Planting Figs
Last January I made a call to Dave Wilson Nursery near Hughson. I was hoping they would have some fig trees but quite expected that I would have to place an order for this coming winter. To my surprise they had a small amount on hand.
The next question was how many we needed. I told the sales rep we had two rows 625’ long and 20‘ apart. “Ok 120 trees” he said. What varieties? I replied “the one’s you like to take home and share with your family and friends”. I have always had luck with this reply because it gets them thinking about flavor. Too often the biggest concern for growers is will it ship well back East? Another is how soon can I pick it?
Luckily for me the sales rep loved figs but he had to ask more questions until I said please give me 15 trees of eight wonderful varieties and you choose which one’s.
The fig trees arrived in pots about 12” long and 4” in diameter. Unfortunately we had not prepared the ground for them. We got everything ready and In June we planted about 10 of them with some members. This summer has been so busy they have not been high on the priority list as they are in pots.
Last week we finally had some spare time to [plant them all. We marked out the rows and placed a white marker stick every 12’ in the row. The holes were dug and then Fernando and Trinidad planted each one. They need to be firmed in well to make sure we have good contact between the roots and the soil. Around each tree Trinidad made a little moat to hold enough water while it soaked in. Ramon brought in the water trailer to soak each tree well. Arturo and Fernando staked each tree. They were then tied to the stake. Since then we have come back with more water several times. They need lots of moisture. The first figs will be picked in a couple of years.
