We have quite a few members at this point, so this should be easy. If everyone participates, we'll have a nice list of recommended figs to help new people choose well. After we get further along, I'll convert it to a more friendly format and post it.

Please post you state, zip code, and the 5 best figs that you grow. Best meaning overall good taste and sweetness, along with good productivity. More or less the 5 varieties you wouldn't be without.

I am California 92114

Black Mission NL
Celeste
LSU Purple
Paradiso
Vista/Violette be Bordeaux/Negronne

Here at my location in Ottawa for a few years in a row I have success with the following i.e. better ripening than other varieties (yet) :

Sal (EL)
Marseilles VS
Hardy Chicago
Natalina
Celeste

NC, 28214
Stella
Ronde de Bourdeaux
Marseilles VS
O'Rourke
Celeste

Got plenty of other varieties that have not ripened yet.
-----------------------------
Dennis -z7b

If I am asked for advise by a newbie, I would recommend the following variants for southern British Columbia, Canada, PC V2P3T4.

Desert King(Must Have)
Latarulla
Osborne Prolific(Tony's Greek)
Marseillies VS
Hollier
Barbillone

DK is the most reliable. I have many others under evaluation and some variants like Vicenzo, Slocan(likely Longue d'Aout), Elana, etc can performed outstandingly under near perfect weather conditions from Spring into Summer, especially with Indian Summer.

This is great information.  Thanks from a very new fig grower.  I'll be taking note.

Malta Black
Sal Gene strain
Marseilles vs black
Hardy Chicago
Kathleen Black
Stella
The first four cultivars,are very good tasting,no souring ,cold resistant and very easy to grow!
The last 2,are exceptionally tasty large figs,but they are not as easy to grow as the first three,here in NJ,due to cold winters,lack of heat ,too much rain,etc.
Also there are other exceptionally tasting figs,I had a chance to get ripe fruits from,but none are so dependable producer of ripe figs ,like the first three I mentioned.

So far in 01844 (Methuen, MA):

Hardy Chicago
Marseilles VS
Celeste
LSU Gold

Others in trial.

Joe

M8V Toronto, ON

So far after 2010, I will recommend these:
Natalina
Hardy Chicago
Desert King
Paradiso "Nero/Bronze"
Lattarulla
Verte (Purely on taste alone)
Colsanti Farms Dark
Unknown Calabrese Italy-Red
Kadota/White Texas Everbearing
Palestine Black
Ficazanna
VdB
Easy to grow, all reliable and from good to excellent in regards to yield.

Cant wait until 2011.


 

Marseilles vs black

Marseilles VS Black
Hardy Chicago
Sal Gene Strain
Peter's Honey
Stella

Vern
Arkansas zone 7-8 zip 72802

Texas 77619 Zn9

Violette de Bourdeaux

Celeste

Tena

Many more to be evaluated. Stay tuned!

Jon If at all possible can you lock this to the top of forum page, It seems to be a good reference thread for not only new members like myself but for others to refer back to and do some comparisons
Thanks Sal G

I locked it at first, and it seemed that maybe people weren't seeing it, so I decided to let it "float", and bump it up each day. Eventually I'll re-pin it and/or put the data as a link at Figs 4 Fun.

Thanks Jon

Yorktown, VA
Zone 8

Celeste
Brown Turkey
LSU Purple
Conandria

Hoping to find a few more.

In north coast of Spain, climate Z9, mild winters, no frosts, rainy (55 inch/year), mild summers (95 % summers days below 90º F), tends to be cloudy but from time to time decent sunny summers.

My list, in order of preference:

- Bakio (an unknown variety, resembles Marseillaise)
- Negronne (soon could be in the 1st place)
- Ronde de Bordeaux
- Longue d'Aout
- Marseilles VS

* Promising varieties, on advanced trial: Grise de St Jean, Noire de Barbentane, Sucrette, Noire de Caromb,

* I have a lot of varieties on an initial trial with good hope: Pastiliere, Kathleen's Black, Paradiso, Italia 258, "Baud fig", Smith and some more...
* So far Black list: Madeleine des Deux saisons, Sultane, Fiorone di Ruvo.

Still time to hear from about 606 of our members.

Axier
What do you mean by "So far Black list: Madeleine des Deux saisons, Sultane, Fiorone di Ruvo, Hardy Chicago", and why?

I say "so far" because it is not a closed list, unfortunately it will include new members in the future.

Why I include those varieties in my black list:

Madeleine des Deux Saisons:
- It is not productive
- It splits and sours badly at the first rain.
Sultane:
- the main crop is late
- It is a good taste fig but nothing special
Fiorone di Ruvo:
- capricious breva producer
- absent or scarce main crop
Hardy Chicago (edited on 05-October-2010):
I initially included Hardy Chicago in my Black List, I have to admit today that it is better than I thought. If it is cropped well ripened, it is a very good tasting fig. I have removed it from my black list.

All the above is according to my opinion, experience and climate. Taste is a personal thing, I know that many people will disagree with me.

Southern LA,  9A

- Smith
- Hunt
- White Honey
- Hardy Chicago

For the fifth, I am tempted to put LSU Gold because I love how it tastes and its apple-esque size, but it splits too easily in this humidity and constant rain. So, I'll put...

- LSU Tyger (O'Rourke)

Smith and Hunt were astoundingly good this year. If I had an unlimited supply of those, I don't think I'd ever eat anything else. I'll be rooting lots of those this fall.

Far northeast, New Brunswick, Canada.

This will be my second year for eating figs.  The prolific and tasty ones so far are: from last year:
Celeste
Tony's Greek (from Paully22).
Yugoslavian black (from Dusan)
Vicenzo (Paully22)

still to taste this season:

Black Jack (Adriano):
North Carolina fig (Ottawan).

The black Jack is outside in ground, the others are in a plastic greenhouse in ground.  Zone usually 4b/5a, but this winter it behaved like a zone 6, and summer is the same so far.

Down's Celeste
Red Italian
Green Italian
Sals Bellaclaire
Patrick Super Giant
A list that will surely change as trial trees bear, tastes improve and hardiness is proven. Zip 37303

I just wanted to say how very valuable this information is for a new guy.  Thanks to all for taking the time to post.  I wish I had unlimited time and funds to grow all the recommendations.  I look forward to the end of season comments, too.

If you get a minute, have a look at the website I started just a week ago, link is in my signature. 

Off topic,
Andrew you have a nice looking website started there. I am sure it will grow and become more informative for those growing figs in colder areas. I am also in Zone 5a a bit north in Ottawa but am very much familiar with Vermont since I stayed there for 4.5 years (in mid-60s; what a time that was) doing post-graduate work in Electronics at UVM. Good and lasting memories of the place.

Thanks, Ottawan.  My oldest son graduated UVM. Still lives in Burlington and works for IBM...nice town.