Diana, what varieties you get will all depends on the weather because each provides its own set of challenges.

What is the weather like in Central Florida?
How long is warm growing season?
Do you get frost in the winter?

I can tell you that I don't like Brown Turkey very much. I think the taste is just too plain.

So far, I seem to like: Desert King and Osbourne.
I think Kadota taste good too. Mission tastes good if you have the heat. If not, it wouldn't be all that great.
I also like the taste of the Excell. I think if I had better weather, Excell would be very yummy and taste different than other figs that I've tasted.

If you want to worry less about birds: Green Ischia and Verte is a good one.

Thanks, Jonathan! We rarely get frost in Central Florida. The growing season is about 10 months of the year. For my vegetable garden, I can usually get two 'crops,' spring and fall. Spring is the best. Our rainfall was a bit behind this year; we got about 40" so far. The sun is rather oppressive and the temperature is very warm to hot for about six months. I wish I knew what kind of fig was at my parent's home when I was a kid. The figs were gloriously sweet and plentiful...that is until they were discovered by the local wildlife each year. I remember that my step-father draped the tree with some sort of netting to discourage the birds. I have a big mulberry tree in the front of my yard and I go out to pick them every morning (in the spring) before the squirrels take the ripe ones. Thanks, again! I am going to continue to do my research, see what is available at local, trusted nurseries and hopefully, put a fig tree into my gardens this fall.
Diana

Diana, since you have heat, you don't have to stick to the few figs that I have. I'm in San Francisco (Very mild summers limits the varieties that I can get away with.) Most figs need heat to ripen well. So you really have a lot of options, and most if not almost all figs will work for you well.

From what I hear the following figs are really yummy:
Col de Dame
Violette De Bordeaux

You can try those, and any other. They're really easy to root from cuttings. Just stick them in the ground.

I requested the following figs from UC Davis. Its free.

DFIC 0032 Adriatic
DFIC 0074 Col de Dame
DFIC 0009 Flanders
DFIC 0022 Mary Lane
DFIC 0067 Monstrueuse
DFIC 0002 Panache
DFIC 0026 Verte
DFIC 0063 Violette De Bordeaux
DFIC 0080 Celeste
DFIC 0204 LSU Gold
DFIC 0079 San Pietro
DFIC 0302 White Russian
DFIC 0024 Deanna
DFIC 0086 Native De Argentile

No-Name figs: (But I hear from pitangadiego that they are good)
DFIC 0068 carica UCR 187-25
DFIC0082 carica UCR 184-15

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=12146

You can try everything above list. I did research and those are the figs I hear people raving about the most.

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Request Fig Cuttings From UC Davis

Thanks, Jonathan for the resource! I really want to get a fig into the ground this fall for spring growth. Also, do I need to plant two for cross pollination? Hey, my papaya tree has fruits forming. Yum!
Here's a photo of my front yard...."if it's not pretty, or you can't eat it or it requires poison, it can't live at Parkland!"
Diana

Diana, gotta get instant gratification now with those big trees huh? I know the feeling. I did that myself, which I rooted all those cuttings. This way, if I find I don't like the fruit off the big trees, I always have some from the small ones.

nope, you don't need two trees for pollination. In fact, you'll be surprised to find out that the fig is not actually the fruit of the tree, but the flower.

Thus, some people come to the conclusion that if you want figs, you've got to produce conditions which wants to make the fig flower. Phosphorus and Potassium, and less nitrogen.
Bone meal is a good natural source of those. I don't use chemical fertilizers as those are bad for the environment, kills beneficial microbes, and make your soil dependent on them. I go all natural using kitchen scraps and organic ferilizers such as manure and bone meal. That has worked great in getting the figs to flower.

Diana, if you request cuttings now from UC Davis, you'll get it by Jan/Feb 2007. Stick it in the ground, and by 2008, most of them will be producing fruit already, especially in your climate. They grow really fast.

Diana if you want a tree for Fla. just go to the most trusted and reliable nusery in your area and take their advice as they know what is best for your location. Hope you find the tree of your dream and enjoy its fruit.

Thanks, Jonathan and Dangrs2! I did a bit of reading and research on fig varieties. Locally, I cannot get anything right now, however I am going to continue to pursue... Our local extension agent, Tom MacCubbin, does NOT recommend figs for Central Florida. I guess my hopeful self will try anyway. I think I want an Alma...big production fruit in Texas.
Diana

Diana I just bought my first alma fig and I think you would like it from what I saw at the nursury where I bought mine.

Diana, = ) thats where the free fig cuttings come in so handy. You can try a lot of varieties, and it doesn't cost much, but just a bit of wait time.

I just trew away my Alma after three years for being very unproductive.
In your Climate i will try Negronne and Col de Dame,Green Ischia,Sal's,Celeste,and any other fig with good taste and closed eye.
And do not believe anyone telling you ,you can't grow figs in central Florida.
I can grow them in new Jersey with a little bit of extrawork.
But be carefull about Nematodes.If soil is infested grow them High in containers and on Cement patio.
Another way is :lay down,roof asphalt paper,on ground and put the container in top.Hope this will help!!!

Thanks, herman2!
I am going to my favorite nursery in a few days, just to ask about their fig procurement availabilites. It is always good to know plant names when asking questions. It seems like everywhere that I have read about figs seems to be geared to northern gardens. It seems like most planting and installation times are in the spring and I am assuming after the snow. Snow is not a possiblity here. Even hard freezes are very limited in Cental Florida. It has to stay at freezing temperature for several hours to do any damage. My white grapefruit, tangerines and lemons are producing after years and years. I plan to watchfully hover over my papayas and avocado trees. Not to mention my tomatoes and peppers. Thanks everyone for all of information! GardenWeb is a fabulous place to communicate with fellow gardeners.
Diana

Diana I got my new plants from a place that has a real good selection of figs that are best for Fla. and they ship to you. I am well pleased with what I got.You can phone them at 850-926-5644 and talk to them and they can tell you about their stock and give you prices for plants and shipping. And I went to them at WWW.JUSTFRUITSANDEXOTICS.COM and got a lot of information. hope you get the fig you want and good luck.

We are in south florida, and have had wonderful luck with brown turkey. Our figs are very sweet and plentiful, and most are about 3" or more in size. Our trees produce fruit from march or april right on through dec. There is no frost here, but the trees do ehibit some leaf drop and a slowdown in fruit production after early nov. Dave

Thanks, Dave! My local nursery (Palmer's Nursery) has "Celeste" fig trees for sale. Also, 2 or 3 folks that are coming to my GW Plant Swap on the 21st are bringing me fig seedlings/cuttings.
Diana

Hey, Diana! Fancy seeing you here! I came for the same reason: Getting advice re figs for Central FLA. That's just HOOEY about figs not being apt for here. I have an old neighbor with a HUGE tree that produces tons of fruit TWICE a year! It's in the swale, never gets watered, and is subjected to the most withering sun... And all it does is fruit and fruit. It does tend to defoliate, and looks like crap, but I forgive it.

I'm going to get a BIG cutting from my old neighbor's tree, as well as ordering some of the figs recommended here.

Looking forward to the swap!