Cold Hardy Figs: Chicago Hardy and Sao Miguel Roxo (Azores Dark)
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- The Mt. Etna family of figs are known for their cold hardiness. Chicago Hardy (AKA Hardy Chicago) is one of the most popular figs in the US. It is a very common and very cold hardy Mt. Etna type. A lesser known Mt. Etna type is Sao Miguel Roxo, sometimes also called Azores Dark. It is similar to Chicago Hardy, but a little larger. I taste test these two figs for a comparison.
*********************************************************
VISIT MY AMAZON STOREFRONT FOR PRODUCTS I USE MOST OFTEN IN MY GARDEN*
www.amazon.com...
*********************************************************
VISIT MY MERCHANDISE STORE
shop.spreadshi...
*********************************************************
EQUIPMENT I MOST OFTEN USE IN MY GARDEN (INDIVIDUAL LINKS)*:
Miracle-Gro Soluble All Purpose Plant Food amzn.to/3qNPkXk
Miracle-Gro Soluble Bloom Booster Plant Food amzn.to/2GKYG0j
Miracle-Gro Soluble Tomato Plant Food amzn.to/2GDgJ8n
Jack's Fertilizer, 20-20-20, 25 lb. amzn.to/3AuNUFK
Southern Ag Liquid Copper Fungicide amzn.to/2HTCKRd
Southern Ag Natural Pyrethrin Concentrate amzn.to/2UHSNGE
Monterey Organic Spinosad Concentrate amzn.to/3qOU8f5
Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer (BT Concentrate) amzn.to/2SMXL8D
Cordless ULV Fogger Machine amzn.to/36e96Sl
Weed Barrier with UV Resistance amzn.to/3yp3MaJ
Organza Bags (Fig-size) amzn.to/3AyaMUz
Organza Bags (Tomato-size) amzn.to/36fy4Re
Injection Molded Nursery Pots amzn.to/3AucVAB
Heavy Duty Plant Grow Bags amzn.to/2UqvsgC
6.5 Inch Hand Pruner Pruning Shears amzn.to/3jHI1yL
Japanese Pruning Saw with Blade amzn.to/3wjpw6o
Double Tomato Hooks with Twine amzn.to/3Awptr9
String Trellis Tomato Support Clips amzn.to/3wiBjlB
Nylon Mason Line, 500FT amzn.to/3wd9cEo
Expandable Vinyl Garden Tape amzn.to/3jL7JCI
*********************************************************
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Me on TWITTER (@NCGardening) / ncgardening
Follow Me on INSTAGRAM / millennialgardener_nc
*********************************************************
ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8A
*********************************************************
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
© The Millennial Gardener
Follow me on Twitter @NCGardening for garden updates and photos! twitter.com/NCGardening
Afternoon! what wood are you using as mulch in your containers/ I have shredded Cyprus, but it's pretty fine, so, not sure about it.
@@shashakeeleh5468 anything natural is fine. You can use pine bark nuggets, cypress, shredded hardwood bark, cedar - it doesn't matter. Just don't use a dyed mulch, rubber mulch or something synthetic. As long as it is a 100% natural product, you're fine.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you. Have a great weekend!
You probably dont give a shit but if you're stoned like me during the covid times then you can watch all the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Have been binge watching with my girlfriend lately =)
@Yousef Taylor Yup, been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself :)
I have my Chicago hardy growing in the ground in a rised bed in Texas and , every year just get better and better it rivals any other well known figs . I also love the compact size of this tree .
If you like Chicago Hardy, I recommend looking into the Sao Miguel Roxo. It's sort of like an "improved" version. It's similar in many respects, but it's larger, sweeter and has a richer flavor. It's pretty good if you like red berry figs.
@@TheMillennialGardener 👍
Mine is not compact it's large. Grows nine feet in a year from almost total die back.
@@kicknadeadcat Chicago hardy fig has a very high cold tolerance and compact grow habit . Mine have withstand very cold temps for up to a week and never died back or suffer any cold damage at all . Yours is probably not the same fig variety .
