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Fig Varieties That Grow in the South

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Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Thank goodness, for over 10,000 years, humans have been cultivating figs that can produce fruit without pollination – a process called parthenocarpy. Our Southern figs fit in this category and it’s a good thing, as we don’t have the wasps required for the complex pollination strategy some other figs use. Brown Turkey is our most commonly grown fig in the South and it’s delicious, plus, if it’s killed to the ground in very cold winters, it usually will have a late crop on new growth. Celeste is slightly more cold hardy and has a smaller “eye” which helps prevent that sour taste that can develop, but when the temperatures are high, it’s unhappy and yields decline. If you search “Clemson figs,” you’ll find a fact sheet that lists other varieties and all the advice you need to start growing figs in your backyard.

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.