The Fig Trees of Ocean City, NJ
I just got a close look at about 8 fig trees on the island of Ocean City, New Jersey in a span of only 10 minutes. Fig trees down here are everywhere and they are by far the most common fruiting plant. Biking around to see them takes no time at all. What you need to know about this island is that it's just a continuation of the major northeastern cities in the US as many families like my own vacation down here every summer and with them.. they bring their fig trees. As a side note, I do feel bad for the locals as they often complain about the crowds and how people like myself affect their lives. And they have a right to. My question is.. if I've been vacationing here and have had a residence in this town for almost 30 years, when do I become apart of it? I think a lot of people down here just want to be accepted and truthfully, I don't know if we'll ever be.
Regarding the shoobies, they're not perfect either. Even though a lot of people vacation here from Philadelphia or New York, I feel like a lot of folks just buy any old fig tree they see online or at a local nursery, so most of them are Celeste, Brown Turkey or Hardy Chicago. I understand that these people have very busy lives-- I'm just not hopeful that I'll find someone's unique grandfather's fig tree, but nonetheless my local friend, Dominic Russo told me about an interesting specimen. Dom makes some of the best pizza I've had and it's certainly worth ordering if you're in the area: https://www.squaresandfare.com/
The tree pictured below is what he showed me. It's a Celeste. What kind exactly? Will it be special in any way? Well.. that's why I ripped up a sucker to find out.
After visiting the tree today, many others on the island and even the Marseilles Black VS I planted for my parents, this is from what I can tell is the first fig main crop fig to ripen on the island. At least from the end of the island (starting in the gardens) to about 15th street.
If you're in the area and are growing a unique fig tree or need some advice/help, don't hesitate to contact me. In the meantime, I'll be biking around searching for something special.
