What Is A Celeste Fig: Learn About Celeste Fig Tree Care

Figs are a wonderful and unique fruit, and they don’t come cheap (or fresh, usually) in the supermarket. That’s why having your own fig tree, if you can do it, is so valuable. There are plenty of fig varieties on the market, and it’s important to find the one that suits you best. One very popular type is the Celeste fig (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’). Keep reading to learn more about Celeste fig tree care and tips for growing Celeste figs in the garden.

Celeste Fig Tree Info

What is a Celeste fig? The Celeste fig tree produces fruit that is medium in size and has light brown to purple skin and bright pink flesh. The flesh is very sweet, and it’s popular eaten fresh as a dessert fruit. In fact, it is also referred to as “sugar fig” on account of its sweetness. This fig is also a good processing fruit and is frequently used for both preserves and drying. The fruits are “closed eye,” which greatly discourages dried fruit beetles and fruit rots. The trees are very cold hardy for fig trees, with some sellers describing them as hardy down to zone 6. (Some others rate them only down to zone 7.) In these colder zones, lots of care should be taken for winter protection. Celeste figs are resistant to many pests and diseases, and they are self-fertile, which means only a single tree is needed for fruit production.

How to Grow Celeste Figs

Celeste fig tree care is relatively low maintenance, as long as you provide good winter protection. Celeste figs are both heat and cold tolerant. They have a compact growth pattern, usually reaching a mature height and spread of 7 to 10 feet (2-3 m.). They do well in containers. They should not be pruned heavily, as this can reduce fruit production. The trees like full sun and loamy, well drained, neutral soil. They produce their main crop of fruit earlier than most other fig varieties, usually in early summer.