Juda Fig Tree
An exciting new variety brought back from the Piedmont region of Italy by Jim Gilbert and Lorraine Gardner, Juda fig bears a small breba crop followed by a large main crop of black skinned figs with a honey colored flesh. Figs have a thick honey sweetness with a slight jammy-berry flavor from the dark flesh. Bears mid-season.
*Please let us know if any of you afigionados find this variety to be synonymous with another variety that’s already in circulation. We have little info on it other than where it was collected and the figs we’ve eaten from it.*
Nomencalture Update: After some sleuthing, Juda is looking an awful lot like another fig we have called Negretta, also of supposed Italian origin. We’ll wait until they both produce figs side by side to update the name here but many of the leaves have a similar pointed lobe on the bottom most part of the leaf. And from photos we’ve seen online the figs look basically identical.
One of the easiest fruits to grow, and a true gourmet delight, you should not live your life without feasting on this sweet, delectable fruit. To fully enjoy fresh Figs you must grow your own. When fully ripe and at their tender, shipping them long distances is virtually impossible. Another plus for Figs – deer don’t like them (most of the time)!
Click here to read our Fig Growing Guide.
Latin Name: Ficus carica
Site and Soil: Figs do well in a variety of soils, but require at least 8 hours of sunlight during the growing season.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fruitful.
Hardiness: Juda Fig is hardy to between 0° & 5° F.
Bearing Age: 1-2 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 10-20 ft in height, smaller with pruning.
Taste: Honey sweet, slight jam-berry flavor
Fruit Skin: Black
Fruit Flesh: Honey-colored
Bloom Time: Flowers are not noticeable as they are inside the fig.
Ripening Time: Late August-September
Yield: 10-15 lbs. or more per plant
Pests & Diseases: Figs are not bothered by pests in our region. Cover plants with netting if birds are a problem.
Fig Mosaic Virus is a benign virus that exists in all cultivated fig trees. Yellow spotting of the leaves is a cosmetic symptom that shows more in container culture, but is quickly outgrown once trees are planted in the ground. The presence of FMV in all cultivated figs has become widely accepted, as even the national germplasm repository for figs maintained by the USDA has Fig Mosaic Virus. If the presence of FMV is a concern, then purchasing fig trees may not be the best option for you.
USDA Zone: 7