Fruit Tree Planner

Black Mission is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating, drying, jam, and all-purpose backyard fig harvests, but skip it if you want cold climates above zone 7 or a very pale flesh with mild flavor. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

Brown Turkey is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating, drying, and preserves, but skip it if you want rough transport, crisp texture, or a very firm kitchen fruit. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

Chicago Hardy is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for cold-climate container growing and the most reliable fig north of zone 6, but skip it if you want the richest, most intensely sweet fig flavor, as cold-climate survival comes at some cost to flavor depth. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

LSU Purple is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for humid southern climates and Gulf Coast home orchards where fig rust is a concern, but skip it if you want cold climates or a finer-flavored dessert fig in drier conditions. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

Violette de Bordeaux is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, container growing, and the richest-flavored small fig, but skip it if you want large-batch preserving or big fruit for impressive presentation. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

Celeste is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating, home drying, and southeastern backyard fig plantings, but skip it if you want large impressive fruit or heavy preserving quantities. It usually ripens around September, later than most of the others shown.

Desert King is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating and cool-summer climates like the Pacific Northwest where most figs ripen poorly, but skip it if you want hot, dry climates or a dark-skinned fig for drying. It usually ripens around mid August, earlier than most of the others shown.