Sare Project FNE22-003-AWD00000495
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number FNE22-003-AWD00000495
https://projects.sare.org/proposals/818127/14250/
​
Progress report for FNE22-003 - SARE Grant Management System
​
Beginning Japanese Espalier Orchard
Here we have chosen our two main cordons and with a string have begun to train them horizontally along the ground.
Floating Row Cover
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.
Elliot Coleman style Vole Traps
The Better Mouse Trap The Better Mousetrap™ | Intruder (intruderinc.com) working in catching voles un-baited in wooden boxes.
Cordon's Thicken with Age in 2024
Cordons begin to thicken in late summer, 2024. you can see the vertical branches that formed earlier in the season.
Golden riverside ripens in October
OG Golden Riverside ripens in the high tunnel using the Japanese Espalier method.
Establishing Two Main Cordons
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.
Temperature Monitors
5 temperature monitors record the temperature every minute outside of the high tunnel, inside the high tunnel and inside of the low tunnel.
December 2023 Temperature Readings
December low outside of the high tunnel was 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fruit begins to Ripen in September/ October of 2024
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.
Pruning the Vertical Branches on November 29th, 2023
YLN ripens in early September. The first fig that ripened in 2024 was Dr. Gowaty on July 21st.
As the vertical growth begins to form, it is trellised from the ceiling of the high tunnel using S hooks and Tomahooks for support.
​Lower & Lean With Tomahooks | Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)
Tour of the Japanese Fig Tree Espalier in early September.
Dr. Gowaty was a powerhouse fig for us in 2024. it began to ripen in the 3rd week in July and continues into September.
Rows spaced 6 feet apart get quite crowded later in the season.
Spacing fig trees 6 feet apart gives plenty of room during the fall and winter, but things get quite crowded in the summertime.
