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Subject: Problems Posting Images? Storage Limit Exceeded? More Than 1MB? Replies: 45
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 687
 
Much appreciated topic.  Hadn't spent the time to find a hosting site..

Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Sas- the main nursery (in the first picture) had a small amount of liquid chemical fertilizer early on because the plants were looking a little yellow from all the wood mulch (when they were about a foot tall).   However, the vast majority of the growth came steadily through the season afterward.  No organic fertilizers were used on the nursery- simply because there was no way I had enough for the roughly 500 hundred trees.

The lone LSU Champagne grew particularly large and tall mainly because a large amount of organic nitrogen sources were placed in a trench dug up next to the tree.  This trench also soaked up rain water and so the plant never had a lack of water or nutrients all summer/fall- even though I only watered once.

Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Quick picture update.  These two pictures are both of plants started from cuttings this year.  They all probably emerged from the soil level in May or June.  The second picture is a LSU Champagne.

Had to upload the pictures to Flickr since I couldn't upload to this site:

1.  https://flic.kr/p/PbBUGx

2. https://flic.kr/p/PbCsZi



Subject: Surprise fig tree (Unk Lake Spur) Replies: 73
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 3,140
 
Yes, a very pleasant surprise :)  Maybe next year the fruit will set earlier and they all will ripen before the frost..

Subject: Fico Gentile Replies: 8
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 263
 
Look very nice!

Subject: Surprise fig tree (Unk Lake Spur) Replies: 73
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 3,140
 
I know this thread hasn't had activity this year, but today I ate my first 4 Unk Lake Spur figs!  In January of this year I got a potted ULS from Charlie and planted around March.  The bush took off but the fruit took quite a while to ripen...  But wow, the figs have a beautiful green/red coloring and an incredible taste!  A new favorite.  Thanks Charlie.

Subject: Craven's Craving Figs Replies: 35
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 564
 
Amazing.  Would love to trade for or buy some cuttings!

Subject: waiting.... Replies: 11
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 239
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
There's always one more day right!  To me, if it comes off easy and no fig sap oozes from the separation then it's done.  But you won't know if it's going to ooze sap unless you pull it off. :)


Hey Charlie, good advice :)  I picked my very first ever fig today from my own tree, that is.  It was actually in the nursery from an HC.  Sap oozed out quickly at the separation, but the fruit was much better than I expected- quite sweet. 

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
Yes, more batteries would really be a good move :)

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SCfigFanatic
What type/ storage capacity batteries do you have?

Doug


We have 4 "golf cart" batteries that have slightly more storage than the "solar" deep cycle batteries we had previously.  They are Duracell Ultra, but I don't remember the capacity, but it was about the highest amp hours that the store had..

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
@Pino- We have deer, raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits.  There are very rare sightings of bears and mountian lions.  The deer don't seem to bother the fig trees, but may eat the ripe figs.  Rabbits aren't a problem either.

@Sas- I cleared it all with a chain saw.  We sold most of the wood as split firewood.  In the garden the stumps were removed with a backhoe, but in the orchard the stumps were left to rot, which saves a bunch of work and doesn't seem to be a big problem in my opinion.

Thanks

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tennesseefig
...  What is the spacing in your fig orchard?


In the orchard, the fig trees are 20' x 20', in the garden they are 15' x 15' and in the nursery they are tightly spaced of course for transplanting ideally this winter/spring.

Thanks Bob :)

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
Thank you very much Meg.  We're excited.

Subject: OT - "Figcentric" Homestead for Sale Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 395
 
We're planning to start an Agricultural School of Missions down in Central America, and we're selling our homestead in the green hills of southeast Oklahoma to help fund the mission.

And only another adventurous fig lover would appreciate our property as much as we do!

200+ fig trees composed solely of 20~ well sourced and identified varieties.  All in-ground.  Here's the details:

24 Son in Fig Nursery Aug 17 2016.jpg 

Ideal homestead for the agriculturally-inclined couple or family. Located in the rolling hills of southeast Oklahoma, the soft soil combined with an already-established orchard, garden, and fig nursery make it an agriculturalist's dream. 200+ fig trees composed of 20 varieties, several each of two varieties of Apples and two varieties of Pears, 10 Concord Grapes, one Persimmon, 5 Hardy Kiwi, 1 Black Walnut, 2 young Pomegranates, and 5 mature thornless Blackberries. All trees are 3-14' tall. Currently there are an estimated 1,000 fruits on the fig trees, and in future years the potential is through the roof.

