It's very dry and hot here, so my figs do best in partial sun, however it does depend on the variety. My Bourjasotte Gris, LSU Gold, Paradiso and Adriatic are monsters in ground in full sun. Others struggle. We are in drought conditions here with mandatory county water cutbacks, so I can only water 3 days a week for 45 minutes on a 2 gallon emitter drip system.

I have Brown Turkey fig in the sunnier/hotter/drier location; The Celeste is getting more shade and has moister soil..., it is growing MUCH faster. None of the varieties you mentioned is usually available in the Mid Atlantic, in my experience. Figs here have to tolerate tropical humidity as their potential issue.

Not complaining though, at least none of mine (have others) have that disgusting viral discoloration which seems common in the East. It has been somewhat drier than normal here but don't think that really is the issue. Flooding is more a concern here in most years/seasons. PS., I hope you get beneficial rains real soon!

Speaking of Brown Turkey how was that variety for you? I had never tasted a fig before and bought a Brown Turkey in May and tasted the first ripe fruit a few days ago but even for a first time fig it was terrible, I'm hoping the LSU Purple I also bought tastes better when those ripen in a couple months. We have had a lot of rain recently which I understand can dilute flavor and cause splitting, I can put the Brown Turkey pot out of the path of rain if that will improve the flavor. To answer your original question both of mine are in full morning sun with shade from mid afternoon on.

Fruit gets better in time, but Brown Turkey is not known to be the best tasting fig around. I'm sure the LSU Purple will out-taste it!

Ok thanks Suzi, so I shouldn't immediately chuck it then lol. If it becomes even passable in taste I'd be willing to keep it for cooking with, it was just a disappointment that I had been catering to this one and neglecting the LSU Purple when I should have been doing the opposite lol. Apparently there are different strains of bt as well with some tasting better than others. I'm still trying to figure out how often to water them, my LSU Purple has dropped a lot of figs because of that I think but is still setting them.

What I am getting out of this discussion is that its best for figs to be in partial shade and not in full sun too long during the day. Would that be correct?

I am new at this and am still observing the effects of sun exposure on my figs. Mine are all in pots so I can move them around. The 2 older Hardy Chicagos I moved from full sun to partial shade. The other 8 month old mix varieties (BT, Brunswick, Black, VB) are presently in full sun.

Tobybul2, can only go on the basis of what I see comparing figs in three different circumstances. The fig that I have with strong sun from about 1:00 to 5:00 in a moister soil grows fastest for me (my 'Celeste'); my 'Brown Turkey' is on the south side so gets sun from about 9:0 AM to sunset and gets watered less frequently. The BT is growing but at a much slower pace. I also have one in a container in full sun, this one is struggling so will put it into the ground too (I wanted to have one containerized for my sunny/hot patio area). This may also depend on your HEAT ZONE, but my own experience (with a fairly hot summer), is that they do seem to grow more luxuriantly with a bit of shading in the day and reliable soil moisture. Mind you, don't know how this may impact fruit quality. But I am not the fig expert here. Just over the years have been surprised to see figs (especially when containerized) to seem to struggle with full/day long sun. I have a hunch it may also be due to a preference for a certain degree of relative 'coolness' at the roots. So, maybe mulching more is not a bad idea.

P.S., Is it too late to still feed them? And what is good fertilizer for figs?

I have been using Osmocote 8-8-8. Miracle grow also has their version. I also like to use Tone organic but really smells like it too.

No question that they should do better in the ground just from the fact the ground temp stays much cooler than being in the pot. Plus that their roots are not confined. Unfortunately, I live in Z6 and theres no fig that you can put inground that will not die without a lot of work to protect it in the winter. Growing them in pots and bringing them in in the winter will at least allow various varieties to be grown.

It would be nice to see a write-up about growing fig varieties in pots, fruit size, soil used, exposure, etc from someone who has been at it for a while. There's a guy I believe in PA (Bill?) who looks like he has been doing it for a long time. I used to touch base with him when I started this 4 years ago. But I don't know if he does much writing.

(update) Yes, it is Bill in NJ and you can find his write up in Figforfun.

In cold climates full sun is a must,(north of parallel 38,as an ex:)

Part shade in the afternoon is a must for fig tree south of parallel 38,or in the desert of Arizona Nevada etc.

Part shade in the morning is a bad location to grow a fig,because it will not fruit properly.

So it all depend on climate if it needs full sun or not.