I didn't know we even had ag agents here in California. All I ever see are the master gardeners. Now some of them do really know their stuff inside and out, but I don't think it is the same thing. I thought it was all part of California being the only state I ever heard of that did not offer low cost soil testing through the extension. Maybe you have to be a professional farmer before you are worthy of an ag agent's attention. I've been educating myself differently. I read books, garden forums, talk to experienced gardeners (and farmers, too), try things out, join interest groups, and even take a formal class now and then. I don't know nearly as much as I'd like, or nearly as much as would be useful, and boy do I keep making mistakes, but every year I know a little bit more than I did the year before. It would be nice to have one expert to go to for all my garden answers, but I suspect that no such creature exists. Fortunately I have come to know a lot of people who know a lot about their own area of interest and are willing to share that knowledge. Rosefolly

If the insects/birds/wildlife haven't taken a bite, sure. This is, after all, just another form of sun drying....Just bag them and put in the freezer for at least 4 days to kill any bad things.

Best time to repot F carica is in the spring immediately before or at the onset of budswell. They can be repotted after leaves fall if roots are fully protected from freezing temperatures. A full repot is inherently damaging because you will be removing 1/3-2/3 of the plant's root mass. If you're asking if it will irreparably damage the tree, the best answer is probably not, but it is much easier on the tree if you time repotting as herein described. If you're conflating repotting as potting up (a pot size), the answer is, potting up can be undertaken any time of year, so long as aftercare is appropriate. Potting up in the winter is somewhat concerning because the new soil volume will be recolonized by roots slowly, which means any soil saturation will tend to be a limiting factor for a longer period of time than if the plant was potted up while in active growth phase. Potting up is a half measure which ensures the limitations of root congestion are always in play, and these limitations can be immense as the congestion eventually reaches lethal levels. It would be helpful if we knew where you live. Al

greendesert, I visited Fanicks nursery a couple of weeks ago. They knew I was coming because I called them and asked them if there was room for a semi truck. Was a little tight but I made it through. I picked up a couple of Jujube trees from them and a Loquat tree. They have a few fig variants, A nice citrus selection along with a large fruit tree inventory. The fragrance from the flowers was filling the air. It is a nice place to visit and the next time I visit them I will drive away with much more plants. In my opinion, The prices are not great or bad. They are average if not better than average. Good luck, Rafed