Fig Collecting, Family Trees, and FigBid with Danny Gentile

Written By Steven Biggs - Fig Expert

A family fig tree worth finding again

Danny Gentile’s fig story begins in a Bronx backyard. His extended family lived in an apartment building owned by his great-grandfather, and a large fig tree offered shade, a place to play, and summer snacks within reach.

Years after the family moved away, Danny spotted the tree in a satellite image. He went back, knocked on the door, and met the next owner. The tree was still producing figs—and he came home with cuttings. Of all the varieties he’s grown, that family tree is the one he says he’d take if he had to leave in a hurry.

How fig collecting led to FigBid

As Danny learned to root cuttings and built his collection, he also became part of the online fig community. Trading plants brought friendships and access to more varieties, but he saw a need for a marketplace focused on the people buying and selling fig material.

He shares the work that went into building FigBid, including an early version he took down after just three days. The site he launched in December 2017 grew from those lessons and the support of fellow collectors.

Grow your skills alongside your collection

It’s easy to want another variety. Danny’s advice is to give your growing skills time to catch up with your wish list.

He encourages beginners to practise rooting with affordable material before spending heavily on expensive cuttings. A nearby fig tree can offer a starting point: meet the grower, ask about the tree, and see whether they’re willing to share cuttings when it’s pruned.

Favourite figs and the people behind them

Danny talks about the varieties his family has enjoyed, including Corinth and Sweet Diana, which he named after his wife. Ronde de Bordeaux is another favourite—and one we both enjoy growing.

Alongside the variety names are memories of children helping move pots, gatherings with other growers, and the excitement of receiving cuttings in the mail. The plants are part of the story. So are the people who share them.

Steven Biggs - Fig Expert

Recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the "green gang" of Canadians making a difference in horticulture, Steven Biggs is a University of Guelph-trained horticulturist, former college instructor, and award-winning broadcaster and author.

He has been teaching gardeners how to grow figs in cold climates since 2011. But his interest in figs took off much earlier, in 1993, while working at a nursery with the UK National Collection of figs.

He’s the author of the first book about growing figs in cold climates, the award-winning Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t. His articles about growing figs have appeared in Fine Gardening, Garden Making, and Edible Toronto.

When not in the garden, you might catch him interviewing fig experts for his Fig Culture podcast.

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