My 2013 list is available in the f4f database.

I live about 50 miles WSW of Washington, D.C. in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. We have very hot and humid summers. I am in zone 7 in Warrenton, VA.

All of my fig trees (currently 273) are in pots from 1 to 15 gallons and have already been moved into an attached but unheated garage with windows on 2 sides so there is a lot of light.

There were about 2 dozen varieties that still had not ripened their figs and I removed the figs when we moved them inside.

All of my figs are watered every day until it's time to try and help force them into dormancy. 

My trees range in age from new to 10 years old. It is hard to compare varieties when there are so many factors involved and comparing a 2 year old tree's figs to the figs from a 10 year old tree seems a stretch. This is certainly a long range project and although I have certain varieties I am already sold on - this list covers less then half the varieties I'm testing. Due to health an injury issues I fell way behind in up potting and have a lot of older trees in pots that are undersized. Hopefully next year this list will cover a greater number of varieties.

I hope this helps folks when considering what varieties to try.


Fig Ripening List 2014

103 varieties

8-3

Florea

Brown Turkey

8-5

Lemon

8-6

Ronde de Bordeaux

8-12

LSU Gold

Hardy Chicago

Hollier

8-13

Saint Rita

Celeste

Gino’s

Alma

8-14

Peter’s Honey

8-15

Black Greek

Nero

Dotatto

8-16

Red Sicilian

Zingarella

Smith

Petite Negri

8-17

LSU Tiger

Black Marseilles VS

8-18

Israeli Red UNK

Scott’s Black

8-19

Emerald Strawberry

Texas Blue Giant

Brogiotto Nero

8-20

Capelas

Longue D’Aout

8-21

Lebanese Red

Marseilles Monticello

Fracazzano Bianco

Dauphine UNK

8-23

Salce

Bourjasotte Gris

8-24

Makedonian Dark

Atreano RR

Baskinta Purple

8-25

Takoma Violet

8-26

Egyptian

Improved Celeste

Negronne

Sorbello Red

8-27

Valle Negra

Latarolla

Petite Abique

8-29

Cavaliere

Stella

Conadria

8-30

Fico Branco

Adriatic JH

Blanch de Deux Saisons

8-31

Black Jack

LSU Purple

9-1

Col de Dame Noir

Brooklyn White

St. Jerome

Monticello Mystery Purple

Pananas Purple

Vista

9-2

Paradiso “Gene”

Vicenza

9-3

Camuna Small

9-4

Col de Dame Blanc

Sal’s Corleone

Brooklyn Dark

Abebereira

Battaglia Green

Lange

9-5

UNK #1

Monstueuse

Bisirri Dark

9-6

Mary Lane Seedless

9-8

Nordand

Beale

Enrico

9-11

King

Maltese Beauty

9-13

Archipel  aka Osborn Prolific

Maryland Berry

9-21

Green Ischia

9-23

Binello

9-24

Angelique

9-26

Genovese Nero

Marseilles White

9-28

Calvert

10-4

Morena

10-5

Royal Vineyard

10-6

Bremo

Filacciano Bianco

10-7

Macool

10-11

Black Madeira

10-16

Sucrette

10-17

Macool

10-27

Carini

Verdal Longue

10-28

Melanzana

10-29

Preto

10-31

Vernino

11-1

Panachee

11-2

Qalaat al Madiq

Jolly Tiger

11-13

Skardu Black

11-15

LSU Thibidaux

mgg

Valuable information, this should help several growers.

Mike,

Thanks for the list!
In that list, the mentioned varieties had the First fig ripened on that date?

whoa thats a collection your an excellent fig grower 

Wow, thanks!

Is the Preto a young tree, or does it ripen that late normally?

Thanks for sharing that with us Micheal.

It's interesting how figs(well any plant really) can change performance from year to year. I see your Peter's Honey ripened fairly early this year. Last year PH was my first fig to ripen, this year it was 2nd to last.

Micheal
Thanks for sharing this info with us,
Is this for main crop figs only or are any of them brebas?
I thought Preto was supposed to ripen before Black Madiera - young tree?
And do you think your Lemon is the same as Marseilles or St Anthony?

I just lost my reply twice so I'll try and answer later.

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

That's impressive. Thank you for this list.

Very interesting. Thanks.

Thanks all.

Yes - as long as it did not appear to be a fluke I used the date of the first ripe fig.

I used 2 of my Pretos that are both 3 years old.

Calvin - it sure is. I've seen some varieties with a lot of variation - but I have a core of older trees that is very dependable.

Ed - I did not include brebas . . . well except King and the Filiacciano Bianco date is for the main crop that it manages to ripen even without wasps - they are small but excellent (the brebas are very good as well - but I did not include that date).

