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Photo of Sugar Fig foliage by Far South Wholesale Nursery

Photo by Far South Wholesale Nursery View Original Photo

Sugar Fig

Scientific Name: Ficus carica 'Celeste'

Plant type

tree, shrub, fruit / vegetable

size

H: 10'-20'
W: 10'-20'

planting zones

6a-10b

More Options

Sugar Fig plant details

Sugar Fig is a fast-growing broadleaf deciduous fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree with green foliage. In spring green flowers emerge followed by brown and purple fruit. Features glossy texture. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and regular water. Does well in average and well-drained soil.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Sugar Fig

Plant type: fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree
Plant family: moraceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 10 FT - 20 FT - wide, 10 FT - 20 FT - tall
Flowers: green blooms in spring
Uses: dense, edible, tropical-looking

GROWING CONDITIONS for Sugar Fig

USDA Zones: 6a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: regular
Resistant to: deer
Soil needs: average and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Celeste' is one of the sweetest figs and is known as the 'Sugar Fig' in many southern states. This makes it an excellent choice when drying the fruit or when making jam, as well as eating fresh off the tree. The fruit crop is early enough to make 'Celeste' a good option for climates with short or cool summers where other varieties would not ripen before the first frost.

Pruning and Caring for Figs

This is a medium to large fig tree so we prefer to prune the tops when young to ensure lots of branching down low to encourage fruit production where it is easily accessible. Prune in the winter down to three or four buds on last year's growth to encourage strong branching without reducing the coming summer's fruit crop. As the trees mature, switch to pruning out branches that crowd other branches but no longer cutting back the main stems. You can continually top the tree to six feet to keep the plant small so the fruit are easy to reach without getting a ladder.

Figs prefer moist soils with lots of organic matter so consider adding shredded bark or compost when planting if your soil is poor. However, we have compact clay at our nursery and we still get at least 80% of the normal fruit production on un-amended trees so if you can't improve your soil it's not the end of the world. Fertilize with a slow release pelleted fertilizer in early spring, such as Osmocote Plus.

Propagating Your Own Figs

Figs are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings, especially in winter using hardwood cuttings. Cut stems five to eight inches long with the bottom cut just below a node, dip in rooting hormone and stick an inch deep in loose potting soil in mid winter.

By: Red Panda Nursery

Celeste is a fast growing fig with the ability to produce two sizeable crops per year. The sweet fruit is purple and is sometimes called Celeste blue.

By: Florida Hill Nursery

'Celeste's' ability to produce two sizeable crops a season has far surpassed our expectations. It has the sweetness of a 'Black Mission' fruit, but the plant is more cold hardy. It came to us from a gardener on the Connecticut shore who wintered it outside for years. When grown in containers, it needs extra protection in the cold winter months so bring it inside if you're colder than zone 7.

By: Logee's Plants for Home & Garden

Celeste is the standard by which all other figs are judged on sweetness and flavor. If you've ever eaten one you know why it is also called the Honey or Sugar fig. It produces small to medium sized pear shaped violet to light violet fruit with red pulp and white to amber flesh. Very reliable for the South and Southeastern US and excellent cold tolerance. Small productive and hardy trees for the home orchard. A tight to closed eye provides good resistance to spoiling and the fruit is unlikely to split.Celeste is excellent fresh, dried, or preserved, fruit may occasionally dry on the tree. The delicate ripe fruit droops when ripe and the skin may check once fully ripe. It is known to produce a small breba crop but it seems that it does this where winters are mildest. Celeste is known by many names but according to Dr. Condit it is probably most accurately named Malta. Considered to be second only to Brown Turkey for cold hardiness.

By: Almost Eden

A coarse textured shrub with typical large, 4-10" long, lobed leaves and, of course, edible fruit! It produces brown to purple fruit in abundance with rosy-amber pulp in Fall. The fruit is small to medium size BUT is very sweet. This large, vigorous grower it more cold hardy than the old industry standard 'Brown Turkey'. Makes a great dense shade tree but be mindful of placement -- fruit does drop! Best fruiting in full sun. *"Figs may be grown in protected locations in USDA Zones 6 and 7 (e.g., against south-facing walls) with root mulch, but plants will usually show significant die back in cold winters.", MOBOT (more information on growing in Z:6-7) With winter protection, can be grown as far north as Zone 5 but this requires some work