Here we have chosen our two main cordons and with a string have begun to train them horizontally along the ground.  

Floating row cover placed over the cordon of the Japanese Fig Espalier inside of the high tunnel to provide an extra level of protection from the cold temperatures. 

The Better Mouse Trap The Better Mousetrap™ | Intruder (intruderinc.com) working in catching voles un-baited in wooden boxes.

Cordons begin to thicken in late summer, 2024.  you can see the vertical branches that formed earlier in the season. 

OG Golden Riverside ripens in the high tunnel using the Japanese Espalier method. 

This picture depicts the whole plant as the tips begin to grow back towards the sun they are lowered and trellised around the string to keep them growing horizontally.  Next year (2024), verticals will be allowed to grow from these cordons to form the fruiting branches. 

5 temperature monitors record the temperature every minute outside of the high tunnel, inside the high tunnel and inside of the low tunnel.

December low outside of the high tunnel was 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fruit forms on the verticals.  Due to the age of the trees, the fruit ripens later in the season, with the bulk of it coming in early October.  We are hopeful that as the figs age the ripening will move up in the season.