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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 7–10 · 43 varieties

Fig

Ficus carica

Moraceae — the same plant family as mulberry. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Fig (Ficus carica) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 7–10. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 3–4 yr. Watch for root knot nematodes and fig rust. Below: its full sourced profile from 6 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 7–10 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 3–4 yr
Mature size 10–30 ft
Spacing 120–240 in
Soil pH 5.5–6.5
Frost Tender
When to plant figtypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Dormant
Establishing
Growing
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing figevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
7–10
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
5.5–6.5
Soil texture
Sandy, Loam, Clay, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Tender

No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
10–30 ft
Mature spread
10–30 ft
Growth rate
Fastest
Spacing in row
120–240 in
Between rows
180–240 in
Planting depth
4 in
Container size
15 gal
Support
Self-supportingest
Grown from
Cutting, Layering, Suckers, Transplant

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–1.5 in/wk
Critical water
Establishment, Fruit setest
Feeding
Low

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
3–4 yr
Chill hours
100–200 hrs
Pollination
Self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Survives winter down to
12–15 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsRoot knot nematodesAphidsScaleSpider mitesMealybugs
DiseasesFig rustFruit souringLeaf spotLeaf blight

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeoplePhytophotodermatitis, Contact dermatitis

Petsdogs, cats, horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 43 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeWhat it is known for
Alma — Yellow Medium
Battaglia Green — Green One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Beall — Purple Large
Black Jack — Purple Large Dave Wilson Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot
Black Mission Heirloom — Purple
Blue Giant — Purple Very Large
Brown Turkey Heirloom — Brown Medium Alabama Cooperative Extension System records this astakes the cold
Brunswick Heirloom — Yellow
Celeste Heirloom — Purple Small Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center) records this astakes the cold
Champagne — Yellow Medium LSU AgCenter records this astakes the cold
Chicago Hardy Heirloom — Purple Medium Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Conadria — Green, Yellow Medium
Dalmatian Heirloom — Green Very Large Frank P Matthews describes this astakes the cold · happy in a pot
Desert King Heirloom San Pedro — Green
Excel — Yellow Medium Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Grantham's Royal San Pedro — One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Green Ischia Heirloom — Green Small
Improved Celeste — Purple
Italian Honey Heirloom — Yellow Medium
Kadota Heirloom — Yellow Large
Little Miss Figgy Common — Small United States Patent and Trademark Office records this ashappy in a pot · takes the cold
LSU Gold — Yellow Large
LSU Purple — Purple Medium
LSU Tiger — Yellow Large LSU AgCenter records this astakes the cold · an unusual color
Magnolia Heirloom — Yellow Large University of Florida IFAS Extension records this astakes the cold
Malta Black — Purple Small
Nero 600M — Purple One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Neveralla — Purple Medium One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold · happy in a pot
O'Rourke — Yellow Medium
Osborne Prolific Heirloom — Purple Large
Panache — Bicolor Small
Peter's Honey — Yellow Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Petite Negri — Black Medium One Green World Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot
Preston Prolific — Daley's Fruit Tree Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Ronde de Bordeaux Heirloom — Purple One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Strawberry Verte — Green One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Texas Everbearing Heirloom — Purple Large
Verdal Longue Heirloom — Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center) records this astakes the cold
Vernino — Purple Small
Violette de Bordeaux Heirloom — Purple Raintree Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot
White Adriatic Heirloom — Yellow One Green World Nursery describes this astakes the cold
White Marseilles Heirloom — Green Medium Lazy Dog Farm describes this astakes the cold
Yellow Long Neck — Yellow Large
Sources6 cited · 6 organizations
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • University of California Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County
  • University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
  • University of Maryland Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 20 of the 23 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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