Hello All,

I am new to growing figs and I am trying to come up with a long list of common figs that do not need wasps for production of the main crop.  Does anyone have such a list that I can get off of them. Everyone's information is much appreciated. Thanks.

Russ

Russ, you might be better off with a list of which figs DO need the wasp.  That is a small list!  Majority of figs are common and self pollinate.

I'm sure someone here can help you.  We have the wasp here in California, so this isn't a big concern, but those who live in PA and colder climates can help you for sure.

I'd go for Hardy Chicago and Marseilles VS Black if I lived in PA.

Suzi

http://figs4fun.com/varieties.html

You're asking a loaded question.  There are over a thousand varieties.  You're asking someone to do a massive amount of legwork for you!

Welcome to the forum and your first post Pittsburgh.  ; )

Jon the moderator has a website 
' Encanto Farms Nursery" the link to it is on top upper left corner and within it is a link to UcDavis that has a list but not of all figs as there are so many but on that list it mentions which are common types, smyrna, san pedro etc.

Jon can you post that link perhaps here  ?

Thank you for all of the responses so far.

Just to clarify, I am aware of the large quantity of cultivars that belong to the common fig. I am not asking for a complete list or for anyone to do any additional "legwork" for me but rather to share a partial list which had been previously compiled, like the UC Davis list Martin referenced.

I am looking to start a collection in PA but do not want to collect types that will not produce in this area. I will continue looking and I will post my findings to this thread within due time. Thank you Suzy, Dominic and Martin.

I'm all about looking at a problem from multiple angles.

In circulation domestically, I'd guess that upwards of 99.5% of trees are common type, not requiring pollination.  On the other hand, 30%-40%+ of all varieties are incapable of surviving in-ground in your climate, and at least 20% of all trees are worthless eating, unremarkable.

Seems like the bigger obstacle for you to tackle here is cold-hardiness, rather than no-wasp-required.

Some things I think will make or break you in PA:

- A variety's cold tolerance.
- Its resistance to splitting/spoiling during rain.
- Whether it's early or late to ripen.
- Whether it has a breba crop or only main crop.
- Whether the breba crop tastes better or main crop, or both.

My recommendation to you is to stop focusing on the most inconsequential thing (pollination requirements), since you're talking 1-in-50 trees that require pollination, at most.  Instead, focus on what qualities in a fig are most important to you, such as:

- Fruit size (small or large).
- Fruit exterior and interior color (red/brown/purple/black/green/yellow).
- Richness:  Really rich or not rich at all?
- Flavor:  More berry-flavored, more honey-flavored, or more fig-flavored?
- Sweetness: Cloyingly sweet, moderately sweet, or hardly sweet?
- Crunchiness:  Good seed crunch or not so much crunch?

Once you have a list of varieties that are appealing to you based on those traits, post it here at the forum so other members in PA can tell you what can and cannot work in your area for in-ground or pot culture.

If you need a variety reference, check the Variety database for Figs 4 Fun:  http://figs4fun.com/varieties.html

Believe me, I went through that entire database front to back to find which figs I thought looked like "must haves" and my entire collection is based on that info and subsequent questions and reading.


Pro tip:  Avoid anything that sayd "Caprifig" in the variety database.