Hi Sarah,

The Celeste and Lsu Purple both sound like good choices. Most sites selling figs will mention whether a variety is suitable for container growing so alittle bit of reading while perusing will go a long way.

I also recommend checking out Black Jack, Osborn Prolific, Violet de Bourdeaux, and Petite Negri which I read can bear fruit at 1 year of age or at 12" tall! I haven't grown figs myself yet but I've been heavily eyeing the Violet de Bourdeaux and a rediscovered heirloom fig "Olympian." Just make sure to pick a fig suitable for your climate. It would be great to have a perfectly sized dwarf tree but horrible if it produces bland tasting figs :(

There was a site that charted the different type of flavor characteristics that correlatrs with the figs color and shade. I'll post the link if I can find it. Good luck with your search!

Growing fig trees indoors for producing figs is far from ideal.

Figs need full sun and nutritious soil to produce delicious figs. Surely in California there must be produce markets everywhere with fresh figs for sale? For delicious fig eating that's your best option.

To grow an indoor fig tree for looks or as a novelty could also be fun. In that case I would choose a fig tree with attractive foliage.

An attractive fig tree is Fayumi (beautiful large single lobe leaves). It produces black figs but I doubt that any fig grown indoors will have acceptable taste.

Sarah did mention she cannot plant them but didn't clarify whether she has private outdoor space somewhere, like a balcony or accessible roof. So it may still be possible for her to expose the fig to direct sunlight.

The same could be said for people who cannot plant figs in ground in the colder zones. We're not usually discouraged from trying if it is something we're willing to do. I say go for it if you are interested in growing something by your own hands. As long as you do a lot of research to be sure you are making the most of your environment. I suggested certain varieties that match the indoor/dwarf characteristic but as Pino said.. there's still a possibility they may not have great flavor even if they produce well.

However, you can still have an attractive tree even if the figs don't end up tasting very good. The attractiveness is subjective and all in the shape of the canopy or leaves. For me, I usually find fig leaves very attractive. I can spot fig trees in front yards from very far and some look so nice from the care they put into shaping it too. You probably won't be happy having a fig tree if you don't like the way fig leaves look since there is also the chance of it producing blander tasting figs :(

I was reading about figs when I came across an incredibly slow growing dwarf that produces well with sweet figs, it's called Little Ruby. Take a look at that variety as well.

I also found that link that categorizes color with flavor etc. It may be useful for finding the right fig for you