Malta Black

[Kelby]

Malta Black! Please share any photos or experience you have, and also post photos on the new varieties index too.

Very hardy, healthy, and early ripening, Malta Black is a superb fig for all growers. This variety seems to have originated from Belleclare, it is variety #35. According to Belleclare, Malta Black is a grandparent of Celeste, but does not seem to have issues with fruit drop. According to Gorgi, when Chris DiPaolo retired from Belleclare, Malta Black was one of the few trees he kept for himself because he liked it so much. Excellent, sweet berry flavored fruits ripening in August (70 days). Medium sized. Belleclare reports it as having 2 crops, but I didn't find much info on the breba. It should be able to fruit after years of ground kill, should be hardy to zone 6.

It has thick skin and a tight eye, helping with resist rain and humidity. Seems well adapted to hot, humid conditions like the south. Be careful watering in pots, though. It should be able to ripen fruits in part shade.

I sampled a few last fall, delicious! This variety should be in the collection of all northern growers, I will be planting mine out come spring in a prominent spot. Thanks for sharing this one with me, Bill!

[newnandawg]

This is an excellent producing and tasting fig in my area. It did so within the second year so it did not take up space for a long period of time.

[WillsC]

I like Malta black as well. Dependable trouble free tree.

[mountainfigs]

More productive, more flavorful, earlier bearing, early ripening, sizable - Malta Black should be the everywhere tree rather than Celeste and Brown Turkey. Or so it seems, in my experience, and based upon others' reports. How did this not happen? Malta kept a tight grip on its scion?

[aphahn]

Fantastic here as well. Should be one of the gateway figs.

[Otmani007]

There are quite a few references on the net that refer to Malta Black as being the grandfather of Celeste.

[kubota1]

I put a small Malta Black in my GH last fall and it never went dormant. The only fig plant to stay leafed out.

[Rafaelissimmo]

Yes, a truly amazing fig, good production and flavor, and will fruit in partial sun, a rarity. I am making a backup right now because the cold may have killed my tree to the ground. One of only 2 in grounds that I have.

[drphil69]

I love your "fig of the day" Kelby!

Of course, it means I need a bigger yard, more pots, more lights, probably a greenhouse....

[Kelby]

Glad you like them! Sorry to enable you, haha!

[JD]

Here is what I wrote and showed about Malta Black 2014:

Malta Black is a good fig. To my buds, it is not as sweet nor as figgy but better tasting that improved Celeste but not as good a Petite Negri. If is had a crunch, then I think I would like it even more (if not love it). The tree is productive an forms fruit in clusters of 4-5 figs and ripens them one at a time over a 2-3 day period. It would have been nice to wait a day or two more on these but the rain accelerated those plans.

[Harborseal]

My summer was very cold last year. The earlier MBs were not worth eating due to this cold. The later ones were good but not as good as Hardy Chicago or Salem Dark. Please note that the bad tasting ones look no different from the good tasting ones.

[PasturedFigs]

Anticlimactic, but I'm excited...

[Gina]

That's cute.

[SharonC]

Love this thread. I have a couple of cuttings in the crisper and will be starting them soon. It's nice to hear such nice things about this variety.

[Blueboy1977]

I had a first year malta black cutting last season and it gave me one fig. It was my favorite of the season. Packed a punch in the taste department. Wasn't a big fig at all, rather small but fantastic tasting. Im put that tree in the ground soon and it will have a prime spot in my yard no doubt! Definitely one of my most prized fruits.

[m5allen]

Is this a fig that takes a few years to develop good taste? Last year was the first year for my MB and I wasn't all that impressed with the few fruits I got. Granted, my tree was very small and maybe ripening conditions could have been better, but mine was a little bland. I put it in ground this past fall and am looking forward to trying it this year.

[Rob Ster 010]

Any Europeans here that grow MB that can chime in on how it performs here?
Well it's going on my wishlist anyway.

[COGardener]

After reading this thread, I am super excited that I have cuttings rooting now. Sounds like a total winer and a cultivar worth keeping more then one.

Thank you Kelby, thank you all.

And thanks for the cuttings Wills!!!

[Kelby]

You'll like them. I got a couple off my small plant last year, yum!

[COGardener]

I can't wait!!

I have some great cultivars rooting this year, 12 of them from Wills (thank you). Lets just hope I have some beginners luck moving the cuttings through the process, I've read a lot of horror stories. If I am able to root any cuttings next year, I will be much, much better prepared.

[pppldj]

Looking forward to Malta Black. Hope it's as good as I hear!