Edible plant · fruiting

Fig

Ficus carica

Also known asCommon fig · Figue · Higo · Anjeer

beginner warm-season continuous

Use in garden planner

Days to harvest

730–1095

Yield / plant

2kg

Spacing

400 cm

Daily light

22–35DLI

Environment

The bounded range this crop tolerates. Strict on light; outside the DLI band, yields drop sharply.

Temperature

5152535

-10–38°C

45.578.5

6–7.5

EC (hydro)

01234

1.2–2 mS/cm

Daily light

5152535

22–35 mol/m²/d

!Light strict; fails outside DLI band

✓Continuous harvest

Climate and zones

USDA zones: 6–11 (winter low around -23°C)
Frost: frost hardy
Season: warm (summer, frost-sensitive)

✓Outdoor year-round (in zone)

✓Outdoor in growing season

✓Unheated greenhouse / hoop

✓Heated greenhouse

✓Indoor (heated home)

·Indoor hydroponics + grow lights

Growing systems

Root mass: very heavy. Thin-channel systems can't hold this crop.

·Deep water culture (rafts)

·NFT channels

·Vertical / aeroponic tower

·Drip / Dutch buckets

·Media bed (ebb and flow)

·Wicking bed

✓Soil bed

Growing media

Medium	pH effect	Retention	Bacterial surface
Soil-based mix (Potting soil)	varies	high	high

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.

Stage	N	P	K	EC (mS/cm)
seedling	2	1	1	1.2
vegetative	2	1	2	1.6
flowering	1	1	2	1.8
fruiting	1	1	3	1.8

Companion-growing notes

High transpiration. Regular reservoir top-ups needed during fruiting.

Aquaponics suitability

Not recommended

Fish waste alone doesn't supply enough of what this crop demands. Grows in hybrid systems with supplemental dosing, but expect active management.

Care notes

An excellent container fruit tree for greenhouse and outdoor aquaponics integration. Large container (40 L) with well-drained media. EC 1.5-2.5 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 15–35°C for growth; most varieties need a brief dormancy period (exposure to 2–7°C for 100-300 hours, depending on variety) for best fruiting. Some low-chill varieties ('Celeste', 'LSU Purple', 'Violette de Bordeaux') need minimal chilling and can be grown with only 2-4 weeks of cool exposure. Full sun (DLI 18-30 mol/m2/day). Parthenocarpic varieties fruit without pollination, which is critical for indoor growing. Many fig varieties produce two crops: the breba crop (early summer, on last year's wood) and the main crop (late summer/fall, on current year's growth). Prune in late winter to control size and shape. Figs in containers need consistent watering; drought stress causes fruit drop. Root-binding (slightly pot-bound conditions) actually improves fruiting. Fig rust is the main disease in humid climates; avoid wetting the foliage. Each mature container tree produces 2–10 kg of fruit annually.

Notable varieties

Cultivar	Type	Days	Notes
Brown Turkey	open pollinated	730	Common type, brown-purple fruit. Zone 6-10, the most cold-hardy widely-available fig. Productive, reliable, the variety most home garden 'figs' are.
Celeste	open pollinated	730	Common type, small brown-purple fruit. Sometimes called 'sugar fig' for the high sugar content. Closed-eye fruit (the opening at the bottom stays closed), so resists splitting and wasp invasion. Excellent for the South.
Black Mission	open pollinated	730	Common type, deep purple-black fruit. The variety most fresh figs in US supermarkets are. Zone 7-10. Productive, large fruit.
Chicago Hardy	open pollinated	730	Common type, very cold-hardy (zone 5-6 with protection, sometimes survives zone 4). Brown fruit. The variety to grow if you live in cold continental climate.
Kadota	open pollinated	730	Common type, yellow-green fruit. Zone 7-10. Drying-and-canning variety; the variety most commercial 'fig newton' filling is.