Behold…the first ripe fig of the season. Any fig experts out there? Is this a brown turkey?
5 thoughts on “First Ripe Fig”
Oh it worked that time. Your figs look just like mine. Unfortunately I’m not sure what variety mine are either. I bought them from Gurneys last fall. At the time the variety named was an Italian Honey Fig and the description of the fig was like your green one, but the picture was purple. To my surprise, it began fruiting in Jan and the figs are now purple. So whatever Gurneys sent I have. But neither they nor I know what it is. Since then they have removed the Italian Honey fig description. If its makes you feel better it looks like its an industry wide fig problem. Maybe if I contact them they’ll be able to tell me. What grow zone are you? I’m a six and I’m looking for a fig to survive the winter here. Now that I don’t know what variety I have who knows if it will live through a winter. I’ve kept it inside since I got it.
The case of the unknown figs. An epidemic I see. Hmmm. Good thing we like mysteries. lol
I too am in zone 6, 6a to be exact, and normally keep my figs in their containers on a barely heated porch during the winter. This winter I lost a couple of cuttings I had started last year but I think that was more due to the fact that they were only watered once all winter. Normally I don’t water the 5gal containers but I had a number of 1gal and some still in 20oz plastic cups and some in 6″ pots. I lost one of each of the cups and a 6 incher.
I am doing an experiment this year. I planted one of each variety outside, whatever they may be. They are on the south side of the house, up against the house. We have a basement so that should help keep the soil a little warmer than it would be out in the open. Also the south side should keep the cold north winds from hitting them directly and drying them out. The plan is to create a small wire cage for each and fill them with leaves. If they survive the winter and get too large for the cages I’m not sure what I will do. I’ve heard that in some areas they can die back to the ground and come back to fruit the next season. I would imagine they would have to have a pretty extensive root system for that to occur here if it would. I would be happy if I could keep them at 4-5′ or so.
Will keep you posted.
This looks like a black mission fig, the most commonly grown fig in the US. Turkish Brown figs are tannish, rounder and fatter. How did they taste? And did you have bird issues, or did you grow in a cage?
You know I did wonder about black mission. They tasted good though I like the other variety more. No problems with birds yet. Perhaps they aren’t aware how good they are. They are in their pots on the porch out in the open.
If the figs grow green the birds do not identify them as they are color blind. You could check with figs4fun.com re: identification, they should be able to assist.
Oh it worked that time. Your figs look just like mine. Unfortunately I’m not sure what variety mine are either. I bought them from Gurneys last fall. At the time the variety named was an Italian Honey Fig and the description of the fig was like your green one, but the picture was purple. To my surprise, it began fruiting in Jan and the figs are now purple. So whatever Gurneys sent I have. But neither they nor I know what it is. Since then they have removed the Italian Honey fig description. If its makes you feel better it looks like its an industry wide fig problem. Maybe if I contact them they’ll be able to tell me. What grow zone are you? I’m a six and I’m looking for a fig to survive the winter here. Now that I don’t know what variety I have who knows if it will live through a winter. I’ve kept it inside since I got it.
The case of the unknown figs. An epidemic I see. Hmmm. Good thing we like mysteries. lol
I too am in zone 6, 6a to be exact, and normally keep my figs in their containers on a barely heated porch during the winter. This winter I lost a couple of cuttings I had started last year but I think that was more due to the fact that they were only watered once all winter. Normally I don’t water the 5gal containers but I had a number of 1gal and some still in 20oz plastic cups and some in 6″ pots. I lost one of each of the cups and a 6 incher.
I am doing an experiment this year. I planted one of each variety outside, whatever they may be. They are on the south side of the house, up against the house. We have a basement so that should help keep the soil a little warmer than it would be out in the open. Also the south side should keep the cold north winds from hitting them directly and drying them out. The plan is to create a small wire cage for each and fill them with leaves. If they survive the winter and get too large for the cages I’m not sure what I will do. I’ve heard that in some areas they can die back to the ground and come back to fruit the next season. I would imagine they would have to have a pretty extensive root system for that to occur here if it would. I would be happy if I could keep them at 4-5′ or so.
Will keep you posted.
This looks like a black mission fig, the most commonly grown fig in the US. Turkish Brown figs are tannish, rounder and fatter. How did they taste? And did you have bird issues, or did you grow in a cage?
You know I did wonder about black mission. They tasted good though I like the other variety more. No problems with birds yet. Perhaps they aren’t aware how good they are. They are in their pots on the porch out in the open.
If the figs grow green the birds do not identify them as they are color blind. You could check with figs4fun.com re: identification, they should be able to assist.