easy to grow plants – Page 3 – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Deborah Pilkington, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

One of the stars in the Container Demonstration Garden at Cocoa Cinnamon in Old North Durham is Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’ Little Miss Figgy. It was discovered by Michael Nobles in September of 2010, growing as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Ficus Violette de Bordeaux in a container at his nursery in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Violette de Bordeaux is considered by many to be the quintessential fig, setting the standard for what all figs aspire to be. A highly stress-tolerant tree, its sweet, delectable fruit are among the most sought-after fig varieties in the world. It is low maintenance, disease and pest resistant, and highly productive once established.

On the left Little Miss Figgy is showing off her beautiful, deeply lobed leaves in her first growing season in the container. The right picture was taken in the summer of 2023, her second growing season. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Planting and Caring for Little Miss Figgy

Little Miss Figgy (Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’) is a miniature fig with a compact, dwarf habit and deeply lobed, dark blue-green leaves. It grows just 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, making it suitable to grow in containers or in small gardens in warmer climates. A United States Plant Patent, PP#27,929, was awarded April 25, 2017, listing the cultivar name as ‘Little Miss Figgy.’ Though patented in the US, its original species is not native to the United States. It does best in full sun to partial shade with average to evenly moist conditions. It does not tolerate standing water. Supplemental water may be needed during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH and is able to handle environmental salt. A layer of mulch around the root zone in winter will help protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. In the containers at Cocoa Cinnamon, Little Miss Figgy is planted in a soil mix of 50/50 soil/compost with added perlite for drainage. The ratio is 4 :1 (50/50 mix : perlite). As figs are known for vigorous root growth, lifting and pruning Little Miss Figgy’s roots may be necessary in the future. Thus, if you are considering planting one in a container, be sure to choose a container that is wider at the top than the bottom to facilitate removal and pruning.

Cocoa Cinnamon Team member Mary Knierim encouraged us to plant Little Miss Figgy, which we did in October of 2021, to serve as one of the larger anchor plants in the containers. We were concerned about how Little Miss Figgy would weather the extreme cold in the advective freeze of December of 2022, which brought nighttime temperatures near 20 degrees over 6 consecutive nights. We did not cover her nor provide any other protective measures, rather we chose to wait it out. To our great relief, she was unaffected.

One unexpected bonus of having Little Miss Figgy in the containers is she is very adept at letting us know when our irrigation system is not working. Here was our clue in June of 2023, her second growing season. After making the fix to the system, she responded beautifully within 3 hours.

Miss Figgy droopy and needing water and then revived after a good soaking. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Miss Figgy, as we are wont to call her, produced figs in her second growing season, the summer of 2023; beautiful deep purple figs with amber flesh. Though not many in number, there were enough for one of our team members to make a fig-cranberry relish.

We were concerned about how the construction of the tall building across the street might affect her in terms of getting less winter sunlight, but she has done well. In February of 2024, we gave her a prune as she was starting to grow vigorously into the seating area. Also, since figs fruit on new branch growth, we hoped to see an increase in fruit production.

Bare branches provide architectural interest in the winter months. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

In April of 2024, we started to see fruit production, with fruit starting to ripen in July. Figs are parthenocarpic, that is fruits (technically ‘pomes’) that develop without cross pollination. Little Miss Figgy’s third growing season was a banner one. By late July, the figs drooped and softened, indicating harvest time.

The figs matured over the summer and in July, when they began to droop, we knew it was time for harvest! (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

It was so fun to be able to pass out freshly harvested figs to the Cocoa Cinnamon baristas and to the public who happened to be in the seating area at the time. The figs have a sweet taste and fleshy texture.

The figs are ripe and ready to be eaten! They are sweet with a fleshy texture. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Little Miss Figgy is quite ornamental and is at home in a landscape or flower garden as well as a food garden. Highly tolerant of urban pollution, Little Miss Figgy will even thrive in city environments like those at Cocoa Cinnamon. Based on our experiences, we would highly recommend Ficus carica ‘MAJOAM’ or Little Miss Figgy be given a space in your container garden!

Resources and Additional Information

For more information on the characteristics and care of Ficus carica:

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfinderdetails.aspx?taxonid=367795

Plant mutations can affect characteristics such as the size or color of a plant or fruit. They sometimes occur when a plant is stressed or when there is an error during cell division. This link from Michigan State explores the process and outcomes of mutations. www.canr.msu.edu/news/mutation-examples-and-how-they-happen

Melinda Heigel, Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County, explains how cold and freezing weather affects plants in this previous blog post from January, 2023. https://durhammastergardeners.com/?s=advective+freeze

