a choice, I would live in Fresno, because it is a good size city, and if you don't have a car, there is a grocery store nearby.
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DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Jon is correct.  You will give up something if you want cheap.  Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties have the Mediterranean climate you need for perfect fig heaven.  Within each county are different sizes of towns, agricultural areas, and dozens of micro climates. 

No matter what town or city, you will have your good side and bad side.  Property subject to gang invasions will be cheaper, but figs will still grow.  Property that is just county property, unincorporated and not in a town or city, will be cheaper, but you might be on septic, propane, might need to dig a well, and have a long drive to the grocery or gas.

A good realtor will help you find what you want.  Trulia.com and Zillow.com list dozens of properties, but many of those have expired long ago.  I use keller williams just to check property values in MY town.  All their listings are current.  Good search engine for all parts of the country.

But you already knew that.......... :-))

Suzi
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Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!"  Wish List:  I wish all of you happy fig collecting!  My wishes have been fulfilled!
saxonfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Pete.
Stay where you are, build a big enough greenhouse, mail-order figs wasps. Your very own little paradise. It could work..........

This part of KY is one of the cheapest places to buy/own/rent property. Used cars are the cheapest I've seen anywhere. Generally, overall low cost of living here. Just have to "build" your own piece of paradise in the back yard. That's my plan anyway :-)) . 
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Bill - SW KY. Zone 6b. 36.5N 
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
bill, 

that sounds like a plan. it's hot enough here.. just little on humid side on occasions. 
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
pitangadiego

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Harvey is right, Madera is the center of fig production in California. But it is pretty hot and dry in the summer. Part of the trade-off.
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rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pitangadiego
You're going to have to trade some things.

Fig Wasp, pretty much only CA.

Cheap land and stuff is more like Detroit. You can get a house for $40. Wouldn't call it paradise.

Affordable houses are not found where the fig wasp is, or the "paradisical" climates. Warm place are more expensive, but no snow tires, galoshes, mud boots, snow boots, snow blower, heated driveways, heavy coats, ginormous heating bills, etc.

If it is cheap it is because it is not paradise.


Cheap shot on Detroit.
Too bad you only know what you see and hear on the tv or radio.
You should visit so I can show you what the city has to offer.

Been here almost 40 years and I love it.
Let_alone_this_year_also

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Argentina. Their currency is, well... they'd rather have your dollars right now. Saw a 45 acre vineyard and farm, ready to go, 80k. Beautiful Andes as the backdrop. Foreigners can buy and it takes 2 years residency for citizenship. Argentina is known for accepting immigration demographics from all over the globe. Beef, beauties, and easy British citizenship from there.
bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
ah.. argentina.. best beef in south america that will melt in your mouth. most of my friends back in nyc were from asuncion, paraguay. they would talk about great steaks at dirt cheap price that you can eat as much as you want. 
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
susieqz

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
a friend of mine lives in south california. he gets volunteer figs in his garden from bird poo.

if you are rich that's the place to be.

i looked at property costs there. then i looked at taxes. i'd starve.
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susie 
wish list:  nothing. i can't grow cuttings  . right now, i have  6 trees showing no signs of fmv. i'd like to keep it that way' 

i was told that if i couldn't deal with fmv, i should grow peaches, so i got a peach tree to live with my clean figs.
pitangadiego

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
I'm not sure, Rafed, seems like about 60+ percent of Detroiters have voted with their feet.

My mother left detroit in the early 40s to work in an aircraft plant in LA as a mathematician and never went home. Father, from Illinois, mustered out in Long Beach and never went home. They too the train to Detroit to get married in 1946, got in their car, and drove back to California, and visited only 2 days in the next 60 years.

Oh, my mother's childhood toboggan is still in the rafters of my garage. Need to put some wheels on it.
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rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Jon,

You might be right about the voting part.

But you got to admit at least we don't have to put square blocks in the squares or the circle blocks in the circle. Seems that's how they do it in Cali.[wooden_toy_shape_sorter_block_box]


On the other note.
Your parents left long time ago. This 2014.

Nice try;)
dfoster25

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I wouldn't trade Michigan for anything.


