Hi justjohn,

You mean you don't have any fig trees as of yet?

What kind of figs do you like to eat?

noss

Black Mission is a great fig here out west, good for fresh eating and drying. It's the fig planted by the padres as they estalished missions in California. I don't know how it would grow in your area, but out here it is good in both coastal and inland climates. I'd say give it a try if you like black/purple figs.

Celeste is the one I more commonly hear about in your area, so we know it's tried and true. Brown Turkey is the one that has people who either love it or hate it--from my experience, it is bland, but that could be because I've only tried the California Brown Turkeys grown locally. There are other strains of BT that have a much better reputation for flavor. Definitely avoid the Cal. BTs.

I definitely would get a Violette de Bordeaux and a Celeste. Hardy Chicago will do well for you too and will have a different taste than Celeste and Hardy Chicago. For a LSU fig.....I would suggest a LSU Gold. This is a large fig and will taste different than the other figs mentioned. These varieties can be found at many retail sources. Black Mission is a very good tasting fig. However, it tends to be a bit cold tender. If you get one, grow it in a bush form and not allow it to grow in a tree form. This will allow it to better handle colder temperatures.

You can substitute Hardy Chicago for a Sal's El, or Marseilles vs., or Dark Portuguese, or Gino's fig. These varieties will come up for sale on eBay and are sold by forum members.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Both Noss and Dan recommended some awesome cultivars. I have those mentioned. Hardy Chicago, Sal's El, Marseilles Black VS, Dark Portuguese, and Gino's fig are some awesome sweet black figs. If you want a green fig that is very robust and flat out good, you can't go wrong with Atreano and many LSU varieties. Good luck on your choice. Dennis

Good advice, I really appreciate it. All varieties mentioned sound interesting and worth looking into. I really want a Black Mission, now...chicago, bordeaux, lsu gold, celeste, will need to make some room and maybe drop brown turkey. Thanks everyone!