Best tasting fig for SoCal?

[kh0110]

... This fig hobby is getting expensive real quick.
...

Tell me about it!!! BTW, I didn't eexpect Negra d'Agde to be this good compared to the last 2 years when it was at best equal to an excellent VDB. It seems this year the figs are trying to out compete each other. And the winner is a baby possum. The little guy has been helping me around the yard, so this is his paycheck.

[simon_grow]

Is black manzanita a black madeira type? I want to add a black madeira type to my fig espalier I'm making. I only have room for one so I was thinking cravens craving but by all reports black manzanita is phenomenal.

Black Manzanita is not a Black Madeira type. The fruit pictures that the finder, Alastair B, posted were super dark black in the interior. You can see his pictures here
https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/867064-recognize-this-fig-i-believe-it-s-a-seedling

The shape of the leaves, although not the best identifier, is also different. The tree grows more vigorously and easily roots from cuttings. My tree is a rooted air layer less than a year old so the flesh will likely get darker in color as it matures.

Black Madeira and it’s synonyms are very good figs. I like Cravens Craving more than Black Madeira because the fruit are larger and sweeter. I have both varieties grafted onto the same tree but they are different types of grafts.

Here are some pictures of Black Madeira











Simon

[simon_grow]

And here’s Craven’s Craving








And Black Madeira side by side with Cravens Craving. For these two particular fruit, I noticed the drop of fig honey at the eye of Black Madeira was clear in color and for Cravens Craving, the drop of honey in the eye was red.





Simon

[hammer524]

Simon, thanks for details and pics. I’ll stick with purchasing some cravens craving cuttings this winter for my little project.

[Longranger]

Hi everyone,

I just got the fig bug this summer. I have 6 varieties in the ground in Bonsall, north San Diego county. Only second year but both the VdB and Panache have been and still are excellent and very productive. Way better than any store purchased figs. Already have picked up several others to plant early next spring and plan on getting many others including a couple from the black Madeira group. Just did a float test and it looks like I have the wasp. Woohoo. Already have the unk pastiliere to plant. Have any of you planted Male Capris to ensure fog wasps in your gardens?

[sc4001992]

I have the fig wasp, saw them in my capri figs. Also got my large capri fig trees from my neighbor when he wanted to get rid of the tree since it was getting large and too close to his border line block wall. It was nice after I dug it up, got 3 air layer branches first, then dug up the main tree (all capri fig) now in my yard. Only took me 3 hrs to dig it up and move it.

[Seanny]

My favorites for this year (2021) has to be the Vista.

Vista is same as VdB.

[johnb51]

My sister has fig trees in Richmond, VA, and my brother-in-law in DFW, TX.  My sister and I were talking recently about how much we loved figs growing up in SoCal, and those were just good old Black Mission, and occasionally we came across a Kadota tree.  Fig trees don't grow here due to nematodes in the soil.  The closest thing we have in the same category of "super-sweet/non-acidic" is sapodilla, which like fig makes a beautiful tree, too (albeit much larger).

[Seanny]

Fig trees don't grow here due to nematodes in the soil.

Have you tried growing them in pots?

[johnb51]

Fig trees don't grow here due to nematodes in the soil.

Have you tried growing them in pots?

Ha!  That's what my sister suggested I do.  I might try it in the future.  Which varieties do you recommend for pots?

[Seanny]

Which varieties do you recommend for pots?

I don’t have an answer for you.
Grow all then pick.

Are you NV of Simon’s NV1?

[sapote]

One of my favorite green fig is Bataglia. I discovered this variety on the way walking home from voting for President election in November 2015. I had never been interested in fig, as I had tasted mediocre figs. I saw some good plump figs on the sidewalk front of an apartment, reached up and got two. It tasted so good and I came back to get couple cutting.
https://www.ourfigs.com/filedata/fetch?photoid=172954&thumb=1

[Seanny]

Anyone else envy of Simon’s Envy 1?