Hi jolj!

I used to live in Florence and Beaufort, so I know your soil there. Now I live in Florida, where it is just sand here. It doesn't even pretend to be soil!

I watched a great video called BACK TO EDEN VIDEO (at vimeo) and it changed how I do my yard. I've been growing figs in untended sand for a couple of years with mixed results. But now, I've dug them all up and put them into an organic orchard in my back yard. CLICK HERE to see my recently completed project. But keep in mind, I did not upgrade the sandy soil for my orchard. I suspect that I won't need to ever turn the soil again. Go watch that BACK TO EARTH VIDEO if you want to know why soil improvements might be redundant.

I have used organic gardening for 30 years.
You should know that when you promote a video on 4 or 5 threads, then you are doing what is called SPAM.
You have not said anything about your improvements, I have to go to your link to get any real information, that is known as a hook in salesmanship.
Not a word about RKN or mulch.
Thank you for your reply.

budbackeast I am sorry if I was hard on you, it just that the same thing happen to me. It was a warning, but rereading it, it sounds nasty to me.
Your Figs look great, but a little close, guess you will have to prune them. You could root the trimmings.
Hope you up date us when the trees are fuller, bet they cover the fence. If you are not using Nematocide for Root Knot Nematodes(RKN), then what are you using. Clay soil can be helpful,Plant near a building, so the roots can hide under the concrete is said to be helpful(do not know why).
If you plant on the south side of the building it will help against freezing,(not a real problem for you).

Hello jolj,

I guess it must look like a hard sell thing, but in reality, I'm just an appliance repair guy in Florida. I was raised on figs and at last, I have a collection of 6 varieties, so this is really exciting to me. My etiquette might be lacking, but my interest and desire to encourage others are genuine.

I have nothing to sell, and in fact, have long ago offered free cuttings from my trees to any and all. Three people have taken me up on that offer. I even pay the shipping. Right now, I need to let the trees get settled, but once they start really branching out, I will again extend this offer of free cuttings, and now, from a wider variety.

Perhaps I am becoming an internet fig troll. If so, do please put me in my place. All I wish to do is to get people who love figs and fig tree growing to never give up and to never stop experimenting, and to please remain in the forums and share their triumphs.

Read the forums and you will see how many people struggle and need encouragement and kudos and such. They are not kids, and I do not talk down to anybody, but they are human and sometimes need suggestions and to know that others are rooting for them.

In brief, here are things I encourage:

1. Pruning to stimulate fruit production and 'bushing'.
2. Mulch and lots of it, because it helps so much in so many ways. (Yes, I do promote that back-to-eden guy's video. No, I don't know him, but yes, he has great ideas with simple, affordable applications.
3. Posting photos and links. What's a picture worth?
4. Networking. What good is it to withhold good techniques and tips?
5. Clever techniques for container growers. I recently stumbled online upon Larry Hall up in Michigan. His container gardening system's self watering technology is very interesting. When I ever lose a fig, it's because I am too busy fixing appliances to remember to water adequately. Larry has that problem fixed right.
6. Encouraging new members and first time growers. Nobody just decides one day to grow a fig tree. Each of us has a background tale which brought us here. Without prying, it's cool to hear from others about their long trek to this point.
7. Making fig growning fun and exciting. It should not be so much work and worry.

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In your second message, you offered some very good advice. I am hardly a know-it-all regarding gardening. I can use all the good, sound advice out there. Guys like Frank in the Bronx is a constant source of new info for me. Every poster out there has a different list of tricks and tips. I'm here to encourage, but mostly, I am here to learn from smarter people.

I am originally from New Orleans. We're a bit louder and less polished than the good folks in other places. I do not mean to offend, and apologize to you if I annoyed or upset you. I shall attempt to mind my manners in the future.

Hi Bud,

What a sweet, kind-hearted person you are. You melt my heart.

I can't see that you need any polish anywhere and you've been nothing but good to people, with it being obvious you want to help in any way you can. You are an asset to GW.

I thought, in order to be spam, someone had to be trying to sell something.

I love to see people's videos because I can understand things much better with pictures and I'm glad you have put some videos on for us to see.

Thanks so much,

noss

Bud, if you're an internet troll, I have to tell ya, you're MY kind of internet troll. Thanks for posting the links and the advice. I am rethinking my gardening methods.

Hello and many thanks to noss and Centurion. I appreciate the back-up, but indeed jolj has a valid argument. After being a bit chastised there, I went and checked out jolj's earier inputs into the forum. They are good ones. Jolj is no lightweight, and I enjoyed the things I saw. In addition, if you go way back, jolj long ago had somebody delivering tons, TONS! of coffee bean remnant material to his property, and he got out there and worked his butt off to turn it into usable organic material. You ought to see the one photo he posted at this link: COFFEE MOUNDS
Jolj is a serious organic master. And me? I'm just a suburban guy who wants to greedily scarf down more yummy figs.

Most of my life, I find that I make two errors:
1. I assume that others share my enthusiam.
2. In like company, I go overboard, not intentionally being pushy or anything, but, you know.

I do not need to tell others how to live, but I do encourage others to experiment and to share info. I think jolj's real beef is that I go full steam ahead with the links to a couple things I find interesting, and that it comes across as being pushy. Reposting my own homemade video may be considered in bad taste. It isn't intentionally bragging, it's just me showing others that good things can be done affordably. That's what makes forums so good.

I really appreciate you guys, noss and Centurion, but I must recognize jolj's valuable contributions to this forum, and I take to heart the message he sent. He's not being mean. It's just 'tough love'. When I do as much work in organic farming as he has done, then I'll get cocky. Right now, I'm just learnin' and sharin'. Learnin' from jolj too.

Hi Bud,

I was responding to your email, not to anything jolj said in his post. You really are a nice guy and very serious about what you're doing. I also love to see people's videos, the more, the better. :)

jolj had already explained his post, so that was no big deal, but was really nice of him to let you know how he was thinking when he posted.

There are many things I don't understand about the internet and I was surprised that even if you aren't selling anything, it could be viewed as spam.

I'm glad you are in this forum,

noss

Hello noss,

Now cut that out! LOL

Once my little orchard takes off, and I have many good branches, I will gladly mail you some clippings. If you lived a wee bit east of there, I might have instead brought you some young potted trees, as I hope to visit family in New Orleans in February. Okay, it's really about Mardi Gras. You knew that.

If the trees thrive, you get a cutting from each. Postage paid.

LOL Bud! I kinda, sorta wondered about it when you said February.

I just came in from out front. There's this strange bright red glow way over to the East of us. Could it be you're blushing big time?

Well, aren't you a doll. I don't turn down cuttings from a friend. :D

May your trees thrive beyond your wildest hopes.

And jolj, I wish the same for your fig garden.

noss

Hey jolj!

If you've read the above, you know that I saw the picture of you and all the tons of coffee bean stuff. Did you ever post a follow-up? How well did that work? Just wondering. Some others commented that a compost from only one source is not such a good thing. I disagree, but you are indeed the one who has the best experience in this regard. So, did it give you the quality end product that you hoped?