I’m in Greensboro and am prepping my garden plans for next year. Moving into a new house this winter and am excited to have more yard space. You’ve inspired me to give figs a try.
I just this year purchased an Olympian fig culture. Growing like crazy. Now I am confidant that it was the right fig because Dale has approved it. Great vids and thank you.
Basically. Sometimes, I think he likes figs more than meat. I'm going to take 3 plates: one with a piece of meat, one with a piece of cheese and one with a fig and see which he goes for first.
Cantaloupe, peaches, and honey! Sounds like my kind of fruit! I should pick up a tree at some point. I know of someone maybe thirty miles west of me that sells unique fig varieties, including rooted fig trees with Olympian as one of the rooted varieties. Plus Yellow Long Neck trees, which he sells bundled with Olympian. Granted, now that I'm looking for figs I'm finding them everywhere. There's even a patch of wild seedlings maybe a twenty minute drive away!
Bought my Olympian fig on sale at Lowes last year (when they finally decided it wasn't gonna sell), so i grew the fig though the winter in the side yard. I planted them (and my other varieties in late April. So what happens, i have three frost in May.) And they were going so well,(in the side yard). But back to the Olympian, i had a few figs and am still waiting for some to ripen, mine weighed in around 45--48 grams and to me seemed to have a nutty taste, I have one waiting for me to eat now, bye. (i'm just up the road from you in lexington nc.)
I just ordered a couple of these. I can't wait to give one a try. I tasted a fresh fig for the first time last year, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. Dale seems to know his figs :)
Dale is the grandmaster of taste testing. He will sample any fig or tomato and rate them for you, but he only gives out A+'s. He doesn't have the heart to give anyone a bad review. You should've told me you wanted this variety - I would've sent you cuttings! This is a good variety for shorter season climates. It's called "Olympian" because the original mother tree was discovered growing in Olympia, Washington. If it does well there, it should do well for you, but you'll need a little more winter protection. A thick layer of mulch and some trunk protection would help.
I was very happy how well it held up in the rain. Most of my figs aren't developing the inflorescences around the perimeter properly, but Olympian never disappoints. It's a consistent performer.
The Millennial Gardener I’m new to UA-cam. It was early spring (and Covid) when I started viewing sites with gardening content so I don’t know where your passion for growing figs began. It would be interesting to learn -- when you make new content I would love to know where your passion and knowledge came from.🐝. I’ve now got two tiny fig trees since watching your channel.
on my olympian this year i think were caprified. they turned into a different shape more donut shaped. became red inside. and tasted like strawberry lemonade with a hint of peach. last year they were the same as the ones in your video. the breba were a different color too. those too were yellowish inside. i picked 2 from different sides of the tree and 1 was the color like it is in this video and the other was red like i have been seeing this year. i think one was pollinated and the other wasnt. i have a caprifig from a cutting i took from a fig tree i saw growing at the parking lot of a buger joint. lol and i decided to keep the male tree. when i opened it i was suprised to find wasp inside of it. i noticed that since the male tree has fruited my figs have been producing more evenly.
If the inside turned red, that's usually a sign of caprification - especially if there was a big, open cavity inside. Pollination makes wasps so much better. You're lucky if you have a wasp colony nearby.
I have one of these Olympian figs in Washington State. A few fruit wintered over that ripened about early July. The second crop won't ripen. Not enough heat here. They will have to winter over also. I also have a Brown Turkey Fig that will not ripen fruit. We only get an average of 18 days above 85 degrees each year. I keep them in a greenhouse to try and increase the heat days. Is there a better cold area variety?
For main crop, with so few days in the 80’s, you’re going to struggle. The king of early figs is Celeste and Improved Celeste. Also, Ronde de Bordeaux. I think Seattle growers also manage with Florea. I know most PWN growers rely on breba due to lack of heat, but you can do a lot by placing black plastic or weed barrier under your trees (like I do) to attract more heat. It works wonders.
I bought a brown turkey fig. Not sure which type it is but most of them were pretty bland. Some were sweet but not much flavor. I had figs in Croatia and they were fantastic.
Hi I love your videos and how you explain everything thing in detail,I hate to bother you again about the soil mix you use in the containers for your fig plants,thank you and have a good evening.
They were, especially considering the miserable rain we've been having almost daily. We should start drying out soon, and I'm looking forward to some figs ripened in drier weather.
I grow all kinds of fruit and nuts and my favorites are my figs and persimmons. Home grown peaches also rank in my top 3 but it's impossible to grow them here without the plum circulios ruining them. I spray every 2 weeks from petal fall until harvest (when breaks in the rains allow for spraying) with 4 different insecticides and they still get worms. I have wild plum thickets all around here by the lake and it's a breeding ground for them. After all my peach trees die off, I'll never replant again. I'll put something else in the spot
I can't wait until my persimmon fruits, but it'll be a couple years. The wait is long. I've wanted a peach tree, but I worked on a peach and corn farm growing up and the peaches were nightmares to keep up with. Eventually, he ripped out all his peach trees over the years and replaced them with corn.
@@TheMillennialGardener I have 8 peach trees. All different ripening periods. I thought maybe one might not have as bad a problem if it set fruit at time when they're laying eggs. No such luck and I don't like spraying insecticides.
