Fig Jujube Deep Dive

Fig

A simple yet humble fruit, well, actually a flower. Yes, when you eat figs, you are actually eating the flower. This unique fruit is related to mulberries, which I will do a deep dive on next. It is full of flavor and can be used for many more things than just Fig Newtons. They are native to Asiatic Turkey and northern India, and the native / wild uncultivated ones there are pollinated by the tiny fig wasp that crawls into the flower to lay its eggs and, in the process, pollinates the flower. As the flower does its thing or ripens, the wasps hatch and fly out (mother is stuck and can’t fit out) prior to being harvested and consumed. Luckily for anyone outside of the native areas who don’t have the fig wasp already flying around, they have selected breed varieties that are self-fertile and don’t require any pollination in order to ripen for us to enjoy.

Care

When planting figs, it is good to prune them to around half their size. This helps them focus on root production and them getting established. Speeding up the time to harvest, which could take 2-3 years after planting. Don’t fret or toss those cuttings out, as they are super easy to root, so you can have several free fig plants just from the one purchase. Let me know if you would like a deep dive on how to easily root fig cuttings. A word of caution, the fig sap and UV light from the sun can burn your skin. That is because the sap contains furanocoumarins that react to the UV light. It's not instant, but can show the signs 48-72 hrs after exposure. Being hot and sweaty helps make it worse and helps spread the sap. If you find this to be an issue, then harvest figs either in the early morning or in the evening when the sun isn’t as intense, wear long sleeves and gloves. If there are other chores to be done, then harvest the figs at the end to minimize the sun exposure. Once inside, make sure you wash up to clean off any sap that made it to your skin.

Types

Some figs do better further south than the panhandle, or others do better in the panhandle. Below are some varieties, each with its growing zone, to help you make your choice for your specific areas.  

• Brown Turkey: Zone 8b-10, has moderate nematode resistance, is a reliable producer, and great for beginners.
• Celeste: Zone 8a-9b, Moderate Nematode resistance, sweet, closed eye (resists souring), great for north FL.
• LSU Purple: Zone 9-10, Good Nematode resistance, very productive, good for containers
• Black Mission: Zone 7+ requires 300 chill hours to produce, which is not good for the warmer climates in Florida

Thanks for reading about the figs. Let's start growing wasp-free figs and enjoying them every year. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about them or another fruit that I haven’t covered yet. Come back next week when I do a deep dive on the mulberry tree.

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