TimV
Puritanboard Botanist
Just topped off a nice breakfast with some fresh figs. If you've ever had any fresh from the tree, you will see why Christ sought them out.
This post is for those who live in areas where figs can grow, and have a bit of extra space.
When the Spanish Padres came to California, they planted what we now call the black Mission variety. They have two crops per year, one early in the season, so you have fresh fruit when there's not much else, and one later, which is ripens over a month or so, there's fresh fruit before winter. They dry VERY easily as well, so one tree can go a long way to keep a family healthy during the whole year. Home dried figs are as nice as candy.
I took a cutting from a tree that was started as a cutting from the original Mission fig at the San Luis Obispo Mission. It's a straight cutting, as with figs, unlike most fruit trees, you don't need to graft. Just take about a foot and a half from a year old branch, and plant it three quarters of the length into the ground and keep it moist.
Since it's a cutting, I'm literally eating from the same tree as the original Spanish missionaries. The cutting will produce fruit in three years. Pull off all the figs produced in the first and second year so the energy can go into the development of the tree rather than the fruit.
With figs pruning is easy, you just prune it to fit the space you have for it, take out everything that grows up from the roots, and any crossing branches. They only bear on wood one year old, not like an apple or pear that can bear on the same branches for years, so don't cut off too many of the darker shoots.
They don't need much water, which is a plus, and very little fertilizer, although they do respond to plenty of water and fertilizing once per month in the growing season.
Gophers are a problem, but very little else. You never need to spray them for bugs, although you may have to fight birds for the figs.
All in all one of the very easiest of fruit trees, and one singled out as pleasant and useful by God Himself.
This post is for those who live in areas where figs can grow, and have a bit of extra space.
When the Spanish Padres came to California, they planted what we now call the black Mission variety. They have two crops per year, one early in the season, so you have fresh fruit when there's not much else, and one later, which is ripens over a month or so, there's fresh fruit before winter. They dry VERY easily as well, so one tree can go a long way to keep a family healthy during the whole year. Home dried figs are as nice as candy.
I took a cutting from a tree that was started as a cutting from the original Mission fig at the San Luis Obispo Mission. It's a straight cutting, as with figs, unlike most fruit trees, you don't need to graft. Just take about a foot and a half from a year old branch, and plant it three quarters of the length into the ground and keep it moist.
Since it's a cutting, I'm literally eating from the same tree as the original Spanish missionaries. The cutting will produce fruit in three years. Pull off all the figs produced in the first and second year so the energy can go into the development of the tree rather than the fruit.
With figs pruning is easy, you just prune it to fit the space you have for it, take out everything that grows up from the roots, and any crossing branches. They only bear on wood one year old, not like an apple or pear that can bear on the same branches for years, so don't cut off too many of the darker shoots.
They don't need much water, which is a plus, and very little fertilizer, although they do respond to plenty of water and fertilizing once per month in the growing season.
Gophers are a problem, but very little else. You never need to spray them for bugs, although you may have to fight birds for the figs.
All in all one of the very easiest of fruit trees, and one singled out as pleasant and useful by God Himself.