Appears to me like it has had perhaps a little more than enough fertilizer and moisture. I have a CA BT that looks and grows similarly. (I think CA BT has less scalloped leaves, maybe) Moisture makes the eye open on it. It is hard for me to grow in the ground---several years old. But, my neighbor has an Olympian in the ground so I plan to get a few cuttings this Winter.
Is that true? (Introduced in 2014, the Olympian Fig produces truly huge, as large as a tangerine, purple skinned fruit with a very sweet red to purple flesh. Its cold hardy breba crop can ripen as early as May and is known to withstand temperatures into the teens. The plant itself is hardy down to zero degrees once well established even though it will freeze to the ground only to return in the spring and bear a crop of fruit the following summer. )
Great video! Can’t wait to get my Olympian figs to ripen! I’m counting up to 20 figs on it and i believe it’s a second year tree, purchased at a local nursery back in May of this year. I’m noticing my fig trees are sending shoots off the main trunk, should I cut these or let them grow to give me more figs? I am in south Florida so I have TONS of rain now and I keep moving the trees in to keep them from soaking, but I get that 80F weather all the way into December so should I let my trees grow and fruit without pinching?
If the fig is in containers, I recommend limiting the growth to a single trunk with 4-5 fruiting branches. Trim off any growth below your desired branching point, which is usually around 12-18 inches somewhere. In your climate, there is no need to pinch unless you want to shape the tree. In fact, your figs will probably taste better ripening November - March because it's in your dry season. The lack of rain and lower humidity will probably give you superior fruits. Just don't let them get frosted during your 1-4 nights a year where you can drop below 40.
The Millennial Gardener thanks, I’ll keep an eye on the temps but we haven’t seen anything in the 40s last winter but still better to be safe. One of my trees is a single trunk about 2-3 feet tall and at the very top it’s starting to send 2-3 branches off the single main trunk, shoul I leave it? And also, the very same tree started branching from the base (at the soil) and I let it grow. It now has 4 figlets on the branch at soil level. Should I just let them grow but trim the branch at the soil level? My second tree has a thick trunk about 4 inches long and then it branches into 3 branches from that stump, I believe it was trimmed there before I bought it from the nursery. So basically it’s shaped like an Hans facing up with the fingers being the branches. This one too, is starting to send off branches fromvrhe main 3. Should I trim those or let them go?
@@Laborchet I will have cuttings available in the height of the winter; usually January. Trees don't go fully dormant in my area, so I have to prune at the coldest part of the year.
Thank you for this video. Can you point me to where you got this variety? I bought Olympian last year from an online nursery, and it tastes good (like buttercream) but not like peach. Maybe I can buy another one from where you got it. Or by any chance do you sell some cuttings from your tree? I really like the peach flavor. I will appreciate your response.
I got 2 of these from a garden center. They are more of a shrub it even says that on the tag (shrub) and it is bush like with a lot of figs on many branches.
All figs will grow into a bushy thicket naturally if you let them. Eventually, the fig tree will select a dominant trunk, but it'll take years to do so. If you want a tree, you'll have to select a trunk early and grow it as a single trunk. That's what I do. Figs, left to their own devices, will take over an area. They're quite invasive, but when you prune and maintain them, they're gorgeous, ancient-looking trees.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for the 411. This thing is in a three gallon pot and is maybe 2.5-3 feet wide and high and am getting a ridiculous amount of figs. Much more than my tree shaped figs. The tag on the bush says it can get 10' x'10 what size pot would it require for it to be that large or is that an in ground size only?
@@mikeporro3311 it won't get 10'x10' in a pot. That's in-ground. If you intend to keep it in a pot, I suggest you force it to branch low at no higher than 12 inches. Even lower may be better. You can accomplish that by heading the tree during dormancy, or trimming above any low branches you already have. There are many ways to shape a tree.
@@TheMillennialGardener Had a bad year with the Olympian many fruits were inedible (sour)and rotted on the bush, some just didn't taste good. Some were ok, just ok. Think i need a bigger pot and need to do some pruning which i neglected to do last year.
The funny thing about transplants is that a larger transplant won't necessarily grow more quickly. Sometimes, those larger trees are rootbound (spiraling roots in the pot) and can stall when transplanted, whereas a smaller transplant could establish more quickly and take off. Figs grow insanely fast. My figs went from total dieback to 10 feet tall this season.
@@TheMillennialGardener I think TP will be a big seller next season. I've decided to stick with "Texas" grown/type figs with tighter eyes and hopefully, good rain resistance. I do have 2 CdD's that I'm hoping will do well. the CdD Bordessotenca (sp?) is growing much better than CdD Blanc, so, will see. Am very excited about the Strawberry Fig (unk) that I and a couple of others on forum got from lady in San Antonio (eBay) for about $25. I had to break figs off it yesterday and it's only been in pot 2 months; waaay ahead of all the others. Wish us luck re: TS/Hurricane Laura. We could use about 3-4 in. rain, but not a full on strike. (I know you get that! LOL! Not funny really...)
shashakeeleh I would recommend Col de Dame Gegantina. It is a closed eye, and the Col de Dame’s tend to ripen well in cool weather. They do better in the cool and dry fall days than most other types, so they’re good season extenders. Please be careful with this storm. It sounds like it will be catastrophic.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks MG. Maybe Houston will dodge the bullet, but I don't trust it until it's onshore. Re: CdD-G, it sounds wonderful, but 2 of the 6 trees I have already are CdD's. My goal is to complete a "Texas" collection. The only reason I don't go for the Texas Blue Giant is the eye tends to open and I don't want that.
