These pads are usually *perfect* for rooting, as the young, fresh (and subsequently most viable) pads are the most tender and tasty! They should be dirt cheap, so if you are interested, I say give it a shot! There are a couple things to look out for, which may prevent the pads from rooting: -Depending on your location, the pads may be severely dehydrated by the time they reach you. If they are really floppy and rubbery (I mean *really* floppy or rubbery), they might be too dessicated to root up. -The spines and glochids are traditionally burned off, which goes a long way in killing the pad. This isn't very common anymore since so many spineless varieties have been developed. All the same, if it looks or smells burnt, it might not root up for you.

To be sure I had never heard of that species and kept thinking of a crappy Northern California Platyopuntia, but that looks like an ideal one. You could try offering payment/postage for segments on one of the FB Opuntia groups if that's the particular species, but I don't know direct answer to your question about which is the best.

I live near Haddonfield, in Camden county, NJ and am trying my hand at growing figs for the first time this year. I got one tree (variety unknown - maybe Celeste?) at a local farmer's market last September. Per instructions I left it outside 'til the leaves fell and then wintered it over in the basement - but it started growing! Anxious to get it in the ground I made the mistake of planting it in the side yard (western exposure) in early April. We'd had some quite warm weather that fooled me into thinking spring had come early. It had not. The tree suffered terribly in a windstorm with sustained winds over 40 mph and the snow that hit a week later. losing all its leaves and killing the growing tips of all the shoots. The good news is that the tree sprouted new shoots from four of the five "trunks". It is now doing just fine and enjoying a bit of a growth spurt, although I'll be surprised if it yields any fruit this season. Today I purchased a second fig tree. This one is a Hardy Chicago from Lowe's. I put it into a 12" plastic pot where it will stay for at least the first year or so. I plan on bringing this one into my enclosed but unheated porch next winter. A friend and neighbor also has a fig tree of unknown variety that has survived one winter outdoors. I'll try and get a cutting or two from her to plant next year. I look forward to seeing which one performs best for me.

Sorry about your low tomato set count and you're spot on, to many cloudy days will cause blossom drop. I'll tell you last year was one of the worst for tomatoes here in twin cities metro area MN that I can remember, and even the local feed mill coop owner said everyone was complaining about their tomatoes last year. Cloudy all damn summer from spring to fall, my wife even remembers me bitchin about too many clouds, and a lot of rain. All my indeterminate plants had reduced yields and poor quality fruit, and not great taste tomatroes, along with issues such as yellow shoulder and green under the red skin, and white insides from ripening problems. Yield was average for the determinate plants but again low quality fruit. I researched the problem during the winter and concluded the low fruit count was indeed do to the cloudy summer. The bad tasting tomatoes were caused by my Muck soil, yes officially labeled as muck and to much water. Muck and excess water causing low oxygen levels and problems with uptake and will also effect blossom set. At first I thought my potassium amount was wrong but I'm an expert on fertilizers and that wouldn't happen. Look at your main stems, you should have a cluster every 3 branches, if not something was wrong and flowers or entire clusters were aborted because of the clouds, saturated soil or both. I looked at the temp chart in your area for every day of June and nothing that would cause blossoms to drop and and I don't doubt your ability to care for the plants, so with luck the months to come will be better.