How do I choose a fig tree?
We compare Brown Turkey, Ronde de Bordeaux and Michurinska-10 to demonstarte how we do it.
If you search online for the best fig tree for the UK, one name appears again and again: Brown Turkey.
And to be fair, there is a reason for that. Brown Turkey is widely available, easy to grow, and recognised by the RHS as a reliable UK choice.
The RHS says it is the best-known and most widely available fig for cropping in the UK, with an Award of Garden Merit.
But here at The Fig Shop, I don’t think the best answer is always the first answer Google gives you.
The better question is this:
Best for what?
Best for a beginner?
Best flavour?
Best in a cold garden?
Best chance of ripening in a short British summer?
Best if you want fruit rather than just a
handsome tree?
That is where the decision becomes more interesting.
First, what does “best fig tree for the UK” actually mean?
In Britain, growing the tree is usually not the hard part. Most figs will grow.
The real challenge is getting fruit to ripen before the season runs out.
So when I judge a fig for the UK climate, I’m thinking about five things:
How early does it ripen?
How hardy is it?
How reliable is the crop?
How good is the flavour?
How suitable is it for ordinary gardens, pots, patios and sheltered walls?
Once you ask those questions, the answer becomes less obvious — and much more useful.
The case for Brown Turkey
Brown Turkey is the traditional answer, and it deserves respect.
It is widely grown in Britain, easy to find, generally hardy, and forgiving for beginners. It can produce good crops, especially in a warm, sheltered position or against a sunny wall. For many gardeners, it is the fig tree that proves figs can be grown in the UK at all.
The RHS describes Brown Turkey as usually producing one crop per year, though sometimes two in a hot summer or under protection. That matters, because it tells us something important: Brown Turkey is reliable, but it is not magic. It still needs warmth, shelter and sensible care.
So why does Brown Turkey come up first so often?
Partly because it has been sold in Britain for years. It is familiar. Garden centres stock it. Beginners recognise the name. Search engines like familiar names.
But popularity is not the same as superiority. Brown Turkey is probably the safest answer for a complete beginner who wants a known, proven fig tree. It is not necessarily the most exciting answer for someone asking, “Which fig will give me the best chance of early, high-quality fruit?”
The case for Ronde de Bordeaux
Ronde de Bordeaux is where the argument gets much stronger.
This French fig has become one of the most respected varieties among serious fig growers because it ripens early. And in Britain, early ripening is gold.
The RHS Plants listing describes Ronde de Bordeaux as a reliable, cold-tolerant French cultivar with small to medium, almost black, sweet fruits that mature from late summer in the UK. Fig growers often praise it for being exceptionally early, and Fig Boss notes that although it does not produce a breba crop, its main crop ripens very early and heavily.
That point is very important. Some figs depend on a breba crop to beat the British season. Ronde de Bordeaux does something different. It gives you a very early main crop, which is often more useful and dependable than waiting for a late variety that may never fully ripen.
The fruit is smaller than Brown Turkey, but the flavour is often richer — more berry-like, darker, and more intense.
So if the question is, “What is the best fig for getting ripe figs outdoors in a short UK summer?” Ronde de Bordeaux has a very strong claim.
The case for Michurinska-10
Michurinska-10 is the least familiar name of the three, but perhaps the most interesting.This is not the fig tree most garden centres push first. It is more of a grower’s fig — the sort of variety you hear about from people who are serious about cold-climate figs.
Michurinska-10 comes from Bulgaria, where it is widely grown, and Balkep describes it as possibly one of the hardiest figs in the world. They list its fruiting period as late July to early October in suitable conditions and note that even after severe cold damage, it can regrow from the base and sometimes fruit again the same year.
A Bulgarian botanical garden source also describes Michurinska-10 as the most common fig variety in Bulgaria, where in some places it is known simply as “The Fig”.
That is exactly why we like it at The Fig Shop. We import our Michurinska-10 cuttings from Bulgaria through Paul Alfrey and the Balkep team to make sure we start with the best possible material. For a variety like this, good source material matters.
Michurinska-10 makes a strong case because it combines hardiness, productivity and early cropping. It is not just a novelty fig. It is a serious outdoor candidate for the UK, especially where winter cold and short summers are the main concern.If Brown Turkey is the familiar answer, and Ronde de Bordeaux is the early-ripening answer, Michurinska-10 may be the hardiness-and-resilience answer.
So, is Brown Turkey really the best fig tree for Britain?
My honest answer is this: Brown Turkey may be the best-known fig tree for the UK, but it is not automatically the best.
It is a good, safe, beginner-friendly fig. I would never dismiss it. It has earned its place.
But if I were choosing with fruit in mind — especially ripe fruit in a British summer — I would not stop there.
For many UK gardeners, Ronde de Bordeaux may be the better choice because it ripens so early and has excellent flavour.
For colder gardens, or for growers who want something tougher and less ordinary, Michurinska-10 may be the smarter choice.The decision should not begin with the most famous name. It should begin with your garden.
How I would choose
If you are completely new to figs and want a safe first tree, choose Brown Turkey.
If your priority is early ripening and rich flavour, choose Ronde de Bordeaux.
f you want a tough, hardy, productive fig with excellent cold-climate credentials, choose Michurinska-10.
And if you have space for more than one?
That is probably the best answer of all. Grow Brown Turkey for tradition and dependability. Grow Ronde de Bordeaux for early, rich main-crop figs. Grow Michurinska-10 for hardiness and resilience.
Then let your own garden decide the winner.
Our Final Thoughts
The best fig tree for the UK is not always the one that appears first online.
It is the one that matches your climate, your garden, and your expectations.
At The Fig Shop, we are especially interested in figs that do more than survive. We want varieties that give British growers a real chance of harvesting ripe, sweet, outdoor figs.
So is Brown Turkey the best fig tree for the UK? - Sometimes.
But if you ask me which fig trees deserve to be in the conversation, I would say:
~ Brown Turkey,
~ Ronde de Bordeaux, and
~ Michurinska-10.
And if you ask me which one I would be most excited to test in a British garden?That answer might not be Brown Turkey.
