Violette de Bordeaux - any fans???

CzechFigs

CzechFigs

Well-known member
I feel like this fig doesn't get enough credit. It is not my top tier fig, but it is one of my most productive fig variety I grow. It produces extremely well even in pots. I wasd hesitant to post this video, as my phone clearly rotated and I didn't notice, but decided to post it anyway to keep the content coming :D

I think it is not that popular, because it is quite easy to find, but it may have a couple of fans here.

 
@CzechFigs

I think it's an unpopular fig that is grown more than most! :LOL:

I suppose it's not Haute Couture like some figs these days... but it's the fact that it's so common that speaks to how good it is. There are so many of them because it's early, easy to grow, hard and tastes excellent. So, because of this excellent qualities... they're everywhere now. Not unlike Hardy Chicago or RdB. It's their excellence that has made them as common as they are.

In my humble opinion... if anyone is growing fig to actually eat good figs, you should have a stable base of well known, easy to grow varieties before ever venturing into anything more "rare" or "expensive". I don't deny that I enjoy experimenting with new varieties.... but I have Etna types as well as an Atreano that keep the family very happy.
 
I really like VdB. I have had many from really old in-ground trees that were top-tier to me. I'm talking about the USDA germplasm and CRFG collection trees, so basically as old as it gets here in the US. I think it might take a while for it to reach its true potential. It's also known to like water or a really big root system. I have had a few from my trees that were excellent, but not quite in my top 5 yet. It's one of the few types that I keep a few synonyms of. My wife loves VdB. I gotta keep her very happy :P
 
TorontoJoe said:
@CzechFigs

I think it's an unpopular fig that is grown more than most! :LOL:

I suppose it's not Haute Couture like some figs these days... but it's the fact that it's so common that speaks to how good it is. There are so many of them because it's early, easy to grow, hard and tastes excellent. So, because of this excellent qualities... they're everywhere now. Not unlike Hardy Chicago or RdB. It's their excellence that has made them as common as they are.

In my humble opinion... if anyone is growing fig to actually eat good figs, you should have a stable base of well known, easy to grow varieties before ever venturing into anything more "rare" or "expensive". I don't deny that I enjoy experimenting with new varieties.... but I have Etna types as well as an Atreano that keep the family very happy.
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VdB strain that’s labeled as Violette de Bordeaux I have is actually not early. It's on a later side (closer to BM than say RLBV). I have other supposed synonyms of it that are earlier(taste is not as good though). I also have a synonym that give me squatty figs with honey drop. It's wild.
 
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@TorontoJoe This squatty/round one I got from a small nursery in Fresno as Little Miss Figgy. It’s also bigger than average VdB. Taste is definitely of Bordeaux type, but much stronger berry and bigger. It’s not just a few squattier round ones that VdB can set also either. The whole tree set consistently figs of this shape. I never got a single elongated figs from it. I think it’s an unlocked version of VdB 😆
 

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I culled my VdB because it was one of the worst splitters in my collection. The figs tended to ripen late in summer when cooler, damper nights moved into my neck of the woods. Then, POP went the ripening figs. Timing is everything.

However, the trees I gave away were planted in ground, near the Jersey shore, 40 miles south, and apparently fed a neighborhood. Location, location, location.
 
scott_va said:
Location and microclimate definitely make a difference. I’ve grown it in pots for over 15 years and never had one split.
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I also don't have a problem with splitting, though the figs taste much better when they are left to dry a bit on the tree and that is a bit of a problem here, because it ripens during the biggest rains we have.
 
I ordered 4 cheap Celeste trees on Amazon and got some mystery version of VdB. The list of possibilities the seller offered included Beers Black, Nero 600m, Negronne and others. My trees have several different leaves from large long thin fingers to spade with close node spacing and baby figs have a purple hue. Last year in their second season they began setting figs very late but they're tissue cultures and were sending out suckers like crazy and hadn't matured and settled down. I was only able to get one fig to ripen by immediately pinching the top when I noticed it. This season one unpruned tree has over 40 brebas. I pruned the others to shape them though but hopefully they'll make figs earlier this year. Do these trees ripen the brebas usually?
 
Louisiana_8b said:
I ordered 4 cheap Celeste trees on Amazon and got some mystery version of VdB. The list of possibilities the seller offered included Beers Black, Nero 600m, Negronne and others. My trees have several different leaves from large long thin fingers to spade with close node spacing and baby figs have a purple hue. Last year in their second season they began setting figs very late but they're tissue cultures and were sending out suckers like crazy and hadn't matured and settled down. I was only able to get one fig to ripen by immediately pinching the top when I noticed it. This season one unpruned tree has over 40 brebas. I pruned the others to shape them though but hopefully they'll make figs earlier this year. Do these trees ripen the brebas usually?
Click to expand...

I'm just expressing my surprise that fig trees are sold on Amazon. I didn't even know that was a thing..... I need to go check this out.
 
TorontoJoe said:
I'm just expressing my surprise that fig trees are sold on Amazon. I didn't even know that was a thing..... I need to go check this out.
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I purchased a dormant Black Mission in a 1 gallon container last year for around $20. It's basically a few 1' branches, but looked pretty good when I got it. It's been in cold storage all winter. Will see in a few weeks how it does.
 
TorontoJoe said:
@CzechFigs

I think it's an unpopular fig that is grown more than most! :LOL:

I suppose it's not Haute Couture like some figs these days... but it's the fact that it's so common that speaks to how good it is. There are so many of them because it's early, easy to grow, hard and tastes excellent. So, because of this excellent qualities... they're everywhere now. Not unlike Hardy Chicago or RdB. It's their excellence that has made them as common as they are.

In my humble opinion... if anyone is growing fig to actually eat good figs, you should have a stable base of well known, easy to grow varieties before ever venturing into anything more "rare" or "expensive". I don't deny that I enjoy experimenting with new varieties.... but I have Etna types as well as an Atreano that keep the family very happy.
Click to expand...
This is the direction I'm going. VDB has had a stubborn streak of uncooperating with growth here.
 
I did manage to get two Yellow Long Neck trees on Amazon for 10 bucks each with no surprises and my mulberry, pomegranate, peach and pineapple guava trees were the varieties I ordered. I'll be happy with the 4 VdB trees for 25 bucks if they're as productive as people say. I hope mine finally make a bunch of ripe figs this year.
 
Rojo said:
This is the direction I'm going. VDB has had a stubborn streak of uncooperating with growth here.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you get a bad strain or just a stubborn tree. I've had people ask me for my Smith because "their Smith" wasn't putting on figs.

I have a similar situation with RdB. I've had this tree for years. Not sure why I still have it... it never sets more than a couple of figs. It's more just a fascination for me know. Of course RdB is a solid, established variety.... I just got a dud. Why it happens.... I have no idea... I can only speculate.
 
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