Seed grown could be throwing other characteristics - not so standard per the type. I grew some purple flowered peppers last year - "Vietnamese Multi-colored" and "Fillius Blue." Gorgeous all the way around. The shapes aren't right but they have very small fruits. Worth looking at those perhaps. FataMorgana

My main thought on this idea is that you have no guarantee of getting raspberry plants with worthwhile fruit if you grow from seed. Not to mention the time you'll need to grow the plants to fruiting size. It is good practice to weed out any seedlings from a raspberry patch for this very reason. If you leave them you run the risk of ending up with a stand of very inferior small, bobbly berries. It is much better to buy a named variety of known quality, even if only a small number of canes to start with. They will soon increase and you can propagate more from them and be sure to have fruit worth eating. Would the people at the farmers' market sell you some canes? Or at least tell you the name of the variety they're selling so you can buy some elsewhere?

yadda, is there more than one fig tree at the Alamo? I didn't think so, and I have two cuttings growing from it (provided through the kindness of the horticulturalist there) - the leaves on mine don't look anything like my aunt's Brunswick figs (of which I have 15+ plants!). My Alamo figs' leaves are more "lobe-y" and don't have deep fingers to them. What about yours? (mine could be juvenile, I guess, but the size of the cuttings he sent, and the ones my aunt got me two years ago, were about the same maturity, so I don't imagine the leaves would be that radically different if they were the same or close to the same cultivar). I really need to get a digital camera one of these days. Btw, I also have a Blue Giant, small (from a cutting), and am very much looking forward to it fruiting eventually. It might have a tiny fig or two on it this season, but I don't know that it'd have time to mature any if the fruit is just starting now - guess I'll find out what it does! Sherry

OH I am so jealous. lol