Nero 600m Fig Tree
For years we’ve been looking to find a fig that produces an abundance of breba figs that have a dark skin with a rich berry flavor, and we’ve finally found one! Nero 600m is similar to Negronne and other Bordeaux style figs, but produces about as many breba figs as a Desert King. Discovered in the foothills of the Italian alps, at 600 meters, as the name implies, it has been touted as being extra cold hardy due to its high elevation origin. It also produces a mid season main crop after the breba, so in warmer summers or longer seasons you will receive two crops of this intensely delicious fig. Sure to become a winner in the Pacific Northwest as well as other climates where the breba crop overwinters, but also valued for its productive and tasty main crop.
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 most 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-figful
Hardiness: Hardy to at least 0°F, and reports of it surviving below that
Bearing Age: 1-2 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 10-20 ft in height, smaller with pruning.
Taste: dark delicious berry, figgy
Fruit Skin: dark purple to black
Fruit Flesh: bright red
Bloom Time: Flowers are not noticeable as they are inside the fig.
Ripening Time: July breba and mid to late main crop
Yield: 10-15 lbs. or more per plant
Pests & Diseases: Figs are not bothered by pests or diseases 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
Sunset Western Zone: 4-9, 12-24
Sunset Northeast Zone: 31, 32