ejp3 I have both but I have only eaten figs from my LSU Gold. While I can't really comment on the quality of the LSU Purple, the LSU Gold is a must have white/yellow fig for the North East. As far as the hardyness I lug my LSU Gold in the attached garage for the winter.

I attach a good thread by Lou reference the LSU Gold

Here is a link that might be useful: Part of Fig don't care about to much-How about you

Ed,

I'm way down yonder in the South and not in the Northeast. However, here are just a few comments on these two cultivars.

LSU Gold seems hardier than LSU Purple. In my yard LSU Purple is the first fig to leaf out and is subject to damage by early spring frosts and/or freezes. LSU Purple produces three crops in my area (it's nearly everbearing) and will fruit until frosts arrive. It is the last fig cultivar to drop its leaves in my yard. LSU Purple is a closed eye fig and is much more rain tolerant than LSU Gold. Also, the figs have a much richer and fruitier taste but about equal in sweetness to the LSU Gold. The TASTE of LSU Purple GREATLY improves with the age of the tree.......you must give this cultivar a few years before it produces excellent tasting fruit. I was told this by others and have witnessed this first hand in my yard. I almost cut down my LSU Purple trees and that would have been a big mistake.

Dan

I have both LSU Gold and LSU Purple. The LSU Gold is wonderful as long as the crop comes in before the weather cools. If it ripens in cool weather the quality drops off.
I had three LSU Purples and shipped two of them to relatives in southern Florida. It is supposedly a great fig in hot, humid areas, but it is so bad in the NE at this point that the birds won't even eat it. I had to laugh, I was fighting them for the other figs, but after a couple of pecks, they left the LSU Purples completely alone. (I wondered how the word got around.) It is a beautiful, shiny fig and I'm keeping one to see if it improves, but I think we may be too far north for it to develop good taste.

I have a Gino and a GM #11 fig tree growing in my yard. For some reason the birds do not go after these two black figs as much as they do my other cultivars. In fact, I have left the figs of those two cultivars remain on my trees (without bird protection) and I believe they would have dried on the tree if not for the rains. I ate several GM #11's today that were very ripe. Two that were drying actually had a very pleasant wine taste to them. I will be very happy if those birds continue to leave those two alone.

Fignut, it will be very useful for us to learn if your LSU Purple's taste ever improves in your area like it does in the South.

Dan

I picked up a LSU Purple from Edible Landscaping in a one gal pot, and have had 4 figs ripening on the little fig plant. I got to eat one, a squirrel got another and two more will hopefully be eaten by me. It is a beautiful fig, as mentioned, very shiny and dark purple. I live in Virginia, and these figs have been finishing up in a cooler end of summer. The fig I ate was very sweet with a nice flavor, though I noticed the skin was a bit crunchy, especially around the neck. Otherwise, this fig is a keeper already without time or heat.

Dan, I think you convinced me. Since I will be growing in a pot, the fact that lsu purple "is the first fig to leaf out" and "last to drop its leaves" sounds good to me. Also the rain tolerance seems to be in its favor. Thanks to all who replied.

My fig ripening was delayed this year due to our cool, rainy summer - about three weeks later than usual. My comment about LSU Purple was based on last year's crop. They were so bad I had to spit them out - they were inedible when fully ripe. It made me doubt that they could ever improve enough to be worth growing around here.
I recently started getting this year's crop. They are pleasant - not great - but a huge improvement.
I'm glad I kept one.