The 10 acres were purchased by the owner three years ago as merely a forest. Probably over a thousand work hours were spent clearing land, digging holes and trenches for planting, and other homestead development and maintenance tasks.

Has a small cabin, solar system, composting toilet, and nice water well.

Secluded long driveway with no traffic next to property.

Scenic wet-weather creek through property.

Here are some specifics:

1. 10 acres with very few rocks- very good for agriculture. Many other properties in this area have quite a few rocks that make gardening difficult.

2. Beautiful wet-weather creek flowing through the property.

3. Tall trees on about 8 acres. Hickory, Oak, Cedar, and Pine.

4. 1 acre is cleared for agriculture including a fruit orchard, fig tree nursery, some blackberries, and a half acre fenced garden. The orchard is a quarter acre planted in apple, pear, fig, and pomegranate trees. The trees were planted in a method similar to the Ellen White method with very large holes. The figs will bear next year (2017) and the apples and pears will be possibly next year (2017) or the year following.

5. We have lived here for three years, starting out in a tent, and now the property has a small one room cabin with a loft that my wife, son, and I live in. The conditions are primitive but sustainable and beautiful.

6. The house is connected to a 1200 watt solar array and 4 deep cycle batteries. We use this for lights, fans, and even cooking on electric burners.

7. We have a very nice well that we feel is a miracle. Only 60 feet deep and 10 gallons per minute with delicious water. We installed a high quality submersible DC well pump made by Shurflo. This only pumps 2 gallons per minute, but we have also have a 5,500 gallon tank (not installed) that could be used to store water.

8. The fig nursery could very well be a possible industry for a family. I have about 15 varieties in the nursery, most of which came directly from the LSU Research Orchard in Baton Rouge, LA. There are about 300 trees in the nursery currently, and about 14 in-ground trees. However, I will probably be selling some of these trees depending on how interested the buyer is in the figs themselves. I can give much more info if desired.

9. There is a $6,000 molded fiberglass storm shelter which is installed next to the house and is ideal for storing bulk food and in case of severe weather. It is the largest model on this webpage from the manufacturer:
http://www.fiberglasscreations.com/fiberglass-storm-shelter/

10. There are 10 Concorde grape vines in the garden that should bear a good crop in two years.

11. The cabin has a total of 320 square feet including the loft.

12. Price is $65,000

We are planning to move to Guatemala to start an Agricultural Mission School. Thank you for your interest!

For more pictures than the ones below, go to our little ad at:
http://texoma.craigslist.org/reo/5737543783.html

02 Front Door of Cabin.jpg 
04 Rocky Creek Area.jpg
23 Large Size Fig Tree in 2nd Year.jpg    18 Cedar Picnic Table.jpg


Subject: New kid on the block-Introduction Replies: 19
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 176
 
Way to go in not being discouraged too quickly :)

Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Nice.  Glad to hear folks.  Thanks for the advice!

Subject: Are fig trees deer resistant? Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 262
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by barnhardt9999
I thought raccoons were rare in the country. Don't they need a steady supply of trash to maintain the huge populations we have to deal with in cities?


I wish they were rare!  One year they ate every single watermelon we raised..  And we had hundreds..

If I sleep out in the orchard with the dog I can keep them away :)

Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SCfigFanatic


I live in a zone 7b-8a.
My orchard is surviving
well being in ground and no winter protection.
With 73 fig trees and 50 plus varieties, I see no difference
in one variety surviving any different than the other.
Nice work FinleyFigs

Doug


Thanks Doug.  Sounds like you have an incredible orchard!  Do you have problems with late frosts?  Can you weigh in on the orchard spacing question?

Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
@Charlie- I'm very thankful for the horizontal method you directed me to, especially since I spaced the 1,500 cuttings so close together!  Imagine what a nightmare it would have been to separate out the trees if they had all come up!  Next time I'll just space the cuttings farther apart and probably try a similar method, but possibly with the cuttings vertical..    So you think 20' x 20' orchard spacing is OK?  Do you think HC will get frozen to the ground each year and therefore maybe I should space them more like 15' x 15'?  Thanks for all the help Charlie.