I use your Amazon store any chance I get. I’ve bought like 15 things from there. Happy to support a great UA-cam who is meticulous! What’s your source for Olympian. Any cuttings for sale this year?
Thank you so much! I REALLY appreciate that. I always offer cuttings once the trees go dormant, which is typically January where I live. I usually make an announcement shortly after Christmas, so stay tuned.
Does this fig have a decent breba crop? I’m asking because I’m in zone 4 and I don’t know if I can succeed in ripening the main crop. Thanks for the informational videos! they hav helped me a lot in researching figs and species I can grow!
Yes, Olympian is known to produce a substantial breba crop in areas that breba's grow well, like in the PNW. My climate is not suitable for breba, and I have never had a breba hold on any of my female fig trees, though. Keep that in mind - not all climates will support breba, and they seem to fail in the hot, humid South. If your climate is suitable and supports breba's (and since it's Zone 4, it probably does), Olympian should do well assuming you prune it properly for breba production.
Really do enjoy your informative videos! Our family became familiar with figs from our visits to Ocracoke. They have names there I don’t hear elsewhere-pound figs, lemon figs and sugar figs..have you ever heard of these?
I have not. My understanding is Ocracoke has a fig festival every year, but it's tough to get to since I believe Ocracoke is only accessible via ferry. My guess - and this is just a guess - is there are probably some community trees on the island that were planted a long, long time ago and have gained nicknames. "Sugar fig" is usually slang for a plain old Celeste, which does very well here in NC. It's one of the few that holds up to our rainy summers.
You will need to store them in a cool, dry place around 40F. Either a basement or a garage is best. You can’t let it fall to freezing, but you also don’t want it in the 50’s or it could wake the trees up early. 40’s are ideal.
Hello from Miami. Could you give us an update on Rosella Purple, even in the post section. I just got some from Southern Exposure and started the seeds to get them ready for October planting here in South Florida. Thank you in advance.
Simpler Garden I have no tomatoes at the moment fruiting. They were all ripped out weeks ago. Too hot here right now. I have 2 new beds planted for the fall that will be flowering within 1-2 weeks. Hopefully it cools down so the flowers don’t drop.
These figs were about as ripe as they'll get in the Southeast. Any riper and they'll split or be destroyed by SWD/rainfall. Long hangtimes are a luxury of climates out west. In the Southeast, the fruit quality is limited to the environment.
@@TheMillennialGardener i cant believe im saying this nut i love texas for this sole and only reason LOL an hour from hosuton i think this is a great climate for figs in 8b
When I make my dog do tricks for treats, I put the treat behind my back, otherwise she's too distracted. She's pretty good at doing "roll over" but if she sees we have something really good she just can't take her eyes off the prize and it just turns into a contorted botched "roll over".
Olympian actually tastes like a peach. I've never had Texas Peach, but I've heard it is very similar to Celeste. That confuses me, because Celeste doesn't taste anything at all like a peach, so I'm not sure about that one.
hmmm, I read on the tag from my fig that it is not cold hardy in my zone. I was told by PCH that it is an Olympian fig. I do not recall what type of fig it is. I planted it in a 5 gallon flower pot with intentions of putting it inside my house or the garage for the winter. I was planning to cover it with hay/straw if stashed in the garage for the winter. Now, after watching this video, I guess, I can leave it outside...??? BUT it will remain in the pot. Wonder if it's too late now to plant in the ground...??? Any advice????
@@gofigure4920 Thanks. I was going to plant it in the ground in the next couple of days. I'll wait until spring. I have a spot that gets 9 hours of sun year round. It will stay in the garage for the winter. BUT I do have a screened in porch...thought about that, too. ?????? It would get more sun than the garage.
@@gofigure4920 Thanks. BTW, one did not have to mulch butterfly bushes around here. I was told NOW we have to due to colder winters & less snow. It's not so much the cold but supposedly less snow to blanket some plants from the cold. I was told this by a HS friend who has a nursery biz. I have had a few butterfly plants die maybe due to this issue; I have only one left & this bush grew on it's own, maybe bird droppings??? My friend in Michigan sent me a hardy fig; Chicago fig (??). It grew about 18" it's first year. Died back last winter; it's first winter. This year it grew 4' & has figs. I planted it in enriched pine needle soil. There was a 60' hazardous pin tree which I cut down. Planted blueberries & the Chicago fig here. Wanted to plant the Olympian in this area but read figs should be planted 15' away from each other. Anyhow, I have another spot to plant it next spring. I will put the Olympian in the garage on a table in front of a window that gets west sun for the winter. You think that would be good?? I am about 1 hour, 15 minutes north of NYC. Where did you live in NYC. I am originally from "Germantown" (Yorkville section), East 80s. My mom grew up on E. 88th. I lived at 1691 2nd Ave. between 87th & 88th.