My potted chicago hardy is a second year tree in 7A. They are consistently 30-40gram. CH is a great variety.
That's pretty large for a Chicago Hardy fig!
Chicago Hardy is an amazing fig. Maybe it's that yours is in a pot. I hope your audience reads this comments so they know there are different opinions.
My Chicago Hardy is in ground. Gives a sugar punch when fully ripe. A consistent long season bearer when fertilized well. A well shaped dwarf tree .
That's interesting. It is the only variety so far that isn't very tasty for me. I guess my thought is even if it takes a few years to get good, there are so many that are good right away it isn't worth it to me to wait. I was hoping for better.
@@TheSUale I agree. My inground is first year from a cutting and has grown beautifully and producing figs almost daily. Right now it has about 60 figs on it, from 3-6 figs ripening daily.
I believe that you cannot duplicate in the ground- vs in a pot.
I believe you can. Same soil ,moisture, Sun and fertilizer. No difference in taste. Just a smaller tree. I have both in pot and inground. Even the size of fruit is the same. And mine taste very good.
I have a Chicago Hardy here in Richmond, VA. You probably should plant them in the ground, mine are bigger and delicious!
Robert Sine how large do yours get? I’m sure they get larger with time, but I’m wary of investing years into a tree when other varieties are better and larger immediately.
There are only two people that push this fig, one of whom is a known and for some reason accepted scam artist. Shout out to the kid ross. A hardy chicago is a hardy chicago no matter what name someone gives it. Some are slighly larger, some slightly smaller, the varying degrees of taste relate to small differences in soil, nutrients, light, heat, etc... It is not bc someone gave a known variety a new name to make money or to feel like a fig pioneer. Hardy chicago is a good solid fig that can always be relied upon, ive never tasted a bad hardy chicago, that being said ive never tasted a great hardy chicago either. My advice to anyone new to figs, steer away from ALL varieties ross mentions bc its just a hype train. As seen by this video, anyone who has grown figs for more than a few years can attest to this unless they are a groupie, of which there are many. One love.
Can i grow figi tree in the filippine
@@enricozeppieri3235 you need to find varieties that suit your environmental conditions
Gotta love Chicago Hardy. It's a reliable, great tasting little fig.
Your response I feel is genuine and true and I feel you know what you are talking thru experience. Our world has become so fake and money driven, it is hard to have an honest exchange. We are surrounded by scam artists and cheats. I am new to figs and live in 7a zone and have fig fever. After eating fresh figs for the first time I was hooked. What figs would you say are hardy but are worth growing for taste and productivity? I would really value your response 👍 for I to have been beguiled by the ramblings of Ross. (The Joe Isuzu of figs) m
Thanks for your honest opinion on those figs. Hope they improve. I just repotted my black genoa yesterday. The tree the cutting came off was awesome in its vitality and crop so I have my fingers crossed. Am fertilizing following your regime.
Nice. Good luck! Let me know how it works out.
Give those Chicago Hardy a chance.... mine are two years old this year and mine have been much larger and very delicious .. They DO get bigger.. believe me. It takes at least three years for a fig tree to mature and have full flavor and size.
I totally believe that. I don't know if it is worth it to me, though. I am in Zone 8, so nearly any fig variety can survive in-ground here. If you're in Zones 6 and 7, it's probably totally worth it to invest in a Chicago Hardy, but with varieties like Smith, I-258, Black Madeira, the Col de Dame's, any many more that are immediately delicious and larger, I don't see myself investing years into a tree to get good fruit.
@@TheMillennialGardener Yeah, I get that... zone 8 is good for so many more varieties... and like you said, it would be good root stock.
@@TheMillennialGardener you must not grow any exotics then. A lot of tropical fruit trees many of us grow take years to fruit no matter what, regardless of graft status or seed.
@@GerardGibney3 I meant specifically fig trees. They fruit very quickly, and I want varieties that are top notch immediately. I have plenty of other trees I'm investing in long-term: citrus, avocado, pineapple guava, this year I intend to add pawpaws...they take years to produce and hold fruit.