@Tennessee Fig- I was wondering about rot due to winter covering with leaves, mulch, etc.  Thanks for sharing.  I am pleased with using row covers, but it really only works well covering nursery rows/trees that aren't more than about 3' tall and maybe the same width.

I spread 1500 cuttings out over 500 linear feet of mounded row, so that means an average of 3 cuttings per foot.  They were spaced 6 inches apart in either direction and laid horizontally.  The first year I rooted fig cuttings, I used a much more micro-managed method involving cups, domes, etc and I knew I could never handle a large nursery that way.  The newly-tweaked method in a nutshell has the cuttings sit outside inside mounds of homemade biochar for a couple months (no rot, no humidity monitoring).  Cuttings start forming initials and roots and then the cuttings that seem viable are transferred to about a 1' x 1' spacing in mounded rows and possibly all nodes/buds covered with mulch unless no frost is expected for the rest of the spring.  I think it might be good to place the cuttings vertically, just of course be sure to not damage the roots and make sure there is very good drainage.

See my post about cuttings in biochar at the following link:  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/cuttings-in-biochar-experiment-7750578?pid=1289923053

The varieties I have are:  Unk "Apple", Madeline's Yellow Italian, Madeline's Dark, Madeline's Green Greek, Hardy Chicago, Jim Dandy, Alma, Champagne, Celeste, Unk "Mrs Clark," O'Rourke, Hunt, TX EB, LSU Gold, LSU Purple.  Then I have six or seven other varieties growing as 2 year old trees, but none of those varieties in the nursery..  



Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
@Pino- It's true that our temps dip below 16 F, but figs are relatively popular in our overall area and a high percentage get between 15-20' tall with no winter protection.  Of course this all depends on variety to a degree, but one of the factors is that if you can get your plant to have stems/trunks thicker than 2 inches in diameter, they can take the cold better.  Also, our winter lows often only last for a couple hours in the morning, and this isn't long enough to really freeze the woody plant tissues.  

For example, we had probably an average winter this year, and I kept my one year nursery figs (last year's nursery) in the ground and didn't even suffer damage to anything except maybe the tips of the smallest shoots.  Part of the winter they were covered with a row cover though.  What actually hurt the worst was two late frosts coming in April that completely killed all new growth and forced most of the current growth to come from below ground :(

Here's a [dormant] in-ground fig in Amity, AR- same zone as me (7b).

IMG_5957.JPG 

@Tennessee Fig- I was originally planning to sell the majority, but I am wanting to plant about 75 in a 1/2 acre orchard.  The rest I would like to "donate" to an agricultural school we are trying to start.  We only have one student now, but if the school grows, we may need more.  I don't plan on leaving them in the nursery for more than one year though.  Do your figs mainly freeze to the ground in the winters?  If so, how big do they get in a season?  Also, what varieties are you growing and what's your AHS heat zone?  Thanks!


Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Thanks Dan.  It took roughly 2-3 weeks for the setup work (digging, mounding, & mulching).  But since then it's just been a little weeding.  Now of course watering is the challenge especially since I don't have drip irrigation.  That's where the deeply dug trenches come in pretty handy :)

In the nursery, the rows are 8 feet apart on center, with cuttings originally spaced 6 inches apart in either direction for a total of 3-5 wide in the double dug and mounded row.  

I buried the cuttings about 5 inches deep in the mulch and actually placed them horizontally.  I don't plan on doing this again, because it seemed that although I had a decent rooting/shooting percentage, a large share of the cuttings didn't have the strength to push up through the 5 inches of mulch before they ran out of steam.

In the orchard the spacing is 20' x 20'.  If my trees can make it to a decent size like many do in my area, this should be a good spacing.  If a certain variety gets killed back to the ground each year, I'm going to want to do the orchard spacing significantly tighter.  Anyone with experience in zone 7 orchard growing of varieties such as HC, Champagne, please let me know your thoughts.  I know Celeste and several others can survive and make large trees in my climate though.


Subject: Nursery & In-Ground Update, Zone 7 Replies: 17
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 338
 
Hello All,

I wanted to give everyone a short video of our 300 fig, in-ground nursery as well as some in-ground trees.  Maybe this will encourage others to try old-fashioned methods of deep cultivation and in-ground growing as much as possible.

