I'm not sure on Latham, but yes on shortness. I grow Fall Gold and other yellows that never go past 36 inches. Each cultivar for sure is different.

I used to live between Centre and Fort Payne. I could never get a fig to grow on Lookout Mtn (not that that means they cant!), but there were numerous growing around Centre, Alabama. Celeste's and "purple ones". It has been 5 years since I was there, but the trees were incredible.... both appearance and taste. Some were 20+ft tall and as wide and yielded more figs than you could pick. Good luck.

Years ago I adapted a honey lemon jelly to add lemon thyme, but I can't find the recipe, darn it! But there is a recipe in the Ball Blue Book of canning for lemon mint jelly and mint jelly. I'll bet you could sub cider vinegar and purple basil and get a good jelly. Here's that recipe: Lemon Mint Jelly from Ball Blue Book of Canning 1 1/2 cups lemon juice (try vinegar) 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup firmly packed mint leaves (use basil) 1 package powdered pectin 4 1/2 cups sugar Pour boiling water over basil, let steep for one hour. Press juice from the leaves to extract it all. Combine lemon juice (or vinegar) and basil extract in a med. saucepan. Stir in pectin, bring to a rolling boil. Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Pour hot into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. (At this point I'd insert a decorative fresh basil leaf or basil flower (washed of course). Adjust caps. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yields about 4 half pints. Maybe I'm wrong though, maybe you can't just sub cider vinegar for lemon juice. I know the acidity of such things does vary. I think it would be worth an experiment. Here's a recipe for Apple Herb Jelly from the Sunset Home Canning Book that could maybe be adapted. I have used this one as well. 2 cups bottled filtered unsweetened apple juice 1/3 cup dry basil 3 TLSP lemon juice 3 1/2 cups sugar 1 pouch liquid pectin Bring apple juice to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in basil and cover. Let stand for 2 hours. Pour mixture through a jelly bag or a cheese-cloth lined colander. Squeeze out and reserve all liquids. Discard herbs. Rinse pan and return all liquids to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a biol over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour in pectin all at once, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims and threads clean; top with hot lids, then firmly screw on bands. Process for 5 min. in BWB. (Can also add decorative leaves to this jelly). And last but not least, Garlic or Shallot Jelly that could also probably be fiddled with to make basil jelly. Also from Sunset Home Canning Book. Since this recipe is huge, I might try halving it. 1/2 cup finely chopped garlic or shallots (This is where I'd add the purple basil, either all of the 1/2 cup or some of it.) About 3 cups white wine vinegar (5% acidity) I'm not sure if you could sub cider vinegar. 1 1/2 cups water 6 cups sugar 2 pouches (3 oz. each) of liquid pectin Combine garlic or shallots and 3 cups of the vinegar and a 2 - 2.5 quart pan. Bring to a simmer over med. heat. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a glass jar. Cover and let stand for 24 - 36 hours at room temperature, then pour through a fine strainer into a bowl, pressing garlic or shallots with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Discard residue. Measure liquid, if necessary, add vinegar to make 2 cups, or boil to reduce to 2 cups. In a heavy-bottomed 8-10 quart pan, mix flavored vinegar, water and sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil over med. high heat, stirring. Stir in pectin all at once, return to a full boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim foam, ladle into hot sterilzed jars, etc., leaving 1/4 inch head space (can add decorative basil leaf). Process 5 min. in BWB. Let stand for a few days before using. All of these recipes are kind of tricky, don't lessen any of the acid ingredients or increase any of the herbs or garlic or water. Also dealing with pectin can be an adventure, doesn't always set. If doesn't set, use for salad dressing, mixed with mayo or olive oil. Ask me how I know, lol! As for the FROG jam, I'd get a box of pectin and follow the recipe for "fruit jam" using a mix of the fruits and ginger to taste in the measure called for in the recipe. Have fun! Check back here if you have any questions about making jam or jelly.

Black Rasp are entirely different than red or gold and generally need much more care. I am in PA and they do grow wild, but those conditions cannot be duplicated very well in a home garden. I grow my blacks in full sun, but they do need lots of water, 1 - 2 inches per week. I have soaker hoses and use them if we are not getting enough rain. They also like well drained soil. In addition to water, the other keys are prunning and trellising. Ours bear the last two weeks of June. After bearing, cut out all woody stems that gave fruit. They will no longer produce. If you are going to fertilize, now is the time. As new plants grow, train them to some sort of trellis. I use aluminum wash line between metal fence stakes. Allow them to grow to about 4 feet and prune. Side branches will come out. These will also produce berries. they can be pruned as well. Keep the soil weeded and mulched with a neutral or slightly acidic mulch. Black rasp grow on a two year cycle. So, within two seasons you should have an abundance of berries. I have about 30 foot row and have gotten 20 quarts. Red and gold are considered everbearing. Here in Pa we get and early harvest, albeit light in July. Then from late August until a freeze, we get berries. Again, they like water. Pruning is less demanding here. Just cut out dead stems and cut off the heads that have produced berries. These things will spread like weeds. Enjoy.