Follow FigLife.com and see updates on fig tree varieties, growing tips, and nursery experiences. FigLife is now located in Newcastle, CA and tree sales will resume in 2025.
Wow, congratulations on your move to N CA and your setup and new construction. It’s very impressive what you are doing! I used to live in Granite Bay near New Castle but now living in SF Peninsula. If you need fig cuttings, I would be happy to help you out. Best of luck!
Hey pete i was wondering if you can tell me the kind of fig on your first picture in the intro it looks like a fig i just ripened but i dont know the variety?
Yeah I’ll start by growing some trees on duke avocado seedling rootstock but I’d really like to use some of the newer rootstocks eventually-probably Dusa.
Pete, do you know who Gary Gragg is? I think you two would be simpatico friends. He is owner of Golden Gate Palms nursery. He sells Mangos, citrus, avocados and landscape plants. He has a growing operation in socal and one not far from you where he is establishing an avocado orchard I believe. It's located just west of Winters. He too is always pushing the limits of growing avocados and now he is passionate about mangos. Look him up and talk to him, I think you two have would have much in common and he quite a character.
Hi Pete, great video, welcome to California! Thank you for the update, enjoyed the fig update the most. I am in Fremont, California, and we have BFF here for the 1st time this summer 😢
Here were some of my favorites when I was in Virginia: Top Fig Varieties in 2021 (N. VA) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gEbQ8VmO7MU.html
Thanks, Peter. Well, that was a lot of information and I’m so glad you’re passionate about what you do. We will all be blessed by it. 🥰 I enjoyed meeting your goats. ❤
Fertilizer You also should consider 50# bags of ‘meal’ from your local feed store. Alfalfa meal, soybean meal, or if you’re really lucky DDGs. DDGs is Dried Distiller Grains; dried & pelleted residue from Ethanol production. This sludge is a waste product, so it’s REALLY inexpensive if it’s available in your area. Kelp meal or comfrey leaves can be ‘brewed’ like Sun Tea… put ¼ cup in a milk jug, fill with water & leave in the Sun for a few days to bloom the micronutrients into the water. I sprinkle the pellets so they don’t quite carpet the growing medium (you can still see a bit of soil between ‘em), then I cover that with 1-2” of Home Depot’s steer manure. The pellets & manure actually use microbes to release nutrients slowly; and when pot is watered some will seep into the growing medium. All good. Later in the summer you can decide whether to add a bit more. Personally I brew a nutrient tea with an aquarium bubbler in a 5 gallon pot; throw in a handful of grain meal, handful of compost and a TBSP or two of kelp or dried comfrey ‘tea leaves’ for micronutrients. Brew at least until you get some foam on top, then give your figs a pint or so every 3-4 weeks in the summer. My nutrient tea brewer runs constantly all summer long. It is great for all plants. One of my favorite things to do is buy plants from the ‘distressed’ table at the nursery. They’re in tough shape so I drench-immerse them totally in the tea brewer until their soil stops bubbling. The rest them for a couple days in a shady spot. Repeat if necessary, then plant out. The recovery is like magic. It’s also a good way to give healthy plants a great kick start. Finally, there is a good way to use those eggshells… they should be clean & dry. Buzz them into a fine powder in a blender. Let that blender sit for 5-10 minutes to let the dust settle. You now have calcium carbonate powder. Put ¼ cup into a Mason jar. Add a TBSP vinegar to the jar… it will foam like crazy; when it settles down add a bit more vinegar, repeat this process until you’ve added 2 cups of standard 3% vinegar. Let it sit for a week or two, shake/stirring every time you walk by it. When it no longer smells like vinegar, it’s done and you have liquid calcium acetate that is readily available to plants. One thing to note is the vinegar will eat away at metal lids & it’s a great idea to use an old plastic mayonnaise jar/lid that is not reactive to acid. Mix 1:10 parts water to direct feed plants, simply add to nutrient brewer, or pour onto grain meal & let it dry.
This fig is Severely Lacking flavor. I have 13 different LSU Varieties and this one is a looser . Don't waste your money or time. LSU Scotts Black is delicious .
So how old is the B20 and how is working for you. I am looking at one and not sure if is a good buy being 30yrs old. I can't find much on the B20's as far as how much they are worth in good condition, etc. Trying to find out how hard it is to remove backhoe and loader as I'm getting older now
I think it’s a mid 90s model. I got it thrown in with the house purchase last year. I think the value is going to depend a lot on the condition. Mine hadn’t been run or maintained in a while. I will say that they seem to run well. Mine runs good despite years of neglect. The hydraulics however are tough to deal with. Due to its age, I’m constantly having to place hoses that blow, and the worst is when I need to get a cylinder rebuilt because some are really hard to get out. I’ve never removed the loader but dont think it’s easy because they didn’t have the quick disconnects back then. The back hoe takes time to remove but can mostly be manipulated by the hydraulics to position it.
Hello I have a rigata rossa on the way. I will post here once I get it to produce to compare. i am in Charles county Maryland. I have a 5 yo Chicago Hardy and I planted this year : VDB, RDB,Bourajosste Gris, Black Jack, Beers Black Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Peters Honey
Thanks for the review! I have a few of these growing here in the Houston Texas region ...so far so good. The legendary grower Vasile "Herman" sold me a few of his that trace back to Belleclaire Nursery. Hope your tree is doing well.
My Hollier looks different than this. I sourced mine from Just Fruits & Exotics and my fruits have an amber flesh and look like pics of the Hollier on Just Fruits & Exotics' website. In addition to having a different pulp color, mine does not have an open eye like that when ripe.
