🌿 Fig
Ficus carica
The low-maintenance fruit tree that acts like it owns the place.
Sun
Full sun, 6–8 hrs
Days to harvest
1–3 years to first real crop
Spacing
10–15 feet apart
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
How to grow
Plant in the warmest, sunniest spot you've got — 'Brown Turkey' and 'Celeste' are the Florida-tested workhorses. Figs tolerate lousy soil but demand drainage; a slight mound helps in sandy-flat yards. Prune in late winter to keep it bush-sized, because an unpruned fig becomes a neighborhood.
Water & feeding
Deep weekly soak while establishing; mature trees are drought-tough but fruit better with steady moisture.
Common problems
- Root-knot nematodes in sandy soil
- Fig rust (orange leaf spots, mostly cosmetic)
- Birds and squirrels with zero respect
Harvest
Pick when the fruit droops, softens, and the skin splits slightly — figs don't ripen off the tree, so patience is the whole game.
Nerdy fact: A fig isn't a fruit — it's an inside-out flower cluster (a syconium). Every crunchy bit inside is an actual tiny flower. You're eating a bouquet.