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Figs are thought to have originated somewhere in the Middle East or Central Asia, and have been transported all over the Mediterranean region, most notably to Turkey, Italy, Greece, France and Spain. From there they made there way to the United States by many routes. Originally they were brought by conquistadors, missionaries and the early settlers of the Americas.
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More recently a wide variety arrived with waves of immigrants near the turn of the 20th century. This migration has given us a tremendous heritage and diversity of fig varieties from which to choose.
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Breeding programs at the University of California (UC) at Riverside and Louisiana State University have also added to that diversity.
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Many nurseries sell figs, but only a very limited number of varieties are available. Most commonly you will see such varieties as Black Mission, Brown Turkey, White Kadota and Desert King. Two well known nurseries, Paradise and Belleclare, closed in 2007 decreasing availability even more.
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So the question we face is simple: how do we access the wide diversity of figs in existence when so few are commercially propagated? The simple answer is to buy them from me (grin).
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However, you can propagate your own trees by growing them from scion wood, which is available from a variety of sources. So, access to a wide diversity of fig varieties requires understanding how to successfully propagate figs from cuttings.
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Scion is available from the USDA collection at UC Davis, international collections and germplasm repositories,...
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...through Encanto Farms Nursery, Seedsavers, CRFG scion exchanges, collectors across the country who meet in places such as the Figs 4 Fun Forum, neighbors, and from nurseries around the world.
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