Hi, although I live in NY and keep most of my varieties in pots I want to suggest some appropriate fig varieties for a friend in Atlanta Georgia. Any suggestions on varieties he can plant in ground or in pots in Northern Atlanta area? Thanks

Hi Barry,

I'm in Birmingham, AL (similar to ATL) and LSU Purple, JH Adriatic, and the Marseilles/Lemon-types all do well here in ground. If you are thinking about Celeste, I'd recommend the 1-3 lobed Improved variety - can handle stress much better. The Bordeaux-types (Negronne/RdB) are also great potted, but occasional prolonged freezing temps have been known to kill in-ground trees this far inland. 

Jason from Atlanta used to post a lot here - he's been busy with life lately, so he might not reply to your messages, but you can peruse his posts for ideas: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/profile/1288241

On a historical note: The Hunt fig was the creation of BW Hunt - an interesting character from NY who moved to Georgia and became a little obsessed with figs. 

Hi Barry,

I live about 1 hr. north of Atlanta and grow most of my trees in ground. Celeste, LSU Purple, Brown Turkey, Hardy Chicago, Salem Dark, Sweet George, VDB, Dominic all do fine in Zone 7. If your friend is zone 8, you can add Mission Black to the mix. The advice I would give is that any of the Mt. Etna types or Brown Turkey relatives are great for his area. He should stay away from the open eye varieties unless he likes wasps. I do grow Brunswick which is an open eye variety and in dry seasons, its a heavy producer of good sized figs when other varieties don't do as well. In wet years I end up picking it before its fully ripe just to avoid the insects which get into the eye and souring. Brunswick and LSU Purple seem to require a bit more pruning than the others because they will put on a lot of sucker growth every year. About the only group that has not done as well for me are the Italian Honey's. They seem a little more tender if we get a cold winter.