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-50Z

By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers of Durham County

Scenes from the July 2024 tasting event where members of the Extension Master Gardener volunteer team known as the Seed Starters conducted scientific and delicious taste tests to determine the most flavorful, disease-resistant tomatoes and peppers to grow. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Taste testing has a centuries-long history. Ancient Egyptian rulers and Roman emperors had “official tasters,” who were tasked with ensuring food safety. In the early twentieth century, the USDA employed taste testers as a way to bring overlooked agricultural products into the American diet like soy, mung beans, and lamb. And in 2024, Durham County has a crack team of Master Gardener volunteers growing, tasting, and analyzing tomatoes and peppers so they can bring you the best of the best.¹

Creating Seed Starters and Taste Testing

After volunteering for her first annual Backyard Treasures Plant Sale as a freshly-minted Durham County Master Gardener, Bev Tisci noticed that the sale was focused mostly on ornamentals. She saw an opportunity and volunteered to head up a group who would focus on increasing the number of vegetable plants offered in future sales, thus the birth of the Seed Starters. Tisci and her team painstakingly grow from seed all the vegetables we offer at the annual sale–in the 2024 sale over 1,200 plants! This group also helps train and mentor Master Gardeners in best practices for growing from seeds.

But the work of the Seed Starters doesn’t just begin with sowing seeds in February and March for the April sale; it begins in July when the group comes together to analyze the tomatoes they grew in their own gardens over the summer. The taste testing event features varieties they sold to the public, old-time favorites, and new finds they’ve never tried before. The result? The winners of the testing will make the list for the next year’s sale.

(Left to right) Bev Tisci, Seed Starter team leader and tasting-test creator, holds up a yellow Chef’s Choice tomato. Eric Wiebe tagging his home-grown tomatoes for the blind tasting-testing event. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Growing seeds indoors can be a solitary pursuit, so Tisci started pulling the group together for casual tastings many years ago. As the group expanded and our plant sale grew, the testings have evolved to become more scientific–while just as yummy and fun. Now the group blind taste tests their vegetables, because as Tisci says, “When you don’t know what tomato you are tasting, the results are often different than you’d expect. There is always a chance for a surprise. You might pick something you wouldn’t have otherwise!”

Putting the Tomatoes (and Peppers) to the Test

Tisci sets up the event by creating numbered tent signs for each sample and evaluation sheets where tasters rate each tomato on appearance, texture, and flavor. They also ask the important question, “Would I grow this again?” They discuss other factors like ease in growing and disease resistance. With her years of experience in the garden, especially growing tomatoes, Tisci says, “People are always looking for heirloom tomato taste, but they also want protection from the diseases that are common here in our hot, humid climate.” In her mind, the combination of taste, disease resistance, and high yield makes a variety a clear winner.

While tomatoes have always been the star of the taste-test show, this year the group introduced both sweet and hot peppers to the table. Peppers are popular at the plant sale, so it’s likely this veggie-come-lately may appear in future tests and be subjected to more rigorous evaluation.

Let the nibbling begin! Master Gardener volunteer growers tackle the delectable work of tasting and evaluating their bounty. Volunteers award tomatoes gold, silver, or bronze ribbons. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

So what was on the growers’ table at the 2024 Seed Starters’ tasting event?

Slicing Tomatoes

Arkansas Traveler, Mountain Majesty, Mountain Merit, Marmalade Sky, Pruden’s Purple, Gin Fizz, Black Krim, Pink Berkeley, White Tomato, Chef’s Choice, Yellow

Paste Tomatoes

Italian Roma

Small Tomatoes

23 x 1020 (from 2024 Tomato Project Team),* Mountain Magic, German Lunchbox

Cherry Tomatoes

Unicorn, Valentine, Ella Bella, Pink Bumblebee, Norfolk Purple Tomato, Sungold, Sunrise Bumblebee

Peppers

Just Sweet, Carmen, Escamillo, Hungarian Paprika, Mama Mia, Spitfire

Announcing the Big Winners

Tisci and her team are studying comments and compiling results on the tomatoes they savored recently. Stay tuned for a future blog where we’ll share the top vote-getters. If these seasoned gardeners put a variety on their list to grow for the 2025 plant sale and in their own gardens, chances are you’ll want to give that tomato a try too.

Notes

1–https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/testing-for-poison-still-a-profession-for-some-61805292/#:~:text=Testing%20food%20for%20poison%20goes,he%20failed%20at%20his%20job.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/government-taste-testers-who-reshaped-americas-diet-180972823

Resources and Additional Information

To see what tomato varieties the Seed Starters deemed worthy to grow and sell for the 2024 Backyard Treasures Plant Sale, check out the list of offerings. https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org/veggies

For information on growing peppers and suggested varieties, read our 2022 blog post “Picking Peppers in the Piedmont.”

https://wp.me/p2nIr1-2HI

*Follow along with our current 2024 Tomato Project calling “Tomatoes on Trial,” where Durham County Extension Master Gardeners are evaluating tomatoes for a statewide tomato trial for NC State.

Tomatoes on Trial: The 2024 Tomato Project

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-4PA

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

Category: easy to grow plants

Little Miss Figgy in the City