General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7a -17.8 °C (0 °F) to -15 °C (5 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 5 to 30 feet (pruning)
Plant Spread: 6 to 30 feet (pruning)
Leaves: Deciduous
Broadleaf
Fruit: Showy
Edible to birds
Other: "Fruit" is technically a synconium, that is, a fleshy, hollow receptacle with a small opening at the apex partly closed by small scales. Fruits on 1-3 yr old wood, prune for harvest access
Fruiting Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Late summer or early fall
Other: may develop 2 crops per year depending on zone and/or microclimate. Remove fruits that wont ripen before or survive thru winter
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Blooms on new wood
Other: Non-showy greenish flowers form in spring inside hollow receptacles near the branch growing tips. The fruit (edible fig) develops within each receptacle.
Flower Color: Green
Flower Time: Spring
Late summer or early fall
Other: Provides two crops of figs per year
Foliage Mound Height: varies by culture
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Patio/Ornamental/Small Tree
Xeriscapic
Espalier
Uses: Windbreak or Hedge
Shade Tree
Edible Parts: Fruit
Eating Methods: Raw
Cooked
Wildlife Attractant: Birds
Other Beneficial Insects
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Drought tolerant
Toxicity: Other: A lactifer, the milky sap (latex) can be a skin irritant. Also present in some unripened fruit.
Propagation: Seeds: Provide light
Self fertile
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Cuttings: Tip
Cuttings: Root
Layering
Offsets
Other: Best if mature wood 2-3 yrs of age is used for cuttings. Also easy to start from ground or air layering
Pollinators: Self
Wasps
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs repotting every 2 to 3 years
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Common Fig
  • Edible Fig
  • Fig
  • Higo
Also sold as:
  • Vern's Brown Turkey
  • Philly Brown Turkey

Photo Gallery
Location: Vienna Va. 
Date: 2020-08-26
ripe brown turkey figs, table seving
Location: Indiana zone 5
Date: 2013-07-12
picked from a potted fig tree
Location: South Carolina

Date: 2012-04-19
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2015-08-31
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: Aug 23, 2009
Vern's Brown Turkey, fruit starting to ripen.
Location: Dayton, TN
Date: 2013-07-17

Date: March 2014
Location: Dayton, TN
Date: 2013-08-11
First ripe batch of the year from a fruit laden 3 year old tree.
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: Feb 6, 2012
Dormant state, ready to prune out the suckers from the base.

Date: 2012-11-19
Location: Pacific Northwest, zone 8
Date: Aug 26, 2008
Vern's Brown Turkey
Location: Dayton, TN
Date: 2013-07-17
Location: Indiana zone 5
Date: 2013-07-12
pot grown tree
Location: Virginia
Date: 2012-03-31
My Figbert  12 yrs ols 2012

Date: 2016-07-16

Date: 2012-11-19
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2015-08-31
Location: Jacksonville, Fl.
Date: 2015-06-24
A newly planted young tree
This plant is tagged in:
Image

Comments:
  • Posted by valleylynn (Oregon City, OR - Zone 8b) on Feb 6, 2012 12:32 PM concerning plant:
    The fig can be grown in a wide range of soils: light sand, rich loam, heavy clay, or limestone, provided that there is sufficient depth and good drainage. Highly acid soils are unsuitable.
    Mine are growing in heavy clay with a good mulch cover, against a south-facing wall of our shed.

    Fig trees have been raised from seed, even seed extracted from commercial dried fruits.

    Fig trees usually bear 2 crops a year. The early-season breba crop appears in late spring on last year's branches and is a usually a smaller crop. The main crop, with a larger amount of fruit, is produced in the late summer or fall on new growth.

    The flowers are all female and need no pollination.

    The skin of the fig is thin and tender, the flesh is whitish, blending to a light pinkish/reddish color, and very sweet and juicy. Heavy rains during ripening time can cause the skins to split.

    Netting is needed once the birds know you have ripening figs.

    The sap contains copious amounts of milky latex that is irritating to human skin. Unripe fruit also contains small amounts of latex that disappear when the fruit is ripe.

    In dry western climates, water mature trees deeply at least every one or two weeks. Desert gardeners may have to water more frequently. Mulch the soil around the trees to conserve moisture. Leaves will turn yellow and start dropping if the tree doesn't receive enough water. Recently planted trees are particularly susceptible to water deficits, so keep them on a regular watering schedule until they have established a good root system.

    There are reports of this tree making it in zone 6 if it is grown along a south-facing wall and is provided with a thick layer of mulch.
  • Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Jun 17, 2018 5:41 PM concerning plant:
    I started my plant from a cutting 7 years ago. I passed this tree often and admired that it was ever-bearing so stopped and asked the owner if I could get cuttings. He gladly shared and a couple rooted. I have a small yard, so by the 3rd year I moved the larger one I kept to a 32-gal. Rubbermaid trash can I bought and drilled holes in the bottom. It's stayed under 5 feet in the container, but has gotten branchy & produces loads of figs I pick all year. The smaller plant was given away.
  • Posted by SCButtercup (Simpsonville SC - Zone 7b) on Aug 24, 2014 5:16 AM concerning plant:
    Figs are ripe when they are purple/almost brown and curve downward. It is hard to wait, but unripe fruit does not ripen after picking, so wait! After rainfall, be especially vigilant for ripe fruit because rain tends to accelerate ripening, and ripe figs may burst after rain if left on the tree. They make great fig jam if paired with lemon and peaches (which ripen at the same time). Prune in winter or early spring just before the buds leaf out. If you prune in spring, you can root the cut branches and start more trees.
  • Posted by gardengus (Indiana Zone 5b) on Jul 14, 2013 8:00 PM concerning plant:
    I have been successful in growing this fig in a large pot (14'' clay) as a houseplant and siting it outside for the summer.This is my third year and it has produced figs all three years. This year over a dozen so far and still immature fruit on the tree.

    For those growing figs in a pot inside, don't be alarmed when the tree drops all of its leaves. This is a normal cycle. It is not dying. I cut back on water when the leaves start to drop and increase water when the new shoots appear. Takes about 4-6 weeks.
Plant Events from our members
cbclemmons On January 8, 2018 Maintenance performed
This fig tree is a very old one planted probably 30 years ago. The tree has always produced delicious figs, but last years crop was very small. On the 23rd of December, I removed a heavy overgrowth of honeysuckle and devils claw vines from the tree. I also cut the tree back to approx 5' in height and thinned out all old growth. On Jan. 3rd, 2018 my area had an unprecedented snow fall of 3.5 inches which has remained on the ground for rest of that week. (Usually, snow will come down and melt before noon on the same day.) The plant looks good and is still dormant, but we are expecting a warming trend. Last year the tree had broken dormancy a week or so before a late frost, so I'll be on the watch for that again this year.
RobGlen On October 16, 2018 Obtained plant
Purchased at Glendale Lowe's...nursery gave me 1/2 off.
carlissa904 On May 1, 2019 Obtained plant
My daughter bought this at Lowes, hopefully she will get it planted in the yard soon.
paleohunter On September 7, 2020 Cuttings took
MySecretIslandGarden On July 29, 2022 Maintenance performed
New leaves are emerging, some figs are ripening, removed dead leaves.
SuperHappyCamper On July 5, 2020 Obtained plant
2 successful plants taken from Mom Massey in Fl.
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