Hi, my name is Norm. I have a fig collection here in S. Arizona that consists of about 40 varieties. Of those, about half are from commercial purchases, and the rest are from cuttings from fellow fig growers. The biggest challenge is our summer heat, so I am growing a wide variety of figs to find the best for my conditions. While new to figs, I've been a long term gardener with special emphasis on fruit trees, exotic ornamental trees, and cacti and succulents. I have enjoyed learning and honing my skills for the last 70 years - I'm really old! So hopefully I can learn a lot from you as a group of fig growers, and maybe even contribute a bit as I learn. Thanks for having me into your group.
The Fig Spot
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- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2021
- Messages
- 59
Where you at in S. AZ? I used to live in Casa Grande and have a son and family in Florence. We went Camping in Sierra Vista area last summer to do Tombstone, Air Museum, copper mine and eat the "worlds best" hot dogs at a hole in the wall place in Bisbee with 12 Y.O. grandson! I think I would still take a Nathan's from a street stand in NYC with kraut but Bisbee is a close second to me. I forgot what year they won the honor. Grandson said it was the best he ever had. I love love AZ! I think the Casa Grande Ruins are an amazing place, 70 Y.O. next month and to damn mean to die! Relocated from New Orleans to S.E. TN chasing a green eyed vixen. Went to AZ on a contract to open a new prison in Eloy. Retired from there as Capitan 3 years later and came back to TN. Left Son and Daughter in Law working in corrections in the infamous prison central of Pinal County, 13 facilities there. The only thing I grew in AZ was older and a potted Saguaro. Welcome......
I am in Tucson. The elevation is about 2800 feet at my house, so I don't get quite the hard freeze experienced along the arroyos, and the highest heat at lower levels. My greatest challenge is to keep plants watered in the summer - Currently they are all in large pots and I hope to keep them in containers. Right now all of my plants want to bud out due to our uncommonly warm weather, but I expect that we will cycle back into low temps and the plants will make that adjustments. I am wondering what will happen to the reba crop, as they are emerging now. So lots of challenges.
I also propagate plants for Mission Gardens, which is a re-establishment of all of the gardening styles that have been present over the years, starting with the original native peoples. There are Native Gardens, Spanish Gardens, Mexican Gardens, Anglo Gardens, Black Gardens, and Asian Gardens to preserve the gardening history of the many peoples that have settled here. So I keep busy for a 78 year old! Right now I'm rooting lots of cuttings of about a dozen varieties. How about you?
I also propagate plants for Mission Gardens, which is a re-establishment of all of the gardening styles that have been present over the years, starting with the original native peoples. There are Native Gardens, Spanish Gardens, Mexican Gardens, Anglo Gardens, Black Gardens, and Asian Gardens to preserve the gardening history of the many peoples that have settled here. So I keep busy for a 78 year old! Right now I'm rooting lots of cuttings of about a dozen varieties. How about you?
I am in Tucson. The elevation is about 2800 feet at my house, so I don't get quite the hard freeze experienced along the arroyos, and the highest heat at lower levels. My greatest challenge is to keep plants watered in the summer - Currently they are all in large pots and I hope to keep them in containers. Right now all of my plants want to bud out due to our uncommonly warm weather, but I expect that we will cycle back into low temps and the plants will make that adjustments. I am wondering what will happen to the breba crop, as they are emerging now. So lots of challenges.
I also propagate plants for Mission Gardens, which is a re-establishment of all of the gardening styles that have been present over the years, starting with the original native peoples. There are Native Gardens, Spanish Gardens, Mexican Gardens, Anglo Gardens, Black Gardens, and Asian Gardens to preserve the gardening history of the many peoples that have settled here. So I keep busy for a 78 year old! Right now I'm rooting lots of cuttings of about a dozen varieties. How about you?
I also propagate plants for Mission Gardens, which is a re-establishment of all of the gardening styles that have been present over the years, starting with the original native peoples. There are Native Gardens, Spanish Gardens, Mexican Gardens, Anglo Gardens, Black Gardens, and Asian Gardens to preserve the gardening history of the many peoples that have settled here. So I keep busy for a 78 year old! Right now I'm rooting lots of cuttings of about a dozen varieties. How about you?
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2021
- Messages
- 59
Love it. Did you know that there is a Kadota street in Casa Grande? A leftover from a failed attempt in the 1920's to grow Kadota figs in the desert outside of Casa Grande. They grew well with irrigation but as you know the dust storms there sand blasted the soft skin from the fruit and imbedded grains of sand in the fruit. Lots of money lost in that venture as you could not eat them. Still a few trees around the area on ranches or near irrigation ditches it is said.
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2021
- Messages
- 59
The AZ desert is a farmers dream, 3 crops a year. The soil(?) is without nutrients but newer irrigation systems add fertilizer automatically. Massive high wind driven sandstorms will just sandblast soft skined fruit. Well watered figs do great next to a building or wall but commercially they were a flop. BTW, in AZ we have block walls for fences and low growing fig trees will work if behind a wall. The big issue is the water table is dropping like a rock and bigger much, much deeper wells are required for farmers. Cotton is the big $$ crop in some areas. Tons of dairy farms there also. Flying over central AZ is an amazing sight of green crop circles or massive green fields in the middle of the desert.
Funny sight in AZ is mobile sheep herds. They are trucked from one harvested grain field to another, the sheep eat the plant stubble and fallen grain. These folks truck the herd in several semi's, erect temporary fences and live in RV's for the season moving the herd around often in exchange for meat instead of money. Smart folks! I envied them their life driving home from a day of rolling in the dirt fighting inmates or ordering a chopper to life flight staff or inmates to a hospital. At sundown when the campfires were lit and the smell of grilling meat (lots of rabbit running wild in the miles of green fields) hitting my hungry body like a fist as I drove by. It reminded me of old west cattle drives, they even had a "chuck" wagon, horses and sheep dogs. Seems like such a nice way to live. But I've been reading many western novels lately and lament the simple life back then. I spent 3 years in AZ and for a Cajun bayou dweller it was a childhood dream come true living there. I go back often.
Funny sight in AZ is mobile sheep herds. They are trucked from one harvested grain field to another, the sheep eat the plant stubble and fallen grain. These folks truck the herd in several semi's, erect temporary fences and live in RV's for the season moving the herd around often in exchange for meat instead of money. Smart folks! I envied them their life driving home from a day of rolling in the dirt fighting inmates or ordering a chopper to life flight staff or inmates to a hospital. At sundown when the campfires were lit and the smell of grilling meat (lots of rabbit running wild in the miles of green fields) hitting my hungry body like a fist as I drove by. It reminded me of old west cattle drives, they even had a "chuck" wagon, horses and sheep dogs. Seems like such a nice way to live. But I've been reading many western novels lately and lament the simple life back then. I spent 3 years in AZ and for a Cajun bayou dweller it was a childhood dream come true living there. I go back often.
