Fig Tree

• A fig tree left to its own devices grows up to 50 feet tall and wide, with roots spreading radially even farther on either side. The leaves of this deciduous tree appear in spring, up to 12 inches long, bright green and deeply lobed. They fall from the tree in early winter. During the time the tree slumbers through the winter, it produces neither leaves nor fruit. The so-called everbearing varieties are not exceptions to this rule.
  
  

Common Figs

• Common figs (Ficus carica) are one of the four varieties of fig tree producing fruit in quantity in temperate regions throughout the world. Many growers prefer common fig trees, as they do not require pollination. Common fig trees generally produce two crops, the spring "breba" crop, followed by the "main" crop in summer. The primary everbearing cultivars -- "Texas Everbearing" and "Everbearing Italian" -- are both common figs, producing a breba and a main crop.
  
  

Everbearing Cultivars

• The everbearing cultivars offer the longest main fig harvest of any cultivated fig. While both Texas Everbearing and Everbearing Italian fig trees produce a limited breba crop in May, they set fruit for their main crop from June through September. Both produce sweet, brown-purple figs with vermilion flesh. The fruit are medium large and seedless. Everbearing fig cultivars rarely grow beyond 10 feet but are prolific producers.
  
  

Limited Availability

• If you live far from Texas, you might never see a Texas fig. Figs are not good travelers. Unlike many fruit, figs need to ripen on the tree and will not continue to ripen if picked early. Once figs soften and mature, they last only a few days in the refrigerator. The fact that ripe figs can squish or rot during transport severely limits their availability. Even fig growers run out of ripe figs by the end of September and must await spring for another taste of the delicious fruit.