I enjoyed that very much. Desert King reminds me of walks I used to take a long time ago when I would scout high end properties for what they would do with fruit trees. One of my favorite impressions of a fig brought me to an older lady that had this magnificent Desert King fig. I've seen several other figs that year in the Seattle area but none were in such good cropping as hers. As several more years passed by I noted her children would come by and hack it almost all the way back on about a 4 year cycle, which gives it the magnificent crop every 3rd and 4th year. 

I'm not sure how much in years they are good for in treating them that way. I know that when I moved where I am now and planted a Brown Turkey fig that when it gave me trouble fruiting I had remove it, then after no sign of life for maybe 6 years it is coming back again from old root sections, be it very slowly.

Desert Kings and fresh figs in general are so worth it if you can live up to the proper advisors. Thanks!

The other day I noticed very well tended figs so I went again this morning to meet volunteers and take pictures from two fig trees at the federal site (ie. as shown). These are at least as large and productive as any I'd seen yet. These volunteers are/were out there watering these federal gardens almost every morning which I think suggests the huge success and abundance going on there. 

The only single volunteers person that prunes both those beautiful fig trees is only there Tuesday and Thursday mornings. So for those of us further north as us in Washington we need not always schedule our driving times to see what the HOS gardeners are doing. ...these workers get busy around 9am, if (?) it helps anyone.

<---- Zoomed in;    a fig and a penny. Click here for Gmaps -->

Historic Fort Vancouver garden site fig tree ...and garden pathways

Severe Summer pruning of most trees.... Will kill them.

Not so, for figs.  I Summer butcher my multi-trunked figs, both Desert King & Lattarulla, after harvest, every few years.

It has never phased them.  

Last Summer I chainsawed most of my fig trees, at eye-level.

This year, they responded, by growing thick new upright branches,  about 6 or 7 feet of new growth so far.  Up to the roofline already.

Sigh,  makes me wish I had taken more off.

I.. I.. I seem to lack confidence.   I should have lopped them off knee-high.   As it is,  I will have a bumper crop of figs in a year or two.  But, a lot of them will be 20 to 25 feet off of the ground.