Black Mission Fig Tree — Sweet, Dark Figs for Your Garden

Bring the pleasure of fresh-picked figs to your backyard with the Black Mission Fig Tree. Its dark fruit and richly colored flesh are inviting enjoyed fresh, spooned into homemade preserves, or served alongside your favorite breakfast. Imagine stepping into the garden and picking a soft, ripe fig to enjoy with your morning coffee.

Black Mission is a classic edible fig valued for fresh eating and drying—an appealing addition to a backyard orchard or food forest. Dave Wilson Nursery

Fruit Flavor & Appearance

Black Mission produces purple-black figs with reddish-pink pulp. Enjoy ripe fruit fresh or use your harvest in:

• Jams and preserves
• Baked goods and desserts
• Salads and fruit plates
• Dried-fruit snacks

Fruit size, sweetness, and texture vary with ripeness and growing conditions. ask.ifas.ufl.edu

Growth Habit & Garden Placement

Black Mission is a deciduous tree, so seasonal leaf loss is normal. It can develop into a large tree when allowed to grow freely.

Give an in-ground planting adequate room. Container growing is possible with ongoing pruning, watering, and root-space management. ask.ifas.ufl.edu

Harvest Season & Your Food Forest

Black Mission can produce an early crop on older wood and a main crop on new growth. The timing and success of each crop depend on climate, pruning, and tree condition. One Green World

Harvest Planner recommendation: Use “Summer–fall harvest; confirm local timing” until your Palm Bay observations establish reliable months.

Plan Your Harvest Before You Plant.™

Compare locally verified harvest windows across your figs, guavas, mangoes, and other fruit trees to help spread fresh food across more of the year.

Pollination

One Black Mission fig tree can produce fruit. It does not require another variety or a fig wasp for fruit production. Ask Extension

Black Mission Fig Tree Care

• Sunlight: Full sun.
• Soil: Well-drained; avoid persistently wet locations.
• Watering: Maintain consistent moisture during establishment and fruit development.
• Mulching: Mulch the root zone, keeping mulch away from the trunk.
• Fertilizing: Feed according to growth and fertilizer-label instructions; avoid excessive nitrogen.
• Pruning: Prune selectively. Removing older wood can reduce the early crop.
• Cold protection: Protect young trees and container roots during significant cold events.
• Florida care: Monitor for fig rust and root-knot nematodes.

Florida’s humidity and sandy soils can make fig care more demanding, so regular observation helps you address problems early. ask.ifas.ufl.edu

Picking Your Figs

Allow figs to ripen on the tree. Look for soft fruit that begins to droop at the neck, then harvest gently. Figs picked too early will not develop their full eating quality. ask.ifas.ufl.edu

Local pickup in Palm Bay, Florida.
Grow what you eat. Eat what you grow.™