I hope the best for all this thanks giving, and who brought the fig pudding?

I got my first two figs just this spring, a Sweet George and a Hardy Chicago.  They were graciously donated to my collection of anything I can eat by aphahn (Andy).  Thanks to all of Andy’s help, I went from two very healthy and happy rooted and potted fig cuttings to two very healthy and happy fig trees.

To my surprise, both of them produced nearly 20 figs each this year.  Andy had me remove them so the trees could focus on growing as well as preparing for winter.  Which is fine, I’m sure I will be rewarded with figs next year.

Here are a few pics, the first two are a couple weeks after I got them home and repotted them.  Then the Sweet George with some tiny figs on it followed by pics from a couple weeks ago.

Thank s for the great trees and all of the help Andy!!!

Scott

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/aquaman10000/media/fig1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee488/aquaman10000/fig1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/aquaman10000/media/Fig2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee488/aquaman10000/Fig2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/aquaman10000/media/20130815_182420.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee488/aquaman10000/20130815_182420.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/aquaman10000/media/fig3.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee488/aquaman10000/fig3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1230.photobucket.com/user/aquaman10000/media/fig4.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee488/aquaman10000/fig4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Sure enough, there it is.  I was in a hurry a scanned right past it.  The lack of pic through me off…. or at least that will my story.

Thank you for the link

With all of the reading and the huge number of species and cultivars, I think I am going to need to get the 5 or 6 hardiest varieties I can find. I will have to hope for the best with my crazy travel schedule to keep them in pots until they bear fruit.  I will then need to choose the 2 or 3 varieties that taste the best to me, and put them in ground. I will then rehome the remaining potted figs since I am limited in space and keeping them in pots long term is not option at this time.

I knew I had a lot going against me…. USDA Zone 5, 6300 foot elevation, dry windy sub-zero winters, hot dry windy summers….. 

Here’s hoping for the best!!!

Automation in my middle name.  Ok, not really.  I will have 18 zones on my sprinkler system when I complete all of my construction.  Containers may be a short term possibility, however I am often gone during seasonal changes. For example, I may leave in August and not be back until December, completely missing the time frame in which I would need to move them in.

So with that said, like most people have said there will be a certain amount of experimentation and just because it lives for 2 years does not mean that it will live for a third.  I may be gone and not be able to protect them or even not be able to remove their protection in the spring.  So it will be a hit and miss.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for their help and suggestions as well as the many kind welcomes.

Scott  

I’m very glad I stumbled across this forum while I was researching cold hardy figs.  You have all named varieties that my research has yet to reveal. As with all other forums I have seen or been on, there is huge swing in ideals and opinions ranging from passive to aggressive.

Do to the travel that my job requires, I will not be able to grow figs in containers and move them from place to place or in and out as the weather requires nor do I have anyone I would burden with that responsibility.  

So I am left growing them in them ground, or not them growing them at all.  I am fully aware of the fluctuations in climate form year to year as well as I am aware of the suns 11 years cycle.  I also am aware the results of others may be far different then my own as those same results are most likely different than anyone else’s.

I am not new to gardening in any way; I am simply new to figs.

Now, I am planning to build a greenhouse this year depending on my travel and the demand on me of other projects.  The greenhouse however will not be large enough to house the figs and is being built for another purpose. My plan for the figs is to have them in ground on the south side of the green house.  They will receive direct sunlight from around 9AM (summer) till the sun dips behind the front range. I can easily enclose them to protect them from the extremes of winter and provide extra warmth from the green house to assist with their winter survival.  Yet I do understand that this does not guarantee that they will survive the harsh winters here, yet it does give them a calculated chance.