Container size and soil can make a huge difference in the taste. Even the container drying out once can affect the translocation of sugar. They really need to be in the ground.
I grow a lot of different fruits including figs and its my experience that young trees just don't deliver good fruit. With most fruit trees you don't let the fruit stand on the tree for the first couple of fruiting years. Then with mature trees, you have to keep the fruit thinned out to get the best fruit. You might want to give your trees a 2nd year of fruiting before eliminating them.
I generally agree with you, fruit gets good around the 3rd ripening season. However, my Olympian, I-258, Smith, and even Lattarula are delicious right off the bat. If this is the worst they’ll be, they are going to be mind blowing in a couple years. I am just struggling with the idea of waiting years to see if these two pan out while my other ones are awesome immediately. I’ll probably keep the Sao Miguel Roxo because of its reputation, but CH is going to become rootstock for a Panache at this rate. We will see, I haven’t made up my mind just yet.
@@TheMillennialGardener Any update on the fig tree this year?
@@__evidence__in__my__channe5172 yes, I created many update videos this past summer. I compiled them all in a Playlist here for your convenience: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIEXYN0adm_bcjJfVJObM3CM.html
@@TheMillennialGardener says no results found when clicking it
I have one in the ground. Last season was the second season. Died all the way back to about a foot. Came back with about 12 or more branches that I thinned out to 6. Grew 9' and produced about 30 figs. That were medium sized 35 grams or so very good berry flavor. I expect a lot more this year.
Interesting, since I'm in NC (west) also and my Chicago Hardy is delicious.
I am in Zone 6A and it is my 1st year with Figs... I picked them up in June and July so decided to focus on growth instead of fruit but am hoping the CH does well.. I have 2 Chicago, one Celeste and actually ordered a Violet De Boreaux and well as a Laitiza that have not come yet.. my focus with those two will be to just get them lignified so I can store them away and test if they can survive over winter.
Frostydawg24 I think that’s a solid plan. I’m a bit spoiled with my long growing season, but in your zone the Mt. Etna types are a no-brained. Everyone is saying it gets better with age, and I believe that. Larger, more robust roots will certainly improve fruit quality. Are you going to try them in-ground?
@@TheMillennialGardener - No, I think I like the idea of keeping them in containers so I can possibly get a small green house down the line and get them early starts in the spring.
That’s definitely the safer bet. But if you have the room, don’t be afraid to try a short season, cold hardy variety like Olympian in ground. I can’t say enough good things about it. It ripens early, doesn’t need a lot of heat to ripen and is one of the most cold hardy types.
Omg! I just tasted my first CH today, and then I see your video on the same. I had the same reaction. Not very foggy, just kinda fruity. But I’ll stick with as this is it’s first year producing. Thanks for your excellent info!
*figgy
Thanks for watching. I’m sure it has potential.
Thank you for this video I think your method is great.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I really like my Celeste Figs.
Wow. After looking at your video, I don't think mine is a Chicago Hardy. My leaves look more like a sword and larger just like your Sao Miguel Roxo (Azores Dark). I will have to look at leaves more closely.
Sao Miguel Roxo is a white rare fig. Leaves are not a good indicator of type. They can change on you for years. You’d be better off comparing the fruit.
@@TheMillennialGardener Oh, ok. Thanks for clarifying. Then all of mine are Chicago Hardy's then.
You want to keep ants out of your pots and off your plants? Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soils surface and under and around the base. Doesn’t take much.
Couldn't agree more man, I get it if your in zone 6 ya you probably need a Chicago hardy, but there are a lot of what I would consider low grade figs that are better... hell English brown Turkey is wayyyyy better.
The Olympian blows it away, no question. It is earlier, larger and tastes better, and it also extremely cold hardy. If you had to go with a Mt. Etna type due to temperatures, the Sao Miguel Roxo is better. It is larger and has better flavor. I'm curious to see how the Marseilles Black performs.
