What are the earliest figs that ripen? Needs to be close eye, but I'd love to have some thing early and stagger out my crops!

Breba figs are earliest.  But the answer to your question depends on your situation.  Do you live someplace with cold winters?  Are you growing in ground or in containers?  Desert King gives me the earliest crop of figs in good numbers.

Observation tells me that the same variety of figs will ripen earlier in Houston than Austin, TX. I never really timed it but it could mean two to three weeks earlier.
One of my earliest here in Austin is the Celeste. I describe the flavor as sweet but not complex. I prefer the later ripening varieties as they pack more flavor, if you are further south, depending on your setup, you might have an advantage when it comes to ripening your figs earlier.

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]I find that the earliest edible carpifigs are the earliest, here in NC by mid June we start to have ripe figs, where you live most likely even sooner, yet edible caprifigs are just one crop that is edible fresh, yet some varieties of edible caprifigs are late cropping too. Yet since San Pedro type of figs are very similar to edible carpifigs I am sure there are some very early too like Joe has mentioned one San Pedro type of fig that he says is very early.[/QUOTE] so you can eat caprifigs? I get so confused about caprifigs. Are all caprifigs male ?

Richie, only persistent Capri figs are edible( enderud,saleeb).

Are they male ?

Yes, used in Condits breeding program responsible for many great varieties.

[QUOTE=brianm]Richie, only persistent Capri figs are edible( enderud,saleeb).[/QUOTE]

All Wild Figs Caprifig. Caprifigs are "Zwitter" and have 3 Form Flower.
In German we have not much Books about Figs and so we have also much Quetions about Capri Fig/Zwitter, what male and Female.

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]what do you mean by 3 form flower?[/QUOTE]

The Fig Fruit what not pollinated are first botanik a Flower and can be later a Fruit with Pollination or without "parthenocarp". Wild Fig Caprifig have 3 Form Flowers 2 Form female and 1 Form Male. That is for the sexual Funktion with Fig Wesp. 1n South 1 Form bring by Wild Figs Fruit to eat. In 1 Form the Wesp live in the Winter.
I have no times read what is with the Caprifig Flowers in North - all Fruit to eat, if they Parthenocarp?
In the last years i have make much Seedling and i think i can self see my Quetions in the Future.

Hi, thanks for the replies. I live in Texas on the coast, zone 9.

My earliest fig is Celeste. I just ate my first ripe fig for this year a couple of days ago and it was very sweet. It was a main crop fig. Every year, it's earlier by at least a month or two than any other of the hundred fig varieties. I know there are a lot of Celeste varieties but I have no idea which one.

I enjoyed some great Calimyrna figs over the weekend -from the grocery store: sweet, moist, juicy, succulent, semi-dry. Just couldn't wait for the breba crops to ripen. ;)