I bought a "Olympian" fig tree from a local Ace hardware/ MRT garden center and it was labeled Olympian then when I got it home and shape pruned it I was up potting it and found a black mission tag in the pot is there any way to tell what I have without waiting on the fruit to bear?
Unfortunately, no. There is no way to tell what variety a fig tree is sans sending it away to a place like University of California for genetic testing. There are thousands of varieties of figs (and only a few dozen have their genetics documented), so if you can't trace it back perfectly, you'll never know for sure.
@@TheMillennialGardener ahh darn, not what I wanted to hear haha! I started 2 from cutting last year and it was the most vigorous grower out of the 20 varieties I started, it put on a ton of figs but unfortunately they all dropped due to a lack of water. This variety seems to drink 2-3 times more water than most of my other figs. Celeste also needs to be watered more frequent but I have that in a bigger pot so hard to compare. Guess I’ll have to wait to find out. Thanks for your reply and keep up the great coherent content!
Can you please help me? I also bought an Olympian fig tree at Lowe’s at least two years ago maybe three. does not have a hint of starting any figs yet I am so disgusted I want to throw it out. what do I have to do to get it to produce figs? I have not had any problem with my other fig trees giving me figs the first year or so Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated. I live in Southern Louisiana.
My baby Olympian (bought as a 4 inch plant in May is in 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 Happy Frog Soil Conditioner (compost), and 1/3 Vermiculite. I added organic fertilizer and added some Maxicrop Seaweed and fish emulsion occasionally when watering and it has a ton of baby figs right now in SW Houston. I have a taller (3 ft) but less bushy and leafy one in the ground (clay) that gave me one fig. It hasn’t grown much since I put it in the ground in Late may or June. It was a horribly hot summer though with NO rain. Don’t know if that helps at all. Maxicrop Seaweed makes everything fruit quickly in my experience.
Generally speaking, this fig will PROBABLY do well for you in Zone 7, but I like to add qualifiers because hardiness zones are a poor summary of climate. A Zone 7a on the East Coast is going to be very different than a Zone 7a in the PNW. If you live in a Zone 7a with hot summers, like in the New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore zone, the heat is usually sufficient enough to ripen main crop figs very well for *most* fig varieties. If you live in a Zone 7 in the PNW, the heat is often not long and consistent enough to ripen main crop figs well and they rely on breba crops for some varieties. Olympian is known to be a breba producer and it is named after "Olympia, Washington," since that's where the mother tree is from, so it's usually a safe bet there as well.
Yes my growing zone is 7a I just asking because some websites said that fig tree will grow in zone 6 I know some people just want to sell trees but I am interested on buy one already have 2 Celeste and one violet de Boudreaux some people call negrone so far so good thanks for the reply and all the info
Make the dog touch his elbows to the ground and repeat down. Then when he does it, say "yes" or whatever consistent word you want. Then reward. As it is you are rewarding him almost going down. The increase the time down each time.
I’m in Greensboro and am prepping my garden plans for next year. Moving into a new house this winter and am excited to have more yard space. You’ve inspired me to give figs a try.
I just this year purchased an Olympian fig culture. Growing like crazy. Now I am confidant that it was the right fig because Dale has approved it. Great vids and thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Dale had that look and motion of the hand that said, just give me the Damn Fig 😂👍✔
Basically. Sometimes, I think he likes figs more than meat. I'm going to take 3 plates: one with a piece of meat, one with a piece of cheese and one with a fig and see which he goes for first.
@@TheMillennialGardener That'll be very interesting, can't wait 👍
Cantaloupe, peaches, and honey! Sounds like my kind of fruit! I should pick up a tree at some point. I know of someone maybe thirty miles west of me that sells unique fig varieties, including rooted fig trees with Olympian as one of the rooted varieties. Plus Yellow Long Neck trees, which he sells bundled with Olympian.
Granted, now that I'm looking for figs I'm finding them everywhere. There's even a patch of wild seedlings maybe a twenty minute drive away!
For 2nd years, I am amazed with how thick your trunks are on the trees.
Lots of sun, heat and fertilizer. Also, tons of rain. It rains so much here in the summer, and it leads to vigor.
Those are some beautiful fruit. I'll add Olympian to the list too
Thanks for watching!
Bought my Olympian fig on sale at Lowes last year (when they finally decided it wasn't gonna sell), so i grew the fig though the winter in the side yard. I planted them (and my other varieties in late April. So what happens, i have three frost in May.) And they were going so well,(in the side yard). But back to the Olympian, i had a few figs and am still waiting for some to ripen, mine weighed in around 45--48 grams and to me seemed to have a nutty taste, I have one waiting for me to eat now, bye. (i'm just up the road from you in lexington nc.)
I just ordered a couple of these. I can't wait to give one a try. I tasted a fresh fig for the first time last year, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. Dale seems to know his figs :)
Dale is the grandmaster of taste testing. He will sample any fig or tomato and rate them for you, but he only gives out A+'s. He doesn't have the heart to give anyone a bad review. You should've told me you wanted this variety - I would've sent you cuttings! This is a good variety for shorter season climates. It's called "Olympian" because the original mother tree was discovered growing in Olympia, Washington. If it does well there, it should do well for you, but you'll need a little more winter protection. A thick layer of mulch and some trunk protection would help.
