GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

06-09-2003, 02:32 AM

(James) writes:
I have a fig that's either a Brown Turkey or Celeste. Nursery had
them on sale because the labels got lost.

It's finally bearing but the fruits are splitting like 3 pedal flowers
before they are fully ripe. It may be due to excess rain. The
blossom end changed color but the stem end is still green and have
white latex if I pick the fruit. I assume they are not fully ripe
because they taste a little bland. Since this is my first experience
I don't know what to expect.

My Dad had a good fig tree. Yes, sometimes the fruit did split. As with
all splitting fruit, this happens around fruiting time whenever the tree
experiences very wet conditions following a drier (or normal) spell.
I think figs will ripen some more after they are picked, but if yours
don't, then you could trial making a small amount of fig jam. They might
be quite okay for jam even when firm and bland.

The biggest problem was birds and fruitfly; both can be partly defeated
by picking the fruit at earliest possible, usually by not allowing it to
fully ripen on the tree. I'd guess that you have your tree netted,
otherwise the fruit would not survive to even the base-softening stage?
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)