Ronde de Bordeaux

[Kelby]

Ronde de Bordeaux! Please share any photos or experience you have, and also post photos on the varieties index.

Another top choice for cold climate growers, Ronde de Bordeaux (RdB henceforth) is an excellent French variety translating to "Round of Bordeaux". It is the likely the hardiest French variety. The name refers to it's very round fruits, of course. It also has nice, long finger like lobes.

RdB is amongst the earliest main crop varieties, around the same time as Improved Celeste and Malta Black (70 days, mid-August in mid-Atlantic) and only after Florea. It is able to ripen good fruit even in cool summers when other varieties may not. A very vigorous grower (up to 6' per season!), it can be affected by FMV but seems to outgrow it easily. Some have stated it may be hardy through zone 5. Certainly able to be grown in ground to zone 6, but it will likely die back most years. It will fruit well (50+ fruits) even after being killed to the ground.

Very good, jammy sweet figs that are small. Purple skin with red flesh, it's taste is a favorite of many. Check out the top 5 thread, it is on at least half of the lists! That many figgers can't be wrong! Baud notes that some years RdB will set brebas, but it is uncommon and they usually fall off. kubota1 has said they are very good, better than many main crop figs.

I planted one out last year, but my only photos of it would be the pile of mulch and snow it is sleeping under! High hopes for this one in my yard.

[Kelby]

Also, if anyone has a variety they'd like me to write up, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

[pppldj]

I bought a RdB last winter. On new growth, it ripened 2 main crops. It was putting on a third when frost hit. I thought it was not supposed to do that. The first crop was fantastic. The second was OK.

[Gina]

I've been very happy with this fig. One of the hyped figs that lives up to its reputation. Good growth, attractive, good taste, though smaller fruits. What more could one want? It does well in zone 10 too. A winner.

[paully22]

This is an excellent variant. Its taste was nothing much to crow in its young age but after year 3 of fruiting, it is excellent.
In my zone, the main crop ripens from mid Sept onwards. What I would like to know is whether there is a possibility that
there is more than one strain of RdB.

[cis4elk]

I like to hear that, last year was the first year bearing for mine. I have no plans on getting rid of it,even if the flavor didn't improve it is good enough stay. For me it ripened way ahead of everything else. And I even got some 2nd main crop figs.

[nepenthes]

Kelby, thanks for the comment about outgrowing FMV symptoms. I started my RdB cuttings on 1/16 and 3 out of 4 seem to be exhibiting strong discoloration and some irregularly shaped leaves. The cuttings themselves seemed to leaf out way ahead of all the other varieties that I started at the same time. I was concerned that I might have to get rid of the RdBs because of the virus.

[Kelby]

That's just from I've read, I think Robert Harper made that comment. Makes sense from what I've seen, though. Hope they do well for you!

[Gina]

If you are going to collect/grow figs, you are most likely going to have FMV. Many will outgrow it and have healthy-appearing plants.

FMV can reduce vigor and probably production in sensitive plants, or those infected with more than one strain of the virus, but most fig growers don't pay much attention to it. It apparently can also make a tree less hardy.

[Rob Ster 010]

Everyone should own one at least. For me it ripened great tasting figs until late november in not so optimal conditions.
If i could keep only 5 trees RDB would definitely be one of them.

[COGardener]

And yet another great sounding fig, I have two cuttings that are rooted and just pushing growth. I am hoping for the best with them and can't wait to taste the fruits of my labor if I'm successful in transitioning them to 1 gallon or larger outside.

[F. Bennett]

My daughter certainly enjoys them!

[nickawwad]

adorable, i have a 6 month old daughter, that i can't wait to give her figs!. believe it or not, i have a 7 year old that i am still struggling to get to try his first fig!

[Altadena Mara]

Are you sure these are RdB? All my RdB are round like its name suggests. None of mine are long like in the picture. It looks like a great fig in any case.

[drivewayfarmer]

What a great fig for New England !
If someone wants just one variety here in NH this is the one I encourage them to get , along with Florea if they want a second one.

[xenil]

Gratulation!
Excellenet looking figs, a truly reliable variety even in your cold climate.

[cjmach1973]

Is yours in ground or in a pot?

[drivewayfarmer]

I have 6 in large pots and one in the ground.

[F. Bennett]

Mine did so well in a SIP last year, that I made a late season air layer. I'm going to put this one in the ground to see how it like the clay.

[paully22]

My in ground tree is grown on clayey soil. Performed very well with over a hundred
ripe figs. I grew it in bush form. No winter protection for 3 yrs. Had a die back in the 1st yr.

[CandiceR]

Anyone try growing RdB in hot humid climates? Does it have an open eye or a closed eye? Thanks, I am really interested in trying this variety in North Central Texas

[figgrower]

Also, if anyone has a variety they'd like me to write up, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

Could you do a write up on Brown Greek, Toni's Italian Brown, Guilbeau French, or King Alfred? I learned the hard way not to just put the tags in the pots where I had planted my trees--the squirrels dug them up and had them strewn all over the place. I had to guess at which variety is which.

