Since a few members have been trading/selling cuttings, and places like encanto will be selling cuttings in a couple months, this seemed like a good question to ask.

If you were starting some cuttings, got them to root, and grew them up in ideal conditions, which ones would pay off the earliest, in your experience?  I know some varieties grow slow, some are FMV plagued, some drop their fruit, and some just don't make quality fruit until they are older.

What are some varieties that kick butt straight out of the gate?  In other words, in year one or two, have grown like weeds and are producing top quality figs already?

I know most of you have grown from cuttings...so let's hear it.

Malta Black, VdB, Negronne, Chicago Hardy, Sodus Sicilian, RdB all fruited nicely as first year plants for me.

It varies.  I've had great early fruit from LSU Gold, JH Adriatic, Battaglia Green, Hardy Chicago and some others.  My Ronde de Bordeau (RdB) is 3 years old and hasn't fruited yet.  The the last 2 years LSU gold hasn't fruited at all, JH, Har Chi and B Gr were very late.  But we had a super cold summer.

I know my CH from the local hardware store was bought as a stick and 3 or 4 leaves, and it produced about 4 figs at the end of summer.  They were really really figgy, but didn't have much sweetness to speak to.  Sorry I can't add more myself...after this year I will though!

Get yourself an LSU Scotts Black.

You'll be a happy person end of next year.

MBVS, Hardy Chicago, and Celeste have been my most prolific 1st year plants.

I had a lucky start during the first year with Fig4Fun when I rooted Marseilles VS Black during early winter. They were brought outside in mid-May  (frost free starts here around May 20)
It had 5 fruits by the end of June and 2 of these survived to ripen.  

Sal's, Grasa's Adriatic, VdB, Makedonian Dark, Takoma Violet, Verdone (Almost Eden), Marylane Seedless (Almost Eden).

I'm new but for me Chicago hardy. Got about 3 dozen off of 3 first year trees. I know I'm not supposed to do that but couldn't help myself!

Hardy Chicago

Notice, every person but one above named at least one Mount Etna strain:
Hardy Chicago, Sal's, Takoma Violet, Marseilles Black.
Only one other cultivar was mentioned in more than one post (VDB).
Similarly, my most productive from cutting was an unknown Mount Etna strain.
Found Improved Celeste, Malta Black, and LSU Purple to be darn productive (and tasty) too.
VDB seemed like it would be very productive young but ripened a bit too late in the year.

Sals g and connies dark hands down, and MvsB

Hi,
First year, NONE for me . I never had a young fig tree fruit for me here in Zone7 without greenhouse or headstart .
If you can buy a small year old rooted plant, you would have more luck.
I bought last year in a sales on the street, an unknown figtree that I named "Unknown green longue d'aout" - because that is what is more approaching. The thing was 20 cm of height last September.
She is now one year later at 1,80 meter or 6 feet of height and produced 8 figs this year already. That's the most willing to produce tree in my collection so far. Even BT is beaten .
None of my "Dalmatie" young tree did produce that fast .
Dalmatie tree 2 is now 2 years old, and showed figlets this year for the first time, but too late even this year - but has now nice scaffold branches.
Dalmatie tree 3 is now 1 year old, and showed figlets too late this year . One stem got pinched by a nosy gardening insect, and another stem I did not pinch to see if I can get figs sooner next year - brebas and maincrop . So far she would be the quickest cutting to fruit for me.
Good luck. Keep us posted on your tests and results .

Marseilles VS Black for me as well. 7-8 months from cuttings to a handful of very tasty figs.

I had three fig trees out of all the figs i have grown over the years,that produced ripe fruits the first year ,when i rooted them.
I mean root them in February and get about 2 to 6 ripe fruits in September ,of course later than normal but yet ripe properly,and good tasting:
They were:
Malta Black
Marseilles black vs
AdriaticJH