My Bronx NYC friend has mature huge fig tree(s) growing at the end of his driveway. Loads of delicious figs around the beginning of September.
Oh my gosh, gorgeous fruit.
I was very happy how well it held up in the rain. Most of my figs aren't developing the inflorescences around the perimeter properly, but Olympian never disappoints. It's a consistent performer.
The Millennial Gardener I’m new to UA-cam. It was early spring (and Covid) when I started viewing sites with gardening content so I don’t know where your passion for growing figs began. It would be interesting to learn -- when you make new content I would love to know where your passion and knowledge came from.🐝. I’ve now got two tiny fig trees since watching your channel.
Thanks for sharing your video, just waiting for these fig cuttings to arrive, looking forward to trying them for myself.
on my olympian this year i think were caprified. they turned into a different shape more donut shaped. became red inside. and tasted like strawberry lemonade with a hint of peach. last year they were the same as the ones in your video. the breba were a different color too. those too were yellowish inside. i picked 2 from different sides of the tree and 1 was the color like it is in this video and the other was red like i have been seeing this year. i think one was pollinated and the other wasnt. i have a caprifig from a cutting i took from a fig tree i saw growing at the parking lot of a buger joint. lol and i decided to keep the male tree. when i opened it i was suprised to find wasp inside of it.
i noticed that since the male tree has fruited my figs have been producing more evenly.
If the inside turned red, that's usually a sign of caprification - especially if there was a big, open cavity inside. Pollination makes wasps so much better. You're lucky if you have a wasp colony nearby.
@@TheMillennialGardener i noticed the pollinated ones swelled up more than they normally would. and some even split but they retained all the flavor
I have one of these Olympian figs in Washington State. A few fruit wintered over that ripened about early July. The second crop won't ripen. Not enough heat here. They will have to winter over also. I also have a Brown Turkey Fig that will not ripen fruit. We only get an average of 18 days above 85 degrees each year. I keep them in a greenhouse to try and increase the heat days. Is there a better cold area variety?
desert king is one i hear does well in washington since it gives off tons of breba pretty early. olympian does really well here in los angeles.
For main crop, with so few days in the 80’s, you’re going to struggle. The king of early figs is Celeste and Improved Celeste. Also, Ronde de Bordeaux. I think Seattle growers also manage with Florea. I know most PWN growers rely on breba due to lack of heat, but you can do a lot by placing black plastic or weed barrier under your trees (like I do) to attract more heat. It works wonders.
Look beautiful
Xiuxia Zhou thanks, and thanks for watching!
I have never grown figs... I would love to try this variety.
I just had a fig from mine the flavor is amazing
Looks a gem mate.
I bought a brown turkey fig. Not sure which type it is but most of them were pretty bland. Some were sweet but not much flavor. I had figs in Croatia and they were fantastic.
Hi I love your videos and how you explain everything thing in detail,I hate to bother you again about the soil mix you use in the containers for your fig plants,thank you and have a good evening.
Himatee Sookhai I have a video on how I make my mix here: ua-cam.com/video/6DEjV3zaOBU/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
They look very tasty .
They were, especially considering the miserable rain we've been having almost daily. We should start drying out soon, and I'm looking forward to some figs ripened in drier weather.
I grow all kinds of fruit and nuts and my favorites are my figs and persimmons. Home grown peaches also rank in my top 3 but it's impossible to grow them here without the plum circulios ruining them. I spray every 2 weeks from petal fall until harvest (when breaks in the rains allow for spraying) with 4 different insecticides and they still get worms. I have wild plum thickets all around here by the lake and it's a breeding ground for them. After all my peach trees die off, I'll never replant again. I'll put something else in the spot
I can't wait until my persimmon fruits, but it'll be a couple years. The wait is long. I've wanted a peach tree, but I worked on a peach and corn farm growing up and the peaches were nightmares to keep up with. Eventually, he ripped out all his peach trees over the years and replaced them with corn.
@@TheMillennialGardener I have 8 peach trees. All different ripening periods. I thought maybe one might not have as bad a problem if it set fruit at time when they're laying eggs. No such luck and I don't like spraying insecticides.
James Barron have you tried wrapping them in agricultural fabric, like row covers? If you prune them well enough, you may be able to.
Appears to me like it has had perhaps a little more than enough fertilizer and moisture. I have a CA BT that looks and grows similarly. (I think CA BT has less scalloped leaves, maybe) Moisture makes the eye open on it. It is hard for me to grow in the ground---several years old. But, my neighbor has an Olympian in the ground so I plan to get a few cuttings this Winter.
What fertilizer did you use when you planted your figs? Also, what size container should I use? Or just grow in the ground?
SubhanAllah Nice!!!!!