Many thanks to Charles Johnson of the LSU Ag Center and Charlie from the Fort Smith area for cuttings.

Thanks truly goes to God and also for the Ellen White tree planting method.





Subject: Pictures of your inground fig trees now in zone 6 Replies: 38
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 1,019
 
I'll have to put pictures up of the larger, in-ground trees, but here's the in-ground nursery as of this morning.  -ER, zone 7
IMG_6290 Red.jpg 


Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
Here's a picture of two of the cuttings.  Almost no rot.  Almost every node is growing a shoot, but little rooting.  That's what I expected with this variety though.

IMG_5851.jpg 
Here is a little tree started from a cutting this year with my first fig!  Same variety as the cuttings in the biochar experiment.

IMG_5854.jpg 


Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
Update:  Cuttings are healthy, same color as when placed in the biochar, have shoots up to 1 inch long, and a little bit of roots starting to grow.  This variety is quick to put out shoots and leaves, but slow to root..

Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
Thanks Charlie and Greg :)  Yes, it takes all of us, but I do the lion's share..  Logging is almost the one and only industry out here in the wilderness, and yes, right now the wood is free.  -ER

Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
Ramping up for serious burning!  Praise God.
IMG_5766 Red.jpg 
IMG_5767 Red.jpg 
IMG_5769 Red.jpg 
IMG_5770 Red.jpg 


Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
Greg, too bad you don't live closer- looks like we're almost on the same page :)  I have two methods of making charcoal that I love.  Both have similarities to what you're doing, but one uses basically split firewood size (and a little smaller) in a large [underground] pit.  I get two small fires going in the bottom and add wood until the pit is filled to the top.  I wait until the flames and/or smoke die down almost to nothing (indicating the volatile release is basically over).  Then I mostly cover with sheets of metal and wait for the smoke to slow again.  Then I completely cover and wait until the next day to open.  This method uses no water and, like yours, produces hardly any ash.

The second method uses brush and limbs instead of the larger wood.  I'm in a multi-year land clearing process on our homestead, and I start a small fire on the ground, and we start throwing on brush (whether green or brown).  After about two hours of throwing on brush as fast as one to three people can, we take a hose or water in buckets (about 60-150 gallons) and douse the charcoal to make sure it's out.  On our place the charcoal is mainly from Hickory and Oak.

We have used it in the orchard, composting, and potting mixes.  I'm now starting the process of hauling slabwood from a local mill to convert into charcoal for use in what hopefully will be extensive propagation if my little experiment goes well.

Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
My pleasure everyone :)  Yes, Greg, I make a lot of biochar myself, and this happens to be unsorted (size) charcoal from a pine tree service job I recently did.  Of course hardwood charcoal is more highly regarded for various reasons, but I happen to believe that any charcoal is better than no charcoal.  In my opinion it must be hydrophilic because it absorbs water so well that it's almost like a black hole.

If anyone wants to learn how to make charcoal, you can email me at ericrose82 at gmail.com.  I've tried quite a few methods promoted online, and personally feel that most of the methods don't produce serious amounts of charcoal for your labor.

Here's was charcoal making method #2 :)  Now, this just seems like child's play..
IMG_5379 Red.jpg 

Subject: Cuttings in Biochar Experiment Replies: 14
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 490
 
I acquired about 100 cuttings last winter and rooted them in cups which were in plastic tubs to keep the humidity constant and elevated.  This worked decently, but what happens when a fig lover takes a trip?!?  What if the wood stove burns down and the temperature gets too cold?  Or too hot?  These are serious problems if you want to do hundreds of cuttings.

So, thanks mainly to Charlie, I learned that if you placed cuttings under 4-6 inches of wood chips outside during about the coldest part of the year, they would be provided with a slightly damp, cool (but not freezing environment), and as the year warms up and April or so slips around, a very decent percentage of the cuttings will be rooted and have shoots popping up.  So, what a great way to root cuttings!  No micro-managed temperature and humidity control, little if any watering (at least during the cool months), and better root growth than in pots.

