Fig

Tree facts

Scientific name

Ficus carica

Origin

Western Asia and the Mediterranean

Tree size

10–30 ft; usually kept as a 6–10 ft shrub

Growth rate

Fast

Sun

Full sun; afternoon shade is fine in hot areas

Soil

Well-drained soil rich in organic matter. In Florida, mulch heavily, since root-knot nematodes weaken figs in sandy soil.

Soil pH

6.0–7.5

Pollination

Common figs need no pollination; one plant is enough

Cold hardiness

Wood is killed near 10–15°F (hardy cultivars lower), but roots often resprout

USDA zones

7–10 (hardy cultivars into 6, or 5 with winter protection)

Years to first fruit

1–2

Season

Jun–Sep

Water

About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 90 days, Mar–Jul

Pruning

Dec–Feb

Taste

Honey-sweet and jammy, with berry or caramel notes in dark types

Nutrition

Fiber, potassium, calcium and polyphenols; dried figs are especially high in fiber

Is fig safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Ripe fruit, fresh, skin and all
• Dried or cooked fruit
• Leaves, used to wrap food for grilling and to flavor cream and syrups

Toxic parts and cautions

• Take care: The milky sap in leaves, stems and unripe fruit contains ficin and psoralens. It irritates skin, and with sunlight it can cause painful, blistering burns (phytophotodermatitis). Wear gloves and long sleeves when pruning or picking, and wash off any sap right away.
• Good to know: People with a latex allergy may also react to figs and fig sap.
• Good to know: Figs are a natural laxative in quantity.

Pets: Fig sap, leaves and fruit are toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ficin and psoralens), causing vomiting, drooling, diarrhea and skin irritation. Keep pets from chewing the plant or eating fallen fruit.

How to eat and enjoy fig

• Fresh, halved, with cheese or prosciutto
• Fig preserves, a Southern classic
• Roasted with honey
• Dried figs
• Fig bars and cakes
• Fig-leaf ice cream and syrup

Fig varieties (10)

• Alma

  A small, tan fig with very sweet, rich amber flesh. A drop of resin seals its eye, keeping out souring insects.

  Origin: Texas, 1974 · Taste: Very sweet, rich · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Small to medium

  Cold-tender.

• Black Mission · also Mission

  A purple-black fig with strawberry-colored, rich flesh, the classic California fig.

  Origin: Spain; brought to California by Franciscan missionaries in the 1700s · Taste: Rich, sweet · Season: Jun–Sep · Size: Medium

  Grows into a large tree and does best in dry climates.

• Brown Turkey

  The most widely sold fig: medium-sized, brownish-purple and reliably productive.

  Origin: Mediterranean · Taste: Sweet, mild · Season: Jun–Aug · Size: Medium

  Several different figs are sold under this name. The one common in the Southeast is cold-hardy and bears a breba crop plus a main crop.

• Celeste · also Celestial, Sugar fig

  The classic Southern sugar fig: small, purple-brown and very sweet, with a closed eye that keeps out rain and souring insects.

  Taste: Very sweet · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small

  One of the more cold-hardy figs. May drop its fruit in drought.

• Chicago Hardy

  A medium purple-brown fig valued for cold tolerance. It fruits on new wood, so it bears even after freezing to the ground.

  Origin: Sicily; grown for decades in Chicago · Taste: Sweet, rich · Season: Jul–Sep · Size: Small to medium

  Mulched roots survive about -10°F.

• Hunt

  A small, bronze fig with a closed eye and sweet amber flesh, well suited to the humid Southeast.

  Origin: Georgia · Taste: Sweet · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Small

• Kadota · also Dottato

  A yellow-green fig with amber, honey-flavored flesh, the classic fig for preserves and canning.

  Origin: Italy · Taste: Honeyed, mild · Season: Jul–Sep · Size: Medium

  Best in long, hot summers.

• LSU Purple

  A dark purple fig from LSU's breeding program with sweet, light strawberry-colored flesh.

  Origin: Louisiana (LSU), 1991 · Taste: Sweet, mild · Season: Jun–Sep · Size: Medium

  Resists the leaf diseases that strip many figs in the humid South. Can bear in spring, summer and fall.

• Magnolia

  A large, bronze-skinned fig with amber flesh, grown along the Gulf Coast mostly for preserves.

  Taste: Mild, sweet · Season: Jun–Aug · Size: Large

• Panache · also Tiger Stripe, Striped Tiger

  A striking fig striped green and yellow, with jammy, strawberry-red flesh.

  Origin: France · Taste: Sweet, berry-like · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Small to medium

  Needs a long, hot summer to ripen fully.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Fig rust

  Small yellow-orange spots on leaves that turn brown; leaves drop early in late summer.

  What to do: Rake up fallen leaves.

• Root-knot nematodes

  Stunted, wilting trees in sandy soil; roots have knots and swellings.

  What to do: Thick organic mulch and compost help roots cope.

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.