My Lemon is not very large. Perhaps 5 1/2 feet in a 15 gallon pot. It produced 12 pounds of  figs and was by far my best producer. It is not White or Monticello Marseilles and I doubt it is St Anthony - certainly does not match the pictures in the f4f database. My St Anthony is only 2 years old but I should be able to compare next spring if you remind me.

Thanks for sharing the information!  I just put together a little database to try to keep track of info like this.  I think it'll be helpful, now if I can only get some photos into it....

Joann,
I take photos of them all and will eventually combine my info into a data base, but it's a lot of work. Are you looking for Filacciano Bianco? That's one fig that really makes me wish I had the wasp. Its brebas are good but the few very small main crop figs it ripened were very special.
I'm trying to collect as many of the cold hardy ones as possible as I hope to have the trees I want large and mature enough to make a grove when I retire. My retirement plans (provided I stay in the US) call for figs I can leave unprotected in zone 6. It's a task that could take a very long time as making decisions based on just a couple years on young trees just doesn't do it for me.
I have definitely been impressed by a few varieties (Ronde de Bordeaux, St Jerome, Blanch de Deux Saisons, Morena, Cavaliere, Battaglia Green, Adriatic JH, and Lemon - and half a dozen more) but I have a lot of varieties that taste great but are not productive enough like CdD Blanc, etc. and there is so little info out there for folks who want to sell figs locally - especially here in the east. I don't think I have Abruzzo figs, but maybe one will come in as part of a trade.

Michael, how old is your Lemon and did you get it from JR?

Calvin,
It is 3-4 years old and I bought it on Ebay. Sorry but I don't remember the name of the seller. I have it around here somewhere but I doubt I'll see it any time soon.
JR, . . . JR? hmmm - half-hymers acting up again - who is JR?

Wow, what a list, you've had a mighty delicious season!  273 fig trees is pretty awesome.  Thanks for sharing your ripening info.

What do you think your 5 or 10 favorite varieties would be as of this point?

James,
I hate to give a list like that because I don't want folks to buy varieties based on what they do for me.
But I will list the ones I liked the best flavor-wise and or production-wise if you remember I'm not recommending anything.

Taste; by far my favorite figs are the ones with a strong berry flavor.
Battaglia Green
CdD B
Blanch de Deux Saisons

Longue D'Aout
Ronde de Bordeaux
Cavaliere
St Jerome
JH Adriatic
Morena
Camuna Small
Monstrueuse
CdD N
Sorbello Red
Capelas
Archipel
I'm sure I'm missing some more like St Rita

Productivity; Not a fair comparrison as my plants are in 1 to 15 gallon pots.
Lemon
RdB
Peter's Honey
Florea
Cavaliere
Archipel
Marseilles Monticello
St Jerome
Longue D'Aout
Cavaliere
Texas Blue Giant

Best figs all round;
RdB
Blanch de Deux Saisons
Battaglia Green
Marseilles Monticello
St Jerome
Longue D'Aout
Cavaliere

Noticeably missing from lists; bad year
Marseilles Black VS
JH Adriatic
Vista
Kathleen's Black

Other unfair factors;
I have only one of some varieties and as many as 6 (Cavaliere) of others.
Some get more light and heat
Some are in larger pots
Some are older as I have trees as old as 10 years
So do not pay too much attention to my opinion.

I posted this list only as a bit of info on ripening dates and that's why I did not post any other info even though I thoroughly rate each fig for myself.
I'm also sure that as I did this purely from memory I made mistakes.
But I hope this helps.

James - last year I crammed 405 trees into the same space.

Mike,

I see you rate Capelas highly. I was looking at some posts about it. Could you tell a bit more, please?
Fig size, taste, growth habit, vigor, etc.

Thanks for the great reply, Michael.  You've posted a lot of varieties that I'm unfamiliar with; it'll be fun reading up on them in the archives.

James,
Please don't take this the wrong way but this one you'll have to google as if I get into describing stuff on both forums I'll end up on the roof with a magnum.
I can tell you it has been a favorite the past 2 years and the figs grow in a tight cluster. Size on fig I photographed was 44 grams. It wasn't figgy or berry tasting but more honey with a touch of melon.
Nothing stands out in my mind other then that.
I expect to keep this one but as a single. The more I like varieties the more of them end up in my future orchard - which currently is a bunch of pots. So - good enough to keep but not good enough to keep a lot of. Of course all things are subject to change and this might be one that gets much better with age.

James,
How was your Black Greek?
Last year mine was great so I gave it a different spot and a bigger pot and it was just so/so. It may have gotten less light and heat - and less wind.
Next year I'll put in as bright a spot as possible as it has a lot of potential - taste-wise, imho.

it improves with age to and light water soil temps and climate

OOOPs, greenfig and green fin and I mixed up the 2! 
Please forgive me and untangle the answers.
Greenfig - what is a name for you? I answered James with your Capelas info.
oh well.
mgg