But in my rural location I don't have easy access to wood chips.  But I can make lots of pure biochar, which is just charcoal with the "fines" or small pieces included- unlike the large hardwood charcoal pieces some people burn in their barbecue grill.  And charcoal has some very interesting chemical and biological aspects that I think can very much help in the fig propagation process.  I invite you to take the time to learn a little more about the science of charcoal at:  http://www.charcoalremedies.com/charcoal_science

However, in non-technical language, biochar looks like black coarse perlite in that it's hard, porous, and fairly lightweight.  And relating to the microscopic world, charcoal seems to trap bad microbes, bad chemicals, etc.  It works almost like an antibiotic on wounds- stopping infections, and in cases of poisoning- tying up the bad stuff until it can get out.  So, I'm hoping that these properties might help prevent cuttings from molding and rotting.

So, on September 27 I put 5 brownish-green to very green cuttings from one of my sacrificial trees (CA Brown Turkey) under about 6 inches of biochar to see what will happen.  Here are some pictures taken today (Oct 7), and I'll try to keep you updated.  If they start putting up shoots and then it gets too cold, I'll bring them indoors.  Now, if I started them in December or onward, they wouldn't be putting up shoots until about the time they could handle the temperatures anyways. IMG_5757 Red.jpg  IMG_5760 Red.jpg  IMG_5764 Red.jpg  [Notice the serious bud growth.]


Subject: Cuttings in Oil Dry Experiment (Discontinued) Replies: 32
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 570
 
We'll see if it works :)  After talking to you, I was on the serious hunt for wood chips, but out here in the wilderness they are hard to find!  The closest place I think I can get them from is over an hour away.  But I have access to free sawmill slabs just a couple miles away that I can turn into charcoal- so if it works, I will feel quite blessed.

Subject: Cuttings in Oil Dry Experiment (Discontinued) Replies: 32
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 570
 
Charlie, I know this is cheap and low-tech, but I'm starting some cuttings in course biochar (charcoal, from brush in my case).  It seems to looks like coarse perlite to me (in structure).  I doubt it will stay too wet, and if there is about 4 or more inches of charcoal above the rooting cutting, even in an outside (relatively dry humidity environment), the cutting should stay slightly damp and not dry out.

You can easily make this biochar at home in large quantities (provided you have limbs and brush around).  The only potential problem I can see is that if there is too much ash in the char, the pH might be too far off.

The good news about charcoal is that it seems to be death to various pathogens.  Maybe it will help rot & diseases.

Subject: A Harvest,best my figs can do this year,after die back,to ground. Replies: 10
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 516
 
Looks pretty tasty though!  Next year...

Subject: Dry Turkish figs Replies: 19
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 387
 
I'm sorry to say everybody, but after weeks of waiting, all I can get out of a couple sources is that they are Smyrna figs from the country of Turkey and they're clip size number 3 :)  (I guess that's the sorting size..)  Maybe the growers don't have an English transliteration of the variety name..

Subject: Dry Turkish figs Replies: 19
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 387
 
They should be in high demand, they're way better than dried Black Mission.  We have a call in to Natural Grocers HQ in Colorado for the name of the variety..  Hope to learn soon.

Subject: Dry Turkish figs Replies: 19
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 387
 
We've tried all the dried varieties we can find, and the dried Turkish are basically the best, except for the insects and fermentation problems.  We just had our first package of dried Sierra, and my wife thinks they're better than the Turkish.  They are quite sweet, have a very nice taste, and we had none of the problems of the Turkish.  They must not have the sugar content of the Turkish though, since sugar doesn't seem to exude and crystallize like the Turkish.

Subject: Cold Hardy Fig List by Flavor Replies: 61
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 6,293
 
Thank you for the hard work to help others!

Subject: Smyrna vs Common Figs for Fresh Eating Replies: 0
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 108
 
As far as the dried fruit is concerned, it seems that the smyrna type varieties taste better (probably sweeter?) and have a corner on that market, but for fresh eating, do smyrna figs always taste better than common figs (with no caprification)?

Also, is there any data on the sugar content of smyrna vs common figs, or for any of the varieties?  I know the sugar content varies greatly even from day to day close to harvest, but I would be curious which varieties consistently have the highest sugar content..

