Are Chicago Hardy less vigorous than other figs?

General Fruit Growing
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I planted 2 in ground. Chicago Hardy seem to be a lot less vigorous than other varieties. (Brown Turkey, Olympia, Violette de Bordeaux) Or maybe it is just my 2 samples I got.

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I’ve had CH both in the ground and in a pot. And I’ve had 40-50 other varieties, including probably ~15 Mt Etna names. Chicago Hardy seemed roughly average in vigor. The fruit seemed to me slightly inferior to other Mt Etna’s. And despite the name, it is not especially cold hardy.

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Thanks! Too bad they punk people with the hardy name. It is one of the most popular sold fig here in Z6 at the box stores.

I wanted to find some Celeste, but that was one I could not find locally. I’ll pull one CH out next season if it does not do good and will try a Celeste if I can find a developed one.

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IMO, Celeste is not a great choice in the North. Try Improved Celeste; or other Mt Etna names such as Salem Dark; or Florea, Teramo Unk, Smith. Definitely Smith.

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Our improved Celeste is slightly more cold hardy than our Chicago Hardy here in Mid Missouri z6b. They both freeze to the ground each winter.

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Yeah, to be clear I was not suggesting those names for their cold hardiness. IMO, fig varieties are all roughly equally tender. I suggested them for good performance in short season areas. In the north, it’s best to grow them in pots. Here (borderline Z6B/7A) these varieties will all be killed to the ground in a normal winter. They will all produce ripe figs in late August / early September if grown in pots.

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I have a Chicago Hardy. It’s much smaller than my Green Ischia, LSU Purple, and Tena fig although planted around same time.

But…

My CH puts out so much more figs for its size, compared to the others. So, I’m happy with it.

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