Is that true? (Introduced in 2014, the Olympian Fig produces truly huge, as large as a tangerine, purple skinned fruit with a very sweet red to purple flesh. Its cold hardy breba crop can ripen as early as May and is known to withstand temperatures into the teens. The plant itself is hardy down to zero degrees once well established even though it will freeze to the ground only to return in the spring and bear a crop of fruit the following summer. )
Great video! Can’t wait to get my Olympian figs to ripen! I’m counting up to 20 figs on it and i believe it’s a second year tree, purchased at a local nursery back in May of this year.
I’m noticing my fig trees are sending shoots off the main trunk, should I cut these or let them grow to give me more figs?
I am in south Florida so I have TONS of rain now and I keep moving the trees in to keep them from soaking, but I get that 80F weather all the way into December so should I let my trees grow and fruit without pinching?
If the fig is in containers, I recommend limiting the growth to a single trunk with 4-5 fruiting branches. Trim off any growth below your desired branching point, which is usually around 12-18 inches somewhere. In your climate, there is no need to pinch unless you want to shape the tree. In fact, your figs will probably taste better ripening November - March because it's in your dry season. The lack of rain and lower humidity will probably give you superior fruits. Just don't let them get frosted during your 1-4 nights a year where you can drop below 40.
The Millennial Gardener thanks, I’ll keep an eye on the temps but we haven’t seen anything in the 40s last winter but still better to be safe. One of my trees is a single trunk about 2-3 feet tall and at the very top it’s starting to send 2-3 branches off the single main trunk, shoul I leave it? And also, the very same tree started branching from the base (at the soil) and I let it grow. It now has 4 figlets on the branch at soil level. Should I just let them grow but trim the branch at the soil level?
My second tree has a thick trunk about 4 inches long and then it branches into 3 branches from that stump, I believe it was trimmed there before I bought it from the nursery. So basically it’s shaped like an Hans facing up with the fingers being the branches. This one too, is starting to send off branches fromvrhe main 3. Should I trim those or let them go?
Wow, i learn so much here. Thank you both of you for questioning and answering. I actually dont grow fig yet, but my sister does. I'll tell her.
@@TheMillennialGardener Do you sell cuttings by the way? If so, please send me a message or email to laborchet at comcast net
@@Laborchet I will have cuttings available in the height of the winter; usually January. Trees don't go fully dormant in my area, so I have to prune at the coldest part of the year.
Thank you for this video. Can you point me to where you got this variety? I bought Olympian last year from an online nursery, and it tastes good (like buttercream) but not like peach. Maybe I can buy another one from where you got it. Or by any chance do you sell some cuttings from your tree? I really like the peach flavor. I will appreciate your response.
I got 2 of these from a garden center. They are more of a shrub it even says that on the tag (shrub) and it is bush like with a lot of figs on many branches.
All figs will grow into a bushy thicket naturally if you let them. Eventually, the fig tree will select a dominant trunk, but it'll take years to do so. If you want a tree, you'll have to select a trunk early and grow it as a single trunk. That's what I do. Figs, left to their own devices, will take over an area. They're quite invasive, but when you prune and maintain them, they're gorgeous, ancient-looking trees.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for the 411. This thing is in a three gallon pot and is maybe 2.5-3 feet wide and high and am getting a ridiculous amount of figs. Much more than my tree shaped figs. The tag on the bush says it can get 10' x'10 what size pot would it require for it to be that large or is that an in ground size only?
@@TheMillennialGardener By the way Thanks!
@@mikeporro3311 it won't get 10'x10' in a pot. That's in-ground. If you intend to keep it in a pot, I suggest you force it to branch low at no higher than 12 inches. Even lower may be better. You can accomplish that by heading the tree during dormancy, or trimming above any low branches you already have. There are many ways to shape a tree.
@@TheMillennialGardener Had a bad year with the Olympian many fruits were inedible (sour)and rotted on the bush, some just didn't taste good. Some were ok, just ok. Think i need a bigger pot and need to do some pruning which i neglected to do last year.
Bought two this year. 1 was 5” tall. The other 21”. The 21” has 2 figs and it’s now 26” tall. The 5” tree is now 28” tall! (Zone 5A)
The funny thing about transplants is that a larger transplant won't necessarily grow more quickly. Sometimes, those larger trees are rootbound (spiraling roots in the pot) and can stall when transplanted, whereas a smaller transplant could establish more quickly and take off. Figs grow insanely fast. My figs went from total dieback to 10 feet tall this season.
Dale rocks!☺️
He does! Thanks for watching.
I have these! But mine are still teeny tiny from cuttings I bought in the spring.
They'll grow quickly with enough sunshine, heat and fertilizer. This variety has the potential to get nice and large.
Nice! I'm trying to acquire a Texas Peach fig, which probably tastes similar.
I've heard a lot about Texas Peach this year. It's gained buzz.
