Lucy, I emailed you; check you mail or spam folder. cmdrzog, That's way to many choices;-) I would consider Malta, Gulbun, Giant Deanna or Osborn Prolific--I'll email you as well.

Hi groweverything. If you have some rooted and hardy to zone 5,... I'd love to set up a trade! Email me if you see anythinmg of interest from my trade-page. Thanks! Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: My Trade Page

I belong to CRFG, so they are not a mystery to me. I have had maybe two Conadria figs ripen so far this season (there are hundreds on the tree). They are very prone to splitting here in San Diego. Last year was a cooler summer and they never did ripen. Most of the rest of my figs are done for the season, or very, very nearly so, but the Conadria is just beginning to think about it. Now, having said that, I have one fig tree (Vista) which is 20+ years old and has never, ever, ever, had a split fig. But a friend growing it back east has 80-90% splitting. So local climatic and cultural conditions play a part. I have 200+ varieties (though not all have fruited yet), and very few of them have splitting problems, but so far for me Conadria is more likely to split than all but two or three. Black Madeira is a fabulous fig, flavor wise, and just about as long a season as Conadria. Seedsavers does require membership, but it gives you access to thousand of heirloom seeds and such. The yearbook (February) is supposed to be similar to a giant seed catalog, though there are some things other than seeds.

Another East Coast opinion - but I definitely can give Osborne Prolific rave reviews. It's one of the best tasting figs I have. It has a very fine, melt in the mouth texture, moist but not juicy pulp, indescrible flavor - not "figgy", but deeply complex and sweet. My plants are young and I haven't had problems with production. The only drawback is that for optimal flavor to develop, the figs have to be picked at a super-ripe stage. If they are picked too soon, they can be bland.