Fig Collecting, Family Trees, and FigBid with Danny Gentile

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What is it about figs that gets people collecting—and keeps them coming back for more?

Danny Gentile, founder of FigBid, grew up playing beneath his great-grandfather’s fig tree in the Bronx. Years later, a satellite image led him back to that backyard—and to cuttings of the family tree he thought he’d left behind.

In this episode of Fig Culture, Danny joins me to share that story and explain how his interest in figs grew into an online marketplace. We talk about the growers who helped bring fig collecting onto the internet, the importance of trust when buying plants and cuttings, and the friendships that grow around figs.

Danny also has practical advice for new collectors: build your skills alongside your collection. Before spending heavily on sought-after varieties, get some affordable cuttings, practise rooting, and pay attention to fig trees already growing near you.

In this episode:

• Recovering a family fig tree decades after leaving the neighbourhood
• The story behind FigBid and its 2017 launch
• Why collecting varieties and learning to grow them go hand in hand
• Finding practice material through local growers—with their permission
• Fig gatherings, friendships, and passing the interest on to children
• Danny’s favourite varieties, including Corinth, Sweet Diana, Ronde de Bordeaux, and Nero 600M