-Eric

Subject: When are main crop common figs receptive to the wasp? Replies: 6
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 391
 
I would assume you have to have a common fig with an open eye..  Any recommendations for common figs that would be significantly improved with caprification?  Also if they were hardy to zone 7 that would be nice..

Subject: Starting a new fig forest in southern Ca Replies: 3
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 225
 
Since you have an ideal climate for figs, I would space similar to typical orchards if you have the space- maybe 16-20' in either direction.  Even here in zone 7b, we have figs 25 feet wide.  Of course you could prune to be smaller, but I'm not sure if that's really time efficient if you have a lot of trees.  Your CA soil is probably pretty great- maybe just add manure/nitrogen.  I would primarily concentrate on a large amount of mulch for each tree.  That will conserve water tremendously and each year add nutrition to the soil.  We're big on biochar here, but you may not be able to burn there in CA.  My father had to pay a small fortune to get agricultural waste hauled off in dumpsters because he couldn't burn it there in central CA.  The best to your endeavors.

Subject: Now, I see what all the hoopla was about now!! Replies: 16
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 605
 
How does the taste of RdB compare with VdB?  I've heard so much good about both!  Is one more cold hardy?

Subject: New Fig Grower in SE Oklahoma Replies: 10
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 297
 
Frank, thanks for the reminder!  I had my name in my signature, but it's always good to know a name to associate someone with.  I saw on another post that you have a Adriatic JH tree, and so that solves my question about whether it might work for me (since looks like I'm in a similar climate).  It sounds like one of the tastiest figs.  -Eric

Subject: New Fig Grower in SE Oklahoma Replies: 10
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 297
 
Wow everyone, thanks so much for the comments!
@jdsfrance- Yes, will definitely space out this spring/winter!  Have holes already dug spaced 20' X 20', but that might be too much room..  Any suggestions on winter protection?  We're 7b, so I was thinking two layers of "row cover" might work..  Maybe additional heat if it gets extra cold..  Looks like your climate is pretty cold, what varieties do you grow?  Very interested..

@rcantor- maybe you can send me a message w/ details for your HC cuttings!  My friend actually just soaked the figs in water..  We found that the right amount of water- not too much- is critical to the sweetness and texture of the soaked figs.  Our land was only $500 /acre, but usually it's more like $2,500 to $3,000.  But I've seen 16 acres with a spring and a gorgeous view sell for only $8,000.  Our climate is very good in my opinion for figs- cool wet winter/spring, and hot dry long summers.

The best to all your growing and eating

Subject: New Fig Grower in SE Oklahoma Replies: 10
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 297
 
Hi Everyone,

I'm really enjoying your nice forum and all the helpful advice!  I'm extremely interested in everything Figs, so I welcome all your help.  I was born near Fresno, CA, and grew up eating wild figs in the foothills.  Last year though, a friend let me try some dried Turkish figs he had soaked- it was the best thing I think I have ever eaten!  Like eating pure jam.

This winter I started my fig journey and got around 100 cuttings from local trees and eBay.  Because of my inadequate knowledge of varieties, etc, I threw most out, but now have seven very nice Celeste trees which got up to about three feet already (then were pruned a little).

We're "homesteading" in the Kiamichi Wilderness of SE Oklahoma (7b) on ten acres which we purchased two years ago.  We would like to have a small orchard of figs, and we already sell tomatoes on a very-small-farm scale.

I'm interested in getting cuttings this winter/spring of Hardy Chicago, Osborne Prolific, and possibly some more varieties so please let me know if anyone is willing to sell some.  Also, I would love to connect with other fig growers/fanatics in my general area of the country.  Thanks, Eric P072915_0757.jpg


Subject: JH and SV, a strong couple! Replies: 20
Posted By: FinleyFigs Views: 754
 
It's great to hear that some of the more common varieties can be very delicious.  I'm new on here, and hoping that someone can direct me to some very good to excellent tasting varieties that will grow in the south.  I'm willing to give some cold protection to varieties that have excellent taste, so they don't all have to be extremely cold hardy.  I'm just above the Texas line in Oklahoma, and our summers are hot and dry, unlike say, humid and wet southern Louisiana.  I couldn't find JH Adriatic in the varieties page, but it said that Adriatic was "disappointing in the south."  You also mentioned that wasp gave 29% of the success..  Does it need pollination?