I've been so inspired after watching this video by Jamie on youtube about grafting that I think I will create my own Franken Fig tree next yr. He's made some amazing videos on fig growing, grafting and propagating. Definitely subscribe to him if you can.
I'll start the tree off with all of the northwest favorites.
1. Desert King
2. Violet De Bordeaux
3. Olympian
4. Peter's Honey
5. Ronde De Bordeaux
6. MVSB
Then maybe add
7. Kathleens black
8. Fiorone Di Ruvo
9. Green Goliath
10. Natalina
11. Vincenzo
and more if I can fit it.
Root stock is still up for debate most likely a Desert King. They are built for the Seattle area.
I love going into the yard everyday with Nolan. He absolutely loves figs! I'm happy to let him pick the fruit. It's a great feeling to see him enjoy the same things I do at only 2yrs old. he is somehow able to sniff out every ripe fig in the garden. He doesn't touch them until I give him the nod however.
He's a big fan of spider man and Iron man and gets so excited every time their movies come on.
That's a Marlow aka Olympian that he just picked.
Here he is trying to pick a Golden Riverside.
It's not quite ready yet. I think this is going to be some of the largest fruit from this tree.
I've always been a big advocate of putting a limitation on naming "NEW" fig varieties. It's a proven fact that figs are highly adaptable fruits. They can grow in a wide array of climates. However depending on the environment it grows in the color and fruit shape can be severely affected.
Based on conversations with my friends who grow figs in Singapore. Black figs sometime do not turn black being grown in a tropical environment. The variance in fig appearance can be quite drastic even within the micro climate of a backyard.
So let's not be too hasty in naming a discovered fig because it looks slightly different from a fig you found through google.
I think there are 4 factors to verifying a fig.
1. Experience with a true variety
2. Leaf shape
3. Fruit shape
4. And taste
It's hard to ID any fig through pictures alone.
So let's look at the figs below.
Olympian from my tree
Olympian from my brothers tree
Marlow Fig
Gene's Vashon
These all have different names but in my honest opinion they are probably all the same fig. With that being said. It is still a very good fig. Big meaty, melony fig that grow great here. However if you have one of these you do not need the other.
I picked up my Mary Lane fig from Raintree Nursery in 2016. We made a trip down to the nursery and bought a handful of varieties.
AKA Marlane Seedless, Jelly
Picked 8/19/18 Breba
I left this tree outside over the winter in a 3 gallon pot and it has done great. It tapped it's roots into the ground. This additional source of nutrients is probably what helped it produce fruit this year. This makes it a great candidate for an in ground fig.
I was only able to get 2 off of this tree this yr. Hopefully production will get better when I plant this one in the ground.
It's certainly nice to get a good evaluation on figs after so many yrs of caring for your fig tree. I love the color and size of this fig. It is quite striking when you first encounter it. The yellow color is very vibrant.
Weighs in at a chunky 81.6 Grams
They ripen around the same time as Marlow (Olympian)
Let's talk about it's flavor. It's simply put, like the best tasting Honeydew melon. Fluffy texture and easy to scarf down. Sweetness kicks in after a few chews. The sugars aren't evenly distributed within the fig so be careful about which part you share. =), I like it. And will keep it for sure.
The Marlow fig was originally offered by Burnt Ridge Nursery (Which operates out of Onalaska, WA) around 2010. It is no longer available on their catalog. However some of the trees that were are still in circulation with some fig collectors.
Picked on 8/19/18
I got mine from my friend Slavi.
I tasted it for the first time in about 3yrs. It is a good fig but the similarities of it compared to the Olympian is almost undeniable. It ripens around the same time as the Mary Lane Fig.
1. They ripen around the same time.
2. The leaves look quite similar
3. The figs shape and color are almost identical
4. They even taste the same
Check out this side by side comparison. (2017 left, 2018 right)
Marlow Leaf left - Olympian Leaf Right
So... if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck. Then it probably is one. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the Marlow and Olympian are the same variety. Which also means that it's the same as Gene's Vashon.
If you have one of these you do not need to buy the others.
So onto the taste. This one came in at 75.5grams
I personally think the olympian fig is a great tasting fig! It's big, perfectly sweet, meaty and flavorful. There's very little seed crunch and produces tasty figs when watered properly.
It's been a couple of weeks and the garden is shaping up with the new paver's. Unfortunately these landscapers have polished off all of my ripe brebas. DK, VDB, Marlow, Olympian, Osborn were all picked clean. I was really looking forward to my Bornholm Nexoe. I had one breba in the greenhouse and even that guy was eaten. Sad...
