How Many Fig Varieties Are There?

There are over 700 named varieties of fig trees, but many of them are of no use to home gardeners. All of the varieties fall into four fig types: Caprifigs – Caprifigs only produce male flowers and never bear fruit.

What is the best variety of fig?

Best Cold Hardy Fig Varieties

• Brown Turkey.
• Brunswick.
• Celeste.
• Hardy Chicago.
• Petite Negra.
• Violette de Bordeaux.
• White Marseilles.

Which fig is the sweetest?

These figs, also called Adriatic figs, grow pale green fruit that is sometimes bleached nearly white by the Mediterranean sun. They are said to give the sweetest figs, almost like jelly.

What is the most common fig tree?

Ficus carica
About Figs
The common fig tree (Ficus carica) is the most popular species of fig for home gardeners because its flowers do not require pollination to yield figs. Many varieties of the common fig tree exist, including hardy cultivars that can be grown outdoors in slightly cooler climates (Zones 6 and 7).

What is the tastiest fig tree?

Other Unique Facts: Violette de Bordeaux is known to have one of the most sweet and rich flavor profiles of all the fig varieties!

What is the easiest fig tree to grow?

There are four primary types of figs, but only one of them is traditionally grown by home gardeners, and that is the ‘Common Fig‘ variety. It is most agreeable for backyard planting because this variety produces its fruit without the need for fertilization from other trees.

Is there a wasp in every fig?

No. While female wasps lay eggs within a fig fruit, the crunch you experience when eating a fig does not come from those eggs. All wasps have either exited the fig or their exoskeletons have been broken down and absorbed by the fruit.

How long will a fig tree live?

Fig trees take 30 year to reach their maximum size. Most fig varieties, such as the fiddle leaf fig tree, grow at a rate of 12 inches ( 30 cm) per year. Fig trees are fairly slow growers but they can live 50–200 years. Attempting to speed fig tree growth with fertilizer can weaken or kill your tree.

What is the largest fig fruit?

The heaviest fig weighs 295 g (10.41 oz) and was grown by Lloyd Cole (UK) in Worthing, West Sussex, UK, as verified on 28 August 2015. The fig is of the ‘Brown Turkey’ variety.

Can you eat figs Raw?

The best way to enjoy figs is raw, with the skin and seeds intact. You can also remove the peels and scoop out the seeds, if you like, or cook figs by baking, broiling or grilling them. But, the quickest and easiest way to enjoy these gems is by removing the stem and taking a bite right out of the raw fig.

Which figs are not edible?

…of tree, known as a caprifig, produces inedible figs that house the fig wasp young. It has short-styled female flowers that are adapted to the egg-laying habits of the fig wasp (Blastophaga) and also contains male flowers near the apex.

How long does it take for a fig tree to bear fruit?

three to five years
Harvesting Figs
Some varieties produce one crop of figs each year, while others produce two. Figs typically form on new stem growth each year and ripen months later. Most fig trees take three to five years to start ripening fruit.

What state produces the most figs?

California
Over 90 percent of American figs are grown in California. Two growers there are trying to coax the fruit into ripeness nine months of the year and maybe more.

What color figs are the sweetest?

Black figs
These are the sweetest variety and widely grown throughout California with a molasses-caramel and assertive figgy flavor.

Do fig trees fruit twice a year?

Harvest and Storing Figs. Figs produce fruit a year after planting. In mild winter and very long, warm summer regions, a fig tree may ripen two crops in one season, the first in early summer, the second late summer or fall. In cooler summer regions, a fig tree will ripen one crop in late summer.

Where do figs grow best?

They thrive in areas with long, hot summers and mild winters which is why they are popular trees in the South and Western states. In colder climates, they can grow indoors or in a greenhouse as container plants. Fig trees are recommended to be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11.

Do fig trees need a lot of water?

Figs don’t like wet feet, so don’t water too often. Allow the tree to dry a bit between watering. Remember to water slowly and deeply; just don’t overwater. Every 10 days to 2 weeks is sufficient.

Do fig trees have deep roots?

Figs are a shallow fibrous rooted species, although depending on location, the roots may spread laterally and vertically. Figs may have a single stemmed tree like growth or multi-stemmed shrub-like growth and often send up suckers from the base of the tree and spreading branches that are low to the ground.

Are fig tree roots invasive?

Fig tree roots generally are very invasive, although much depends on the tree’s variety, its planting location, and the overall soil quality. Most fig trees, if they are planted in optimal conditions, spread their roots far and wide, which can make then troubling if they are planted in the center of a landscape design.

Why are figs not vegan?

Because figs are the result of a wasp’s death, some people suggest that this fruit shouldn’t be considered vegan. That said, figs rely on the wasps to reproduce, just as much as the wasps rely on figs to do so. This symbiotic relationship is what allows both species to survive.

Are there worms in figs?

So yes, there are definitely dead bugs in figs. But the fig essentially digests the dead wasps as it ripens—ashes to ashes, dust to dust, fig to fig, you get the idea—so don’t worry, that crunchy texture in the center of a fig really IS just its seeds.