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DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
See?  It goes back to High School!  I am a native Californian.  Born and Bred!  I would never leave!  And although figs are easy here, I do have zone envy.  Can't grow cherries!  Can't grow anything with high chill requirements.  So, it's just equal, right?

Can you grow gorgeous roses?  I can!!  LOL!!

Suzi
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Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!"  Wish List:  I wish all of you happy fig collecting!  My wishes have been fulfilled!
rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
Suzi,

A sample of my roses.
Yes, here in Michigan.

photo gardenpics066.jpg
photo gardenpics064.jpg
photo gardenpics063.jpg
photo gardenpics060.jpg
photo gardenpics059.jpg
photo gardenpics067.jpg
Lebmark

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
for a while I was checking Fallbrook, California...But it is so far from New York...
May be down the east coast
Mark
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Fig Wish List 2014: I-258 Genovese Nero, Violet Dauphine , Noir De Caromb, ROUGE DE BORDEAUX , BARNISOTTE, BARNISOTTE GRIS, Anything Lebanese ( I mean Fruit Plants...That I do Not Have...)
DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Jeeze Rafed!  You are a master at container gardening!  How did you get that climber in a container? 

Suzi
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Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!"  Wish List:  I wish all of you happy fig collecting!  My wishes have been fulfilled!
rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
The climber and most of the other roses are in the ground.
I have three in containers.

My other climber,
photo gardenpics075.jpg
DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
OK!  You win!  Show us your in-ground figs!
Suzi

This is fun!  I'm cheering for the Anaheim Ducks Hockey in that outside game at Dodger Stadium against the LA Kings.
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Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!"  Wish List:  I wish all of you happy fig collecting!  My wishes have been fulfilled!
rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
I have two in ground figs. Not good at the moment.
DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Dude!  You rock!!  I was just thinking roses only do well in So CA!  You proved me wrong!  Take care of my baby!  I'm going to treat her well!

Suzi
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rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
I had one rose I took care of very well.
It was pink and I swear that thing was the size of a dinner plate when the flower was in full bloom.
Had a hard winter a few years back and it died.

I think it is David Austin or Parks Roses but try to add "Ice Burg" to your rose collection.
It is a floribunda with tall canes. The center flower will grow about 6" wide or wider with several smaller ones around it. The thing is so white it glows in the dark.
If memory serves me it had a scent of lemon citrus. Not sure though, had it a while ago.
omotm

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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
Funny, I was thinking fig heaven would be the place that fig trees go after they die.  So along those lines I thought maybe Italy, Greece, Spain?
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Steve
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
that sort of fig heaven is everywhere.. and martin keep it inside of 50 gal drum. :)
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
Dieseler

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Posted Reply with quote  #29 
For the ones that fail to please.
One way ticket to Fig Heaven from an Illinois backyard.

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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #30 
i heard heaven is where your friends are. i'm sure next one going in there will have a lot of company :) 
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
GeneDaniels

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Posted Reply with quote  #31 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bullet08
not just the weather. counting fig wasp, cheap land, affordable houses, cheap water... where is the fig heaven in US?


Well, maybe not fig heaven, but Arkansas is a great choice for cheap land, affordable houses, cheap water and a pretty good climate for figs. There are many old figs in the ground around here that grow without any tending. We have long hot summers and usually mild winters. Here in Central Arkansas we are zone 7a, just a couple miles south starts 8b. This year is particularly cold, and the overnight low at my house so far has been 5F.

Land and housing are dirt cheap here compared to places like CA or FL. In fact, I am mulling over the idea of buying an acre or two and starting a small fig orchard. I have not yet done a business plan, but I think it could be viable for the farmer's market's and maybe "U-pick" crowd.

So welcome to Arkansas, the "Land of Opportunity!" (according to our state motto) 
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pitangadiego

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Posted Reply with quote  #32 
Do green figs go to heaven? If so, Martin won't want to be there.
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Aaron4USA

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Posted Reply with quote  #33 
I stuck 9, yard long fig shoots in the ground this year in Jan 10-15, (just for the heck of it) they are starting to develop plump eyes... Good ole Los Angeles.
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