@@TheMillennialGardener I think TP will be a big seller next season. I've decided to stick with "Texas" grown/type figs with tighter eyes and hopefully, good rain resistance. I do have 2 CdD's that I'm hoping will do well. the CdD Bordessotenca (sp?) is growing much better than CdD Blanc, so, will see. Am very excited about the Strawberry Fig (unk) that I and a couple of others on forum got from lady in San Antonio (eBay) for about $25. I had to break figs off it yesterday and it's only been in pot 2 months; waaay ahead of all the others. Wish us luck re: TS/Hurricane Laura. We could use about 3-4 in. rain, but not a full on strike. (I know you get that! LOL! Not funny really...)
shashakeeleh I would recommend Col de Dame Gegantina. It is a closed eye, and the Col de Dame’s tend to ripen well in cool weather. They do better in the cool and dry fall days than most other types, so they’re good season extenders. Please be careful with this storm. It sounds like it will be catastrophic.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks MG. Maybe Houston will dodge the bullet, but I don't trust it until it's onshore. Re: CdD-G, it sounds wonderful, but 2 of the 6 trees I have already are CdD's. My goal is to complete a "Texas" collection. The only reason I don't go for the Texas Blue Giant is the eye tends to open and I don't want that.
You are the only source I’ve found that classifies Olympian as having a peach flavor profile. ???
I think that's a pretty common descriptor for English Brown Turkey type figs. The interior is peach-colored, and it has a light peach/honey taste.
I use your Amazon store any chance I get. I’ve bought like 15 things from there. Happy to support a great UA-cam who is meticulous! What’s your source for Olympian. Any cuttings for sale this year?
Thank you so much! I REALLY appreciate that. I always offer cuttings once the trees go dormant, which is typically January where I live. I usually make an announcement shortly after Christmas, so stay tuned.
Does this fig have a decent breba crop? I’m asking because I’m in zone 4 and I don’t know if I can succeed in ripening the main crop. Thanks for the informational videos! they hav helped me a lot in researching figs and species I can grow!
Yes, Olympian is known to produce a substantial breba crop in areas that breba's grow well, like in the PNW. My climate is not suitable for breba, and I have never had a breba hold on any of my female fig trees, though. Keep that in mind - not all climates will support breba, and they seem to fail in the hot, humid South. If your climate is suitable and supports breba's (and since it's Zone 4, it probably does), Olympian should do well assuming you prune it properly for breba production.
I watched your video. I was wondering, how many grams can an olympian fig (max) grow? The fig you show is only 55 grams and is just medium size!
Really do enjoy your informative videos! Our family became familiar with figs from our visits to Ocracoke. They have names there I don’t hear elsewhere-pound figs, lemon figs and sugar figs..have you ever heard of these?
I have not. My understanding is Ocracoke has a fig festival every year, but it's tough to get to since I believe Ocracoke is only accessible via ferry. My guess - and this is just a guess - is there are probably some community trees on the island that were planted a long, long time ago and have gained nicknames. "Sugar fig" is usually slang for a plain old Celeste, which does very well here in NC. It's one of the few that holds up to our rainy summers.
hi, have a few figs in pots this year, how do i overwinter them in zone 6a ? thanks
You will need to store them in a cool, dry place around 40F. Either a basement or a garage is best. You can’t let it fall to freezing, but you also don’t want it in the 50’s or it could wake the trees up early. 40’s are ideal.
Hello from Miami. Could you give us an update on Rosella Purple, even in the post section. I just got some from Southern Exposure and started the seeds to get them ready for October planting here in South Florida. Thank you in advance.
Simpler Garden I have no tomatoes at the moment fruiting. They were all ripped out weeks ago. Too hot here right now. I have 2 new beds planted for the fall that will be flowering within 1-2 weeks. Hopefully it cools down so the flowers don’t drop.
you should of let it ripen a day or two more trust me it really makes all the difference...
These figs were about as ripe as they'll get in the Southeast. Any riper and they'll split or be destroyed by SWD/rainfall. Long hangtimes are a luxury of climates out west. In the Southeast, the fruit quality is limited to the environment.
@@TheMillennialGardener i cant believe im saying this nut i love texas for this sole and only reason LOL an hour from hosuton i think this is a great climate for figs in 8b
When I make my dog do tricks for treats, I put the treat behind my back, otherwise she's too distracted. She's pretty good at doing "roll over" but if she sees we have something really good she just can't take her eyes off the prize and it just turns into a contorted botched "roll over".
Can you plant that Olympian fig tree on the ground on zone 7?
Which fig has the most peachy flavour and is a better fig overall, Olympian or Texas peach? Thank you!!!! 🙂
Olympian actually tastes like a peach. I've never had Texas Peach, but I've heard it is very similar to Celeste. That confuses me, because Celeste doesn't taste anything at all like a peach, so I'm not sure about that one.
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you for the super quick reply! Merry Christmas and take care ;-))
I just got 70 of these!
I hope you meant 70 fruits and not 70 trees!
Cutest, over qualified tester!
He's a good boy 😄
hmmm, I read on the tag from my fig that it is not cold hardy in my zone. I was told by PCH that it is an Olympian fig. I do not recall what type of fig it is.
I planted it in a 5 gallon flower pot with intentions of putting it inside my house or the garage for the winter. I was planning to cover it with hay/straw if stashed in the garage for the winter.
Now, after watching this video, I guess, I can leave it outside...??? BUT it will remain in the pot. Wonder if it's too late now to plant in the ground...??? Any advice????
@@gofigure4920 Thanks. I was going to plant it in the ground in the next couple of days. I'll wait until spring. I have a spot that gets 9 hours of sun year round. It will stay in the garage for the winter. BUT I do have a screened in porch...thought about that, too. ?????? It would get more sun than the garage.
