Want advice on fig tree for zone 8a

We want to put in a fig tree for a garden in Columbia SC, (8a). Which varieties do you recommend for vitality, taste, shape, etc?--
--Don

You might try a query to Mike McCloskey of Edible Landscaping -

http://www.eat-it.com/

I'm growing Latarulla and Petite Nigra here. Huge crops and *very* large trees!

Yuska

Here's a link that descibes the characteristics of various varieties -

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html

Here is another link to consider:
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1353.htm

A little south of you we grow these. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56748/

They grow well here and are good tasting right off the tree.

After looking over the Clemson site and other information, I believe we'll try the Celeste variety; it sounds like they are hardy and provide sweet fruit off the tree. Cooper's Nursery in Columbia has them in stock, about 4' high for $20. That sounds pretty good. I'll try getting one in the ground this month.
Thanks
Don

Wish that I could name this variety. The neighbor who gave me the original cutting, swears that he brougt the parent plant in his suitcase when he arrived here from Greece.

As far as he's concerned, it's the "Black."

He also gave me another -- even sweeter variety. It's called the "White."

Sometimes I think that these types are the best.

Be well

: )

I have the Petite Nigra - which is a good 6ft or so tall already, not so petite. As it's the only one I've tried, I can't compare it to other varieties, but in my location (8b) it does quite well.

This message was edited Dec 6, 2007 7:05 PM

The name may refer to the size of the fruit...a bit smaller than Celeste and others, but it is sweet and delicious. The Petite Nigra tree I have is not as large as the Latarulla but it is about eight feet and with a sizeable circumference. Yuska

Thanks, Yuska,

That makes a lot of sense. The figs are a bit smaller than those I see in the store.

My plant was less than a foot high when I planted it. Even at that size it bore a handful of figs the 1st year. That just added to my belief that it was a dwarf plant. Imagine my surprise when it quickly shot up to 6ft or so.

What would be the best fig for my area? I see someone marked they are growing them in Portland, Oregon so they should be okay here. What is the best fig for my zone, fig-people?

PS, our summers are cool, average temp is 80F

I found this in one of the posted articles:
Desert King (Charlie, King)
Origin Madera, Calif. 1920. San Pedro type. Large, skin is deep green, minutely spotted white, pulp strawberry red. Sweet, delicious fresh or dried. Commonly matures good fruit without caprification near the coast. Tree highly vigorous. Hardy, best adapted to to cool areas such as the Pacific Northwest.

Like this might be the one, anybody growing it?

This message was edited Dec 6, 2007 2:38 PM

This message was edited Dec 6, 2007 2:43 PM

Maybe I could grow this one, too


Osborn's Prolific (Arachipel, Neveralla)
Medium to large, skin is dark reddish brown, flesh amber, often tinged pink. Very sweet, best fresh. Light breba crop. Tree upright, bare, will grow in shade. Ripens late. Only for north coast, Pacific Northwest. Poor in warm climates.

Take a look at the figs offered by RainTree Nursery in Washington. I've ordered from them a lot. They are very reliable.
http://www.raintreenursery.com/

Great info! I love it when they give you the specifics about your area.

I have a Brown Turkey fig that I planted about 4 years ago. It is about 5 feet tall and has put out several figs each summer over the last 2 years. I am in a similar area/zone 8b near Seattle.

I think they did say Brown Turkey was one of the ones that would do okay.

Brown Turkey is the most widespread fig grown outdoors in the UK. It can happily take frost, and the fruit tastes nice as well. I also grow Rouge De Bordeaux outside here. It survives ok outside, but I suspect it would prefer hotter summers to produce more fruit.