Principles for When to Pick Figs
Note: These are PRINCIPLES, not hard and fast rules.
Preference
Not all tastes are the same.
Fig Stages
- Bump
- Pea sized
- First swelling
- Second swelling
- Color change (not always obvious)
- Neck break (usually) – start of “hang time”
- Sap flow stops – this is the absolute earliest to pick a fig
- Concentration
- Softening
- Sugar spots (not all figs will exhibit)
- Honey from eye and/or pores (not all figs will exhibit)
- Drying/shriveling/wrinkling/shrinking
- Fig drop (some will remain on tree and dry up)
Picking Earlier
Sometimes we need to pick our figs early in order to avoid insects or rain.
Conditions
There are many conditions that can impact the ripening of our figs.
- Variety
- Season
- Temperature
- Tree maturity
- USDA Zone
- Latitude
- Soil/nutrients/microbial life
Observe & Experiment
This is how you will know when to pick your fig varieties for your particular tastes. This may even change from year to year.
