Seven Foods to avoid

Megan wrote:Betty, I am SO jealous. I adore fresh figs and rarely get them. The ironic part is that we've actually got fig trees on the property but they have never bore any fruit (or bloomed), ... Sigh.

Megan, do you give them winter protection? Our Brown Turkey fig bears on 2-year wood, but since it is hardy only to about 15 degrees ours always died down to the roots each winter. It came back each spring but the first year wood never bore fruit. I was told to cover the entire plant in hay for the winter. After I did that, mine survived the cold winter and was covered in fruit the next year.

Ward, you must be referring to the colonnade and miniature style trees offered by Stark Bros. (starkbros.com) The colonnade apples and crabapple trees grow and produce on a single, straight limb. They are available in spring. I checked their site and their miniature trees - peach, citrus, olive, etc. are not available this season. Maybe they will have them in the fall.

ander217 wrote:
Megan, do you give them winter protection? Our Brown Turkey fig bears on 2-year wood, but since it is hardy only to about 15 degrees ours always died down to the roots each winter. It came back each spring but the first year wood never bore fruit. I was told to cover the entire plant in hay for the winter. After I did that, mine survived the cold winter and was covered in fruit the next year.

The ones out front, we are trying to get rid of (too close to the foundation) so we cut them down whenever they sprout and no protection.

The backyard plants have been aggressively ignored..... may have to look to see if there are any which can be not torn out. Thank you Ander, you are such a font of knowledge!

[quote="Megan"]

ander217 wrote:
Thank you Ander, you are such a font of knowledge!

Nah, I'm just getting older and therefore have made many more mistakes from which to learn.

bettyd_z7_va, I would love to plan a field trip to Edible Landscaping! I check their website once in a while to see if they've scheduled anything for spring yet. I fear I'm becoming a garden fanatic!

Not to keep things off topic, but when we were at Monticello at the Harvest Festival someone picked a fig from one if the trees there (which are against a south-facing wall and seem very happy) and my husband LOVED it! He wanted to find out if they ever offer cuttings because they were so succulent and flavorful. I have no idea what kind they are, though. A friend used to have a huge fig tree beside her driveway that was well-protected from the northern wind and it was huge and produced amazing amounts of fruit. Sadly we don't have a good south-facing location so we're going to have to create one. My husband has talked about building a shed or structure just to protect the fig trees he dreams of planting.

Miinva,

I've dreamed of building a rock or brick wall just for my figs, also. (Just a dream for now.)

I think I will call them and ask about the fig cuttings. They may know the variety.

Let me know ahead of time (before the 1st of the month when they are having an event, so I can set aside extra $$s from my retirement check) and we will plan a trip.

I'm famous for not checking websites until AFTER an event has happened! Old age memory problems!

Hugs,
Betty