[Bon of Babble]

I have only one fig tree - a Black Mission. It is wonderful to eat warm off of the tree - and ripens in August - I have to fight fig beetles before that time! We had so many figs last year that we were able to make a fig/walnut spread and give that as Christmas gifts (I think we made 18 small jars). Everyone loved it.

I did have a Strawberry Fig that I planted at the same time as the Black Mission but unfortunately it didn’t take. My brother has one and it produces beautiful green figs that are red on the inside - beautiful!

My next tree will be a mulberry tree - there are two in my neighborhood and both are heavy producers. I’ll have to look up recipes for mulberry jam.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Bon. Fig beetles. (Here, Green June beetles!) You can use 4 X 6 organza bags tied over your figs to protect them. I suppose if you have a larger insect barrier it would work as well.

I understood that Mulberries are planted around orchards because birds like the and prefer them to the fruit being grown. (Be prepared to have a lot of purple bird poop on your car windshield!) The time I tried them and I did not find that they had much flavor, but that was probably a wild tree. Fig trees are a member of the Mulberry family! There is a You Pick in Brentwood called Habitera. https://verymulberry.com/ Good luck!