I'm probably going to acquire a few more Mt. Etna's this winter. Have a HC (super slow grower), Dark Portuguese (seems to be growing well), and plan on picking up MBVS (or two). Is this the Sao Miguel that HarveyC sells cuttings for? Gonna have to add it to the list if it is :)
It should be. I got mine from a well-respected member on Ourfigs, so as long as everyone is labeling properly, it should match. It appears to match Ross's "Azores Dark" fig that he raves about, and Azores Dark and SMR are the same.
It is definitely better than the Chicago Hardy. Larger, sweeter, but still didn't blow me away like my Olympian, Smith and I-258 did.
I just planted a Chicago Hardy here in Florida from a container into the ground. It is about 4 ft tall. When planting I notice well developed circular roots. I manipulated the sides of the plant but didn't do much with the bottom of the plant where the circular pattern existed. Should I uproot, disrupt the shape of the circular pattern and replant?
I purchased some dwarf cutting that once planted in ground, new non-dwarf shoots shot up and grew 3-4 ft in 3 months. Do you know how they are dwarfing them? -or- are they supposed to be a dwarf species?
I don’t believe there are any “dwarf” figs, just some varieties are smaller than others. Figs like Chicago Hardy and Violette de Bordeaux tend to stay under 10 feet, whereas something like a Brown Turkey and Panache can grow 30 feet and have an enormous canopy over decades. If you want to have a smaller tree, you can graft onto a Chicago Hardy and Violette de Bordeaux to keep growth suppressed if you want to have an old, classic fig tree without taking up the entire yard.
Mine taste great
It's because they are great!
How old is it? I'm being told Chicago Hardy takes a few years to get good. So far, it's the only variety I have that I find not very flavorful.
3 years old. Started off slow now it’s a 7/10
Its about nine or ten try’s old.
Enjoyed watching. Which 3 varieties would you recommend for Denver CO zone 6a??? Peace.
Daniel 4774 I assume you would be growing in containers, right? If so, one variety you should probably have is Ronde de Bordeaux. Everyone says it is the earliest variety. I don’t have it, but its reputation is stellar.
The second you should have is Improved Celeste. Again, I don’t have it (I have regular Celeste), but it is known for being extremely early. Don’t go for the regular Celeste, that does better in the South.
The third is a tough call. I have Olympian and would think that would be a good variety for you. It doesn’t need a lot of heat to ripen. But maybe Chicago Hardy or Marseilles Black VS would be good choices because they are cold hardy and ripen in shorter seasons. But they need heat to develop sugars I’ve found, whereas the Olympian does well without regular heat.
Those are my initial thoughts. I’m sure there are many other earlier figs that I don’t have and don’t know about. There are so many...
@@TheMillennialGardener thanks for the quick response. The front range very challenging. But i really want a fresh FIG. PEACE.
Please don't use God's name in vain. Thank you. Maybe you can edit it out.
Sorry nobody cares. Thank you.
My Chicago hardy is 2 years old and the fruit is not ripe. How come? How long does the fruit have to set before it ripens?
Chicago Hardy, from the reports I've gotten, needs a lot of heat to ripen. Most of the US has much less growing degree days than where I live (I live in a warm zone), so my figs are going to be earlier than most. Sounds like you just need to give it more time. The rule of thumb is 90 days from figlet formation to ripening. The Chicago Hardy may be a little earlier, but go with 90 to be conservative.
COME ON! Chicago Hardy is absolutely delicious! I have a tree in the NYC area in ground and it produces absolutely delicious figs along the sea. We can and do grow other types, but this one is very good and maybe that is why it is so common? there are a few others that can do the same thing but Chicago Hardy won the popular consensus for a reason. knocking it is a pseudo elitist mentality and just because a fig cultivar has more clout or is rarer does NOT mean it is better. kind of getting SICK of relatively amateur growers developing a youtube channel and bashing common cultivars that have obvious advantages...ross raddi tried this lame song and dance for awhile until more or less admitting he played himself and got lost in the hype! you want a really good fruit tree? grow a soursop...
