Best fig varieties?

I do because the birds or june bugs would get to them before I do, what choice do I have. Most people at the senior center like my figs and jujubes, they were both picked before their time, I say they taste decent, but not at the tip top peak either.

You could use nets over the tree or organza bags for individual protection of the fruits!

1 Like

If I wait to pick my figs until they are perfectly ripe I will never get to eat them because the critters will have gotten them before then.
We recently discovered a chipmunk that takes the figs down and opens the Organza bag to get at the fig. So far, I have found 5 empty bags on the ground.
My wife suggested that I tie the bags to the branches. But, today, I noticed an empty Organza bag with a hole in it hanging from a tree. Upon inspection, I saw that it could not be easily removed because one string was tangled onto a branch. So, the critter decided to eat it without taking it off of the tree.

1 Like

I did, if I used the tulle the June bugs would climb inside, if I don’t use them, the birds would eat all of them. Also it’s personal preference, I don’t want my fruit to be too ripe either, they can be too sweet.
And I’m not crazy enough about figs to cover individual fig with organza bag. I prefer to have some figs each season, but I do get bored eating them after a while. But that doesn’t mean I should buy the worst tasting figs either.

You need to grow more trees :smile:. My chipmunks are busy eating peaches and nectarines so they leave my figs alone. Ants can eat through organza bags, unfortunately.

2 Likes

Yeah, my neighbor told me she wrapped her her guava in 5 bags tightly and they remove or eat through all of the bags. At least I get to eat mine.

@mamuang You said “You need to grow more trees”. Yes, that would be nice and thank you for the suggestion but I doubt that I could grow enough trees. I have a three young apple and one pear espalier and one peach espalier. Peach has not produced yet. The apples produced 5 fruit total but the critters got 4 of them and left 1 that I am waiting to ripen. I also grow tomatoes and so far the critters have gotten half of them.
I only wish I had the space to grow more trees.

1 Like

I have Golden Dorsett apple trees for them critters, luckily I bought these on sale for $8 a bareroot a few years back.

@Vlad
I am only half kidding when I said plant more trees. You will have to decide if you want to let those animals take your fruit (hard work) or try to deter or eliminate them.

The only reason my figs taste a lot better than store-bought figs because they are fully ripe. If I cannot pick them at that stage, I may as well buy figs from TraderJoe’s or Costco and skip all the work. That’s just me.

3 Likes

No work in growing figs here, that’s why I grow them. They certainly taste better, more varieties, and they are much cheaper than store bought. I saw them sold in a package for $9.99 at my local Persian store. Nobody pays for that kind of price when I can have peaches for 2lbs for 99c.

I am interested in planting a new fig variety in ground this winter. I currently have a Black Jack that has yet to fully ripen any fruit but I think it may be due to lack of sunlight. It probably gets 5-6 hours of full sun. It has several figs on it now but all are still fairly small and I’m doubting they will ripen.

Anyway, I have a spot that gets full sun most of the day and I’d like to plant a fig there. I was thinking of Col de Dame Blanc, if I can find one online. Any feedback on this variety? Good idea or bad idea for someone new to figs?

I think 5-6 hours is probably fine for figs. Many of my fruit trees get some shade. It’s just what I’m living with.

Col de Dame Blanc is a very good fig. You’ll probably be very happy with it.

6 Likes

If I were you i’d get from Figaholic, he will have the best strain, and you’d save money,

2 Likes

Those are all good figs.
FYI, “Native” is a perpetuated typo, it’s actually Hative d’Argentuil. Here’s a pic of HdA

5 Likes

Thanks, I fixed the typo.

1 Like

I think it was listed as “Native” by the USDA National Germplasm Repository and they sent out scion wood for years with that spelling, so it’s super commonly referred to that way

Mine is a typo because Figaholic has it as right, that’s where I get the name from.

1 Like

@SoCalGardenNut

When my figs color up… i tie on a organza bag (tightly)… no ants no bees wasp fruit flies… no bird damage… just very nice and clean perfectly ripe figs a few days later.

Right now i have 25 figs bagged.

Every evening i pick the ripe ones… and take the bags i took off them and cover the new ones that have shown ripening color.

Works great for me. You should try it.

Takes some practice to get good at tieing them on very tight… without breaking a underripe fig off… but you can do it.

5 Likes

The CdD are all good figs but I find them to be very late. Blanc is late, slow growing, and low in harvested yield. And that’s in a greenhouse with a 6-7 month harvest season for figs. I hardly know that CdD blanc tastes like and I’ve been growing it for many years.

Here’s a unique suggestion. Buy a Black Manzanita. It’s a California seeding found growing wild in the north bay area. It’s a very good fig, big, black, tasty, productive, and bears at an early age. I got more ripe fruit off one potted plant in the first year than from CdD Blanc in 10 years.

I hate to post this here but I’ve got one for sale right now: FigBid - Online Auctions of Fig Trees, Fig Cuttings & Growing Supplies - Black Manzanita fig tree, own roots, in a 4x9 inch tree pot

2 Likes

Thanks for idea, I do have one organza bag out there, but I’m thinking of getting a large plastic fruit bag from the grocery store and cover the whole branch, this way I guarantee to get one, much less work for me overall.