The fig tree (Ficus carica) is a unique fruit-bearing plant, and the question of when it blooms often confuses new growers. Unlike apples or peaches, the fig does not produce a showy, external flower. The structure people mistake for a flower bud is actually the fruit itself, which develops long before it is ready to eat. Understanding the fig harvest schedule requires exploring its unusual internal biology and the two distinct crops it may produce each year.
Understanding the Fig’s Hidden Flower
The fig is technically an infructescence, a complex structure containing hundreds of tiny flowers within its fleshy walls. This flask-shaped enclosure is known scientifically as the syconium, and it forms the entire edible fig. The flowers are inverted, lining the hollow interior of the syconium where they are hidden from view. This structure makes the fig tree appear to bypass the typical flowering stage of fruit production.
The syconium has a small opening at its tip called the ostiole, often mistaken for the “eye” of the fig. This narrow passage is the only entry point into the closed floral chamber. In nature, this structure facilitates a mutualistic relationship, allowing a tiny fig wasp to enter and pollinate the female flowers inside. Once pollinated, or when they develop without pollination in cultivated varieties, the syconium wall ripens into the sweet, fleshy fig.
Seasonal Timing of Fig Crops
Many fig varieties offer two distinct harvests within a single growing season. The first harvest, called the Breba crop, develops on wood from the previous year. These early figs mature and ripen in late spring to early summer, often in July in temperate climates. The Breba crop is generally smaller and less flavorful than the later harvest.
The second and typically larger harvest is the Main crop, which grows exclusively on the new wood produced during the current season. These figs start developing in late spring and summer, requiring a longer period to mature. The Main crop begins to ripen in late summer and continues into early fall, generally from August through October. Since these figs develop during the hottest part of the year, they are often superior in sweetness and complexity.
Cold winter temperatures can impact the Breba crop. Severe freezes damage the previous year’s wood, destroying the developing Breba figs. Most fig varieties are grown for the Main crop, which is more reliable in various climates because it forms on fresh growth appearing after the danger of frost has passed.
Why Fig Varieties Matter
The success and timing of the fig harvest are influenced by the specific variety’s reproductive requirements. Fig varieties are categorized based on their need for pollination, which affects whether the syconium matures into an edible fig. The most popular choice for home growers is the Common fig, which produces fruit without pollination. This process, known as parthenocarpy, ensures a reliable crop regardless of the fig wasp’s presence.
Smyrna-type figs require cross-pollination by the fig wasp to set an edible crop. If the flowers inside the syconium are not pollinated with pollen from a Caprifig, the fruit drops prematurely. Caprifigs are non-edible varieties that host the male flowers and the fig wasp, making them necessary for commercial Smyrna production.
The San Pedro type exhibits an intermediate pattern. These trees produce a parthenocarpic Breba crop that does not require pollination. However, their Main crop depends on the fig wasp, meaning late-season fruit may fail to ripen without the insect partner.