Tweet
The seasonally earliest ripening fig varieties may be Ronde de Bordeaux, (LSU) Improved Celeste, and Florea (Michurinska-10), also Celeste and Pastiliere (Rouge de Bordeaux). Malta Black and the Mount Etna types like Marseilles Black also ripen relatively early in season, LSU Purple too.
As far as I'm aware, only the two LSU figs in the early ripening list above derive from scientific breeding programs. It seems that figs have been bred for many purposes - taste, size, texture, appearance, rain and humidity resistance, disease resistance - though early ripening does not necessarily seem to have been a primary goal.
(By early ripening, I mean early in the season, not necessarily early in the life of the fig trees, though many of these varieties are productive when young. And I'm referring to main crop figs, not brebra crop.)
However, since one of the most early ripening figs of all seems to be LSU Improved Celeste, along with traditional Celeste, and since traditional Celeste was used in the LSU breeding program, and given the relatively early ripening nature of LSU Purple, I wonder what other LSU cultivars may be especially early ripening. I have limited experience with most other LSU cultivars, so can't much say first hand. Would be interested to hear the experience of others who've grown the other LSU varieties for some years.
Hunt also seems to be fairly early ripening, and also came out of a fig breeding program (by an individual) that also used Celeste figs.
Also would be interested to hear of the cultivars that ripen main crop figs both early in season AND at a young fig tree age. It seems that as trees age, many cultivars ripen main crop relatively early in season. In some ways it's most useful to know which cultivars ripen figs seasonally early reliably and from a young age. Even better if they are especially productive and/or ripen continuously till frost, rather than in a short 2 or 3 week burst.
So, a list of earliest ripening main crop figs in my experience and/or research (not necessarily in precise order):
Ronde de Bordeaux
(LSU) Improved Celeste
Florea (Michurinska-10)
Celeste
Pastiliere (Rouge de Bordeaux)
Malta Black
Mount Etna types like Marseilles Black
LSU Purple
Hunt
As far as I'm aware, only the two LSU figs in the early ripening list above derive from scientific breeding programs. It seems that figs have been bred for many purposes - taste, size, texture, appearance, rain and humidity resistance, disease resistance - though early ripening does not necessarily seem to have been a primary goal.
(By early ripening, I mean early in the season, not necessarily early in the life of the fig trees, though many of these varieties are productive when young. And I'm referring to main crop figs, not brebra crop.)
However, since one of the most early ripening figs of all seems to be LSU Improved Celeste, along with traditional Celeste, and since traditional Celeste was used in the LSU breeding program, and given the relatively early ripening nature of LSU Purple, I wonder what other LSU cultivars may be especially early ripening. I have limited experience with most other LSU cultivars, so can't much say first hand. Would be interested to hear the experience of others who've grown the other LSU varieties for some years.
Hunt also seems to be fairly early ripening, and also came out of a fig breeding program (by an individual) that also used Celeste figs.
Also would be interested to hear of the cultivars that ripen main crop figs both early in season AND at a young fig tree age. It seems that as trees age, many cultivars ripen main crop relatively early in season. In some ways it's most useful to know which cultivars ripen figs seasonally early reliably and from a young age. Even better if they are especially productive and/or ripen continuously till frost, rather than in a short 2 or 3 week burst.
So, a list of earliest ripening main crop figs in my experience and/or research (not necessarily in precise order):
Ronde de Bordeaux
(LSU) Improved Celeste
Florea (Michurinska-10)
Celeste
Pastiliere (Rouge de Bordeaux)
Malta Black
Mount Etna types like Marseilles Black
LSU Purple
Hunt
Comment