Takoma Violet aka Tacoma
Hardiness: Survives the Seattle Winter
Type: Bifere
Fruit Ripens: July and Sept
Fruit Color: Black purple with red interior very productive
Taste: Rich and berry like. Tastes better than Chicago Hardy
Fruit Weight: 30grams
Note: Slow rooter, takes closer to 2+ months to root into a small viable plant
From the figs4fun forum:
"I'm always fascinated by the stories behind fig varieties and learned about the history of Takoma Violet,
Kathleen's Black and a few other varieties from Gene Hosey a while
back. I just stumbled across the old email. Here's what he wrote:
"KB did come from a woman named Kathleen who lives/lived in Takoma
Park, Maryland across from the firestation. She and I ran around the
Summer of 2001 ringing doorbells and asking to take cuttings from
neighborhood fig trees. This one was one she had ordered 20? years
before (1981?) for her husband from one of these cheap nursery catalogs
like Michigan Bulb. She said as a kid she always got stuck with the
bananas, and ever since disliked soft, mushy fruit--but she seemed to
love to hunt for cuttings. Takoma Violet came from an
elderly German lady she knew who lived nearby. The Paradiso fig came
from an elderly Italian fellow who lived next door to a home where her
son visited friends."
Others may have known this history already but because of the misspelling I initially thought TV was from Tacoma, WA rather than Takoma Park, MD ."
This is great fig for the PNW. It is rain resistant and ripens in cooler temps. It is also very productive and extremely vigorous.
Both the breba and main crop on this plant will ripen here in Seattle. The brebas are a tad smaller but just as tasty as the main. It will need a little protection to get the brebas here.
The fruit has nice tight eye and is resistant to splitting. Overall, a very tasty fig that is productive and vigorous and is cold hardy! A Perfect fig for the PNW!
