Fig trees (Ficus carica), hardy in USDA zones 6 through 11, grow well in areas that provide eight hours of daily sun and moderate winters. Once a fig tree reaches maturity, it can be expected to produce fruit once to twice per year and can continue to fruit for decades. Young figs do not fruit their first year, and can take a long time to bear. Several environmental factors can also affect when a fig tree produces fruit. Fig trees are considered invasive in some locations.
Time to First Crop
Fruiting fig trees have a long juvenile period compared to other fruit trees. Most figs will not produce a crop for the first four to five years, notes Rutgers University. If the fig is severely injured by over-pruning or an unusual frost, it may take longer to fruit for the first time.
Crops Per Year
Fig trees produce two crops every year, but only one of them may be edible. The first crop, called the breba crop, occurs relatively early in the year on the previous year's growth. These fruits are frequently small, acidic and inferior in texture, but may be useful for preservation. The second crop occurs later in the year on the current year's growth and these figs should be edible. Caprifigs, a variation of the common fig that can be used to pollinate some varieties, produce no edible fruit in either crop.
The exact timing of the main crop depends on your climate and conditions. For example, growers in cooler coastal areas usually harvest their figs during October and November. For warmer and inland climates, the usual harvest time is between June and September. In some tropical locations, fig trees may bear some fruit throughout the year, with increased production in early summer and midwinter.
Even healthy, mature fig trees may not bear fruit on schedule if the right environmental conditions are missing. Figs may not pollinate properly in hot, dry weather. This can cause a poor crop or no fruit at all. You may also have problems with figs if you over-prune during the winter or if you prune improperly. Figs that suffer from root knot nematodes may also have trouble fruiting correctly.
In some cases, a young, healthy fig tree undergoes proper pollination and fruit set, then drops all its fruit suddenly. This phenomenon is usually caused by overfeeding. Stop fertilizing the plant immediately. It may take three to four years for the fig to recover from over-fertilization and produce a crop that ripens and stays on the tree. Figs grown in the ground only require an application of fertilizer in spring, while container grown figs require an application in summer. Some fig varieties, including “Celeste,” drop fruit in hot weather regardless of their fertilizer regimen.