Potato,

I grow figs in northeast Massachusetts. I have a Violette de Bordeaux but it is still very young so I cannot speak to its performance in a cool northeast climate, maybe someone else can. I have the following figs that have done well for me in containers in this area: Hardy Chicago, Marseilles VS, Celeste, and LSU Gold. The key is to find an early season fig that can ripen in cool weather. Some people speak highly of Desert King for the northeast, but mine has been tempermental and failed to produce.

Joe

Thanks Joe,

I'll start looking for the cultivars you mentioned. I'll try more than one to see what works best.

I doubt I can keep them planted in the ground though.

Hey mister potato head ,
If you ever get over towards the lakes region of NH ,
I have extra plants of Marseilles Black vs and Atreano that I have been selling.
All in 2.5 gallon containers probably ready for 5 gallon containers soon.
Most of the plants I am keeping I put into 5 and 6 gallon sub irrigated containers ( like on the globalbuckets.com website)for this season and they are really taking off
I think your choice of Violette de Bordeaux is also a good one. As far as pot size , many people up here who have a sunny garden spot leave the figs in just 5 gallon size containers with holes only on the sides and bury them for the summer in that nice garden soil. Both fig forums have had info on this recently
Frozenjoe , it is good to see what you are having success with up here in NE
Best ,
drivewayfarmer
zone 5 NH

Thanks drivewayfarmer, I'll look into the buckets you mentioned. A few years ago I spent a vacation week in Averill, VT and visited the lakes in NH. But that's a long way from Bennington. If I get up that way I'll look you up and see what you have for sale.

I am much colder than you. I put some of my more mature fig trees under a plastic cover (garage) that boosts the zone by about 1. After the early frosts in Fall, I either bury my trees in ground, or put them in my mulch pile with a couple of feet of mulch over them (or more or less), or I put them in garage or cold room. I haven't lost any to cold yet, and this year I am having good success with various greek figs, celeste, and a yugoslavian fig. My VdeB is coming, along with 30 other varieties for a total of more than 100 (small) trees.

I'm getting more encouraged as I read these replies. I didn't think it was possible to grow figs in this climate. Thanks everyone for your comments, keep em coming. I'm looking for started cuttings if anyone is interested in selling some. I'll have to clean out the garage for the winter, or park my truck in the snow....LOL.

cuddywhiffer,

do you lay the tree on its side and bury it completely in the soil? Doesn't that rot the branches and bark?

I can do that, but I also have lots of maple leaves that I rake up each year and use a mulch in my herb garden. They can do double duty by protecting fig trees in winter, then use them in the herb garden in spring.

Seems GINO is another superb variant. If I am not wrong, it ripens slightly ahead of Marseillies VS Black. Dauphine & Ronde de Bordeauxare are variants to consider too.

Mister PH, I either loosen the roots or lift the tree entirely (all small) lie it on its side along an 18 inch deep trench with mulch in the bottom. You can bury several in one place. Branches are tied to make it compact. I put mulch through the spaces, cover with garden fabric, cover with mulch and maybe some soil. Everything is cold. Branches do not rot. You just need to take care digging it up again in March or later, so mark it well with stakes to show where branches are. The fabric tells you when you reach the tree. Stand it up and let it grow in place again. I hear the Greeks do this in Montreal which is where I learned of it. I plant my trees in ground for summer, but you could do it just as well with plants in pots. A couple of feet of mulch keeps frost out. I noticed when I dug-out this last spring, that there was only a 6 inch layer of solid frozen mulch to clear off. Everything below there was healthy, though I did damage a very few branches digging them out.

Hi Folks ,
i was reading this thread with interest as my grandmother used to bury her tree in Chicago it was a good size tree grown as a tree.
After wrapping with twine and then burlap and more twine and knocking in the trench the one thing they did to make it real easy in spring when getting it back out was to put a piece of plywood on top of tree then backfill with leaves and dirt.
The plywood protected the tree when shoveling out the dirt and all in spring and made it easier and faster to get the dirt and all out without any harm to the tree .
It actually looked like a fresh grave site when they buried it as it was not even with the soil line but rather like mounded on the topside.
Martin

This is really great information, and will make my learning process easier and more successful. Thanks everyone.

I ordered three trees today from Joe Morle', a Brown Turkey, a Paradiso, and a White Triana. I can't wait to get them during the week. He recommended to replant them in 2 gal. pots when they arrive.

I'll still be looking for a VdB and some other varieties mentioned in this thread. Thanks to all for getting me started in the right direction. I can taste the sweet fruit already.