I think you're misunderstanding the intentions of this video. I could not care less what the variety is. If it's good, it's good. I gave very high marks to Violette de Bordeaux and Olympian, which are two of the most common figs out there. Similarly, the Sao Miguel Roxo, which is very rare and desirable, I wasn't too impressed with. I didn't give the Chicago Hardy high marks because the fruit I got off the tree wasn't very good. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't very good. That's my honest opinion. Will it be better in a couple years? Maybe, and if that happens, I'll change my review. Maybe it's a variety that takes a few years to get good, or maybe I got a lousy sport propagated by whoever supplies trees to Home Depot.
If you could point out where in the video I was "bashing" anything, please let me know. I don't think I did that. I'm never going to give you more than my honest review. Taste is subjective. You can love something and me not like it, and vice versa.
What do you do for root bound figs in pots?
You want to incrementally up-pot your figs. Go from a rooted cutting to a 1 gal pot, to 5 gal, to 10 gal, etc. If your tree is root-bound, the best thing to do is to up-pot it into a larger container if you can handle a larger, heavier tree.
If you cannot handle a larger container for whatever reason, you are going to have to trim the tree back during the dormant season. I would recommend doing this during full dormancy, but a few weeks before the tree begins to historically wake up. So if normally your tree begins waking up in early March, do this in early to mid February.
First, if you haven’t already pruned the tree earlier in the dormant season, you want to prune the tree back as much as you are willing to. Next, pull the tree from the pot. With clean trimmers, cut the roots back. This is a bit of an art. You probably want to remove around 1/3 of the root ball. Shake some of the old soil off and re-pot it with fresh soil.
This refreshes the tree and gets it growing again.
The Millennial Gardener my fig is in a pretty big pot. It's about 10 years old and gives a good number of figs, but this year it didn't put out much new growth. Wondering if it's root bound. Was thinking about root pruning this year.
@@zampboy8658 it could probably use a refresh. Sometimes, gardeners have to cut the fig tree back to the base so it grows back with a new, fresh trunk. Before going that extreme, I'd go with a root pruning and a heavy tree pruning to see if that gets it growing with new growth again. If not, it may be time for a full cut-back. Main crop figs are only produced on new year's wood, so if you get to the point where the container is too small to produce enough new growth, you have little choice but to cut it back.
Do you have little ruby red fig in your collection? I am in 5b and have begun my fig journey with the Chicago hardy lol. I been thinking about making that as my next acquisition and of course bring it indoors in winter. if you have it and your thoughts on it
I’m not familiar with that variety. I think in your climate, the most important thing would be to go for varieties that don’t need a lot of heat to ripen. Look into Olympian and other English Brown Turkey types. They need less heat to ripen properly. Chicago Hardy is obviously cold hardy, but it needs a lot of heat to ripen properly. I assume you’ll be growing in containers?
@@TheMillennialGardener yes of course containers. Our winters can be brutal. Last winter we had a couple of days - 40.. Soo yea def containers
The TB Master but 5b is only minimum temps between -15 - -10F. -40 is like zone 2!! I’ve heard of the hardiest figs surviving negatives. I’ve heard of people growing them in 6a with protection. My grandfather has 2 massive figs that grow back every year unprotected in 6b.
@@TheMillennialGardener yea this puppy is coming indoors for sure in winter haha. I am getting a Olympian like you suggested. Obviously I don't expect any fruits this season. I want to pot it and get it to start establishing itself before winter comes around November for us. Then spring hopefully it be off to a good start
Hardy Chicago is not cold hardy at all. I have some of them planted in my yard in Maryland. They freeze to the ground every year. I just don't know how they gained the reputation of cold hardy. I have different strands to include some from Burpee. They all freeze to death every year. I think they are over rated. I am going to go with MBVS instead.
The reason why they have a reputation for being cold-hardy is that they grow back every year despite being killed down to the roots. Many varieties won't. All fig wood is going to be damaged once you hit around 17 degrees Fahrenheit, or so. The key is whether they come back in the spring.
Mine get 1 1/2” x 3” long.
That’s not bad at all. Is the tree in ground? How old is it?
V