Hi All,

I'm interested in buying a fig tree and I'm wondering what your recommendations would be on the best type of fig tree for Vancouver, BC?

I've noticed these types at a local nursery:

Peter's Honey Fig
Mission Fig
Black Jack Fig
Brown Turkey Fig

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your help.

Ammuni

There is no "best" fig anywhere on earth; you try to define it!
[too many LOCAL micro-climate effecting factors are involved].

I have heard that the Desert King (breba) fruit
performs exceptionally well in your PNW region
(west of them mountains).

[sorry, I know nothing about and had never been in V-BC before,
maybe a future vacation?! Yeah $$ right.
I'm sure that other some local fig_nut will help you out better].

I have given up on all those variants mentioned unless you have a green house.  Unfortunately the mentioned variants need lots of heat units to ripen properly. The variant that works best in Vancouver is Desert King. Gilette is another reliable variant but it cannot match the taste of Desert King. Latarrula is not bad. It is better than Gilette. DK is ripening now and a well cared 4 or 5 yr old tree should give you abundant figs.

Other variants that are available in Vancouver nurseries are Atreano, Osborne Prolific, Stella & Negronne. Stella taste very good but few figs will ripen in our zone unless you have a greenhouse. Same for Negronne. Osborne P. 2nd crop is huge but most won't ripen on time. Atreano would need GH help.

pauuly,

I am surprised that Atreano doesn't do better. The "OR" version is the first to ripen here, or nearly so. The "RR" version is definitely a much later fig, and not the same fig.

The "RR" taste pretty flat here. I think its a matter of heat units. Aid of a GH to get a head start may make the difference. My "OR" have not fruited. Hopefully next season.

Lately I saw a bunch of Atreano's for sale at a large local garden nursery in town. I am not sure where they came from. I know the garden center did not propagate these trees. What they are marketing on is "these" trees are hardy. Unfortunately buyers who are not fignuts will have no idea how they perform in our zone apart from realizing they need to lower their expectations.

Ammuni,

I agree with Paully about Desert King.  See my website:
http://sites.google.com/site/kiwifruitsalad2
for the 2009 Fig Test Report.

Of the four varieties you list in your post, NONE should be sold by any reputable nursery north of Portland Oregon!

Enjoy,   kiwibob
Seattle

Hi kiwibob,

Thanks for the information and for the referral to your website. I guess Desert King is the fig of choice for this area. I have many neighbours with fig trees in their gardens and all of them produce ripe juicy figs in August.

Am I to assume that all of the fig trees whose fruit ripen in the metro Vancouver, BC area are Desert King?

On that note, where can one purchase a Desert King? It seems there was a shortage of fig trees this year at the local nuseries and I have had problems purchasing any type of fig tree. The trend this year has been for people to plant edible gardens and thus the fig trees were in high demand.

Ammuni
                       

I have no idea where you can get a DK in Vancouver. However that said, I know Country Garden in Chilliwack owned by the famous Brian Minter(Minter Gdns) has DK. Most figs, likely above 50% of them in Vancouver are DK and they are ripening now.

Good luck.

Ammuni,

Assume nothing and rely on observation!  Vancouver is probably like Seattle where about a dozen varieties account for maybe 90% of the Figs grown in the area.

I suggest waiting until you see Figs ripening, ask the tree owner if you can taste one or two.  If the tree is productive and you like them, ask if the owner knows what variety they are.  Pick the variety you like best and get a tree if the owner is certain of the variety name (beware any claim of "Brown Turkey" as it likely isn't)!  If you find an "unknown" you really like, ask the owner for cuttings and start your own tree.

Happy Growing,
kiwibob
Seattle

Visit my website:  http://sites.google.com/site/kiwifruitsalad2

Hi All,

Well, I did end up buying the "Brown Turkey" fig they had at Gardenworks in Vancouver. And a number of sweet brown figs ripened the last couple of weeks. Now, perhaps this tree was in a greenhouse before it was shipped to the garden centre and this is why the figs ripened. Or perhaps, we had an especially warm and sunny summer here (which we did) which may not happen in future summers, but the fig is doing well so far.

I've attached a picture.

I will continue to look for DK. Thanks for all your help and advice.

Ammuni