[Kelby]

I'll see what I can do, probably won't have any time until winter though!

[Dave65]

Hi, new here, just bought my first fig tree, it's the Ronde de B. I live in the Pyrenees mountains and my house is at 900mtrs. The house garden faces south so it gets a lot of sunshine. In the winter we get a lot of snow for 2 weeks and is very cold, should I expect any problems?

Now I just need to work out where to plant it in the garden.

Attached a photo.

Thanks.

[don_sanders]

Welcome. How cold is cold? Figs can take around 20F or so unprotected. Lower than that and you want to look for hardier varieties that might get you down a few more degrees or protecting them in some way. Planting in a warm microclimate may help some as well.

[susieqz]

after some mild winter dieback, my rdb decided to put out thousands of suckers.
it didn't bother with fruit .i found all those 3' suckers ugly.
i dug out all but 3 stems.
one sucker rooted nicely in a pot. in case i like the taste.
it came thru this past winter well, protected.
i'll test pinching on this one, in a few months.
most of my trees are too full to chance extra branching.
mine shows no disease so i'll give it a chance.

[Altadena Mara]

My RdBs like to make branches and grow out rather than up. That's fine with me since each branch is covered in figs.

[cjmach1973]

I planted one in the ground last summer. I protected it with a barrel full of mulch and garlic in the bottom to keep the voles away. It had good growth last year-hopefully I get figs on it this year.

[KyFigs]

Dave65 Welcome to the forum. You will want to search here for how various people winter protect their in-ground fig trees. May be best to emulate those that are in the same weather zone as you are. I've heard of some in cold zones who do not protect at all, but that is usually only for vary mature trees.

[Dave65]

Thanks for the help. Will do.

[Altadena Mara]

RdB is one of my favorite figs. I have three trees in the ground. Last year the older tree had an abundant early and a late crop with the figs ripening over a long period of time. A younger tree had enough figs to confirm that it was RdB. This year none of the RdB trees have an early crop yet. My Unknown Pastillere that matched RdB's production early and late last year has large fruit on it already. All my stone fruit trees are loaded with fruit from the winter rains. I'm not sure why there are no RdB figs yet.

[Altadena Mara]

Update 5/1/2017 The brebas on Unknown Pastillere shriveled up and fell off.

[blackgumbo]

I hope to have at least one RdB tree, I have six cuttings I just started yesterday. How will this variety perform in high heat and humidity?

[Harborseal]

RdB is a favorite of chefs. I gave several high end varieties to a grower in St Louis and an affiliated chef couldn't get over the RdB. They love the uniformity and size as well as the taste. The CdDs didn't impress the chef as much.

[drew51]

I have this one and like it. I have only grown it one year, so still figuring this one out. One of the earliest figs I have is Unk. Teramo, not much info at all on it. Not only early it's a darn good fig. Looks like breba from it will mature before any of my other figs. So for me it's the first of the season. I have Florea, and many others too. Main crop is very early too, or was from a cutting. We will see with breba and all, how it does.

[mountainfigs]

Under ideal growing conditions, if I were going to sell chefs on fig fruit, one dark fig and one light fig, of the varieties I've ripened I would be inclined to go with Ronde de Bordeaux and Mary Lane (which may be Kalamata, at least very akin). RdB and Mary Lane can look the most like, say, professional fruit. They have no neck, and they are quite round. No neck like apples, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, kiwis, grapes, mangos, many berries, tomatoes also, like most all of the most popular fruits except the crazy bananas. Especially round, no neck, good flavor - RdB and Mary Lane.

[Rayvino]

Tony - I don't want to change the subject of this post, but how do you rate the flavor of a properly ripen MaryLane compared to other whites?

Also, you last photo, #8 it could be the camera but the fruits look, blueish/purple, are those RDB?

[mountainfigs]

Ray, photo 8 is a closeup crop of another photo, which I just added above as photo 9. I don't know if the look is due to the photo itself, the closeup, or the cropping. RdB can turn almost black and be well ripe. As best I recall in person those figs looked nearly black.

Mary Lane is a late ripener. So far here, it has a very good light taste, kind of mild, kind of neutral, kind of light honey, kind of light agave. Quite similar to my somewhat earlier ripening Long Yellow. It can wow you with its juicy lack of intensity, if that makes sense. A lot of the honey figs have a bit of resinous bite to them that can be pronounced and not always pleasant. Not Mary Lane and Long Yellow, as I've grown them at least. These have been unusually juicy very light honey tasting, or agave flavored. Not intense like a lot of berry figs, or biting like a lot of honey and sugar figs. Very refreshing and juicy and, again, light. The pulps of these agave figs, as I call them, have been significantly lighter appearing in color also, as compared to the many honey figs.

[Rayvino]

Thanks Tony

[mgginva]

The best! I have 3 in 15 gallon pots and will put at least one in ground this year.

[PA Figs]

One of my wife's favorites... never did much for me though...

https://youtu.be/bUsq1nAhkaY