@@gofigure4920 , Putnam County, NYS
@@gofigure4920 Thanks. BTW, one did not have to mulch butterfly bushes around here. I was told NOW we have to due to colder winters & less snow. It's not so much the cold but supposedly less snow to blanket some plants from the cold. I was told this by a HS friend who has a nursery biz. I have had a few butterfly plants die maybe due to this issue; I have only one left & this bush grew on it's own, maybe bird droppings??? My friend in Michigan sent me a hardy fig; Chicago fig (??). It grew about 18" it's first year. Died back last winter; it's first winter. This year it grew 4' & has figs. I planted it in enriched pine needle soil. There was a 60' hazardous pin tree which I cut down. Planted blueberries & the Chicago fig here. Wanted to plant the Olympian in this area but read figs should be planted 15' away from each other. Anyhow, I have another spot to plant it next spring. I will put the Olympian in the garage on a table in front of a window that gets west sun for the winter. You think that would be good?? I am about 1 hour, 15 minutes north of NYC. Where did you live in NYC. I am originally from "Germantown" (Yorkville section), East 80s. My mom grew up on E. 88th. I lived at 1691 2nd Ave. between 87th & 88th.
I bought a "Olympian" fig tree from a local Ace hardware/ MRT garden center and it was labeled Olympian then when I got it home and shape pruned it I was up potting it and found a black mission tag in the pot is there any way to tell what I have without waiting on the fruit to bear?
Unfortunately, no. There is no way to tell what variety a fig tree is sans sending it away to a place like University of California for genetic testing. There are thousands of varieties of figs (and only a few dozen have their genetics documented), so if you can't trace it back perfectly, you'll never know for sure.
Should have waited more days then it would be actully ripe that fig was part green that means it’s not ripe maybe try that next time
Close the eye with bee's wax or Oliver oil!
Have you tried the Texas peach fig?
No, but I've heard it's similar if not identical to Celeste, which I already have. I'm not sure if that's true, but it has kept me away from it.
@@TheMillennialGardener ahh darn, not what I wanted to hear haha! I started 2 from cutting last year and it was the most vigorous grower out of the 20 varieties I started, it put on a ton of figs but unfortunately they all dropped due to a lack of water. This variety seems to drink 2-3 times more water than most of my other figs. Celeste also needs to be watered more frequent but I have that in a bigger pot so hard to compare. Guess I’ll have to wait to find out. Thanks for your reply and keep up the great coherent content!
If you would like I would be intreasted in selling the cuttings from all those figs I would like to buy a bulk order.
This one is pretty easy and cheap to buy online from most nurseries. I’ll have cuttings available over the winter.
Can you please help me? I also bought an Olympian fig tree at Lowe’s at least two years ago maybe three. does not have a hint of starting any figs yet I am so disgusted I want to throw it out. what do I have to do to get it to produce figs? I have not had any problem with my other fig trees giving me figs the first year or so Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated. I live in Southern Louisiana.
My baby Olympian (bought as a 4 inch plant in May is in 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 Happy Frog Soil Conditioner (compost), and 1/3 Vermiculite. I added organic fertilizer and added some Maxicrop Seaweed and fish emulsion occasionally when watering and it has a ton of baby figs right now in SW Houston. I have a taller (3 ft) but less bushy and leafy one in the ground (clay) that gave me one fig. It hasn’t grown much since I put it in the ground in Late may or June. It was a horribly hot summer though with NO rain. Don’t know if that helps at all. Maxicrop Seaweed makes everything fruit quickly in my experience.
Best fig in petrovača white Serbian 150 gram long size in the world
Can you grow those figs in zone 7a right?
Generally speaking, this fig will PROBABLY do well for you in Zone 7, but I like to add qualifiers because hardiness zones are a poor summary of climate. A Zone 7a on the East Coast is going to be very different than a Zone 7a in the PNW. If you live in a Zone 7a with hot summers, like in the New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore zone, the heat is usually sufficient enough to ripen main crop figs very well for *most* fig varieties. If you live in a Zone 7 in the PNW, the heat is often not long and consistent enough to ripen main crop figs well and they rely on breba crops for some varieties. Olympian is known to be a breba producer and it is named after "Olympia, Washington," since that's where the mother tree is from, so it's usually a safe bet there as well.
Yes my growing zone is 7a I just asking because some websites said that fig tree will grow in zone 6 I know some people just want to sell trees but I am interested on buy one already have 2 Celeste and one violet de Boudreaux some people call negrone so far so good thanks for the reply and all the info
Make the dog touch his elbows to the ground and repeat down. Then when he does it, say "yes" or whatever consistent word you want. Then reward. As it is you are rewarding him almost going down. The increase the time down each time.
He’s usually dead on, but he just goes crazy for figs. I think he likes them more than meat.
Hasal🙏👈
Bomboclat
Looks like a lil grape fruit but better not taste likem i hate grape fruits they taste sweet tart and ale like.
Olympian tastes like peaches dipped in honey. No citrus taste, I promise.
Dog eat fig
Ew mouth noises
It's a taste test video.