Check http://figs4fun.com and search for Washington, Oregon and PNW for ideas on varieties for your climate. More sun best.

Amy, it's best planted as close to the house as possible (in full sun), because the heat of the walls will help ripen and intensify the flavor of the fruit. This won't hurt your foundation; people have been doing this for time out of mind. Size - the plant may get quite large over time, but can be cut back as often and as severely as needed.

Thanks for the tips Gene.

I'm worried about planting it so close to the side of the house because I've read so many different planting instructions. The nursery staff advised to plant the tree 6 feet away from the side of the house and I doubt I can find enough room for that. Other online sources suggested a minimum of 3 feet, but I was hoping I would be able to plant it at 2.

I also read that heavy pruning will decrease fruit production. Does this occur with the Brown Turkey variety? I'm thinking about pruning the tree to keep it at a manageable size. Will this keep the root system small also?

I guess if that strip of land by the south wall won't work, the other solution is maybe in the front yard (no backyard).

Amy,
I would ignore the nursery staff instructions. I'm sure they're good people, but they are rarely experts at figs. They develop general rules that can be applied to all trees. For example I certainly wouldn't want a burr oak even within 6 feet of the house. The fig is a different animal. It's never going to become a huge tree that will become a storm risk hanging over your roof. It's more like a large woody bush that you're going to keep pruned to keep fruit production within reach. Your south wall will create a perfect microclimate for the fig. Don't worry that it's only 2 - 3 feet wide. In many figs books you'll find recommendations that the closer the better. Not only does it create a great microclimate, but if nematodes are a problem in your soil, the figs roots will do better next to the foundation and walkways.

In regards to pruning, yes it can put the first crop that appears on last year's growth at risk. If that wood is trimmed all away, these figs can't be produced. Just how important this is will depend on your fig variety and your climate. If you have the King variety which produces only first crop figs (aka Brebas), then it's very important. If your climate is short and mild as in England, where only the brebas have a chance to ripen -- also very important. However if you can ripen fall figs, then it's not so important. The fall is the most important crop (for most varieties); it's more numerous and often a more flavorful crop. There are several varieties out there that go by Brown Turkey, but all that I've heard of produce fall crops. I would suggest that after fig has developed the base structure that you like, that you trim it back in the early spring before leafbreak. Remove all the past year's growth back to one or maybe two nodes. This will help keep it within bounds, and also give you a chance for a few brebas. Eventually you may need to a more major trimming, but that will take a while.

Gene,

Thanks so much for the help!

I am in the second season for my beautiful fig tree (over 8') but I have yet to see any fruit. The leaves look healthy and the trunk is strong, but nothing edible. Am I missing a step to encourage figs to emerge? I live in the desert near Palm Springs.

Andrew,
Just be patient, figs in the ground can take 3 - 5 years to fruit.

How big do fog trees get?

I have a great fig tree on the west side of my house about 6 feet away. It was once at least 25 feet tall. The wind from Hurricane Ivan tipped the whole thing over. I cut all the limbs off, backed a tractor with a box blade up to it and pushed it back upright. I cover the exposed roots with dirt and watered it. It came back the next spring like nothing ever happened. It's now back to about 15 feet and produced a ton of figs this summer. Plant your fig close to the house.Pruning doesn't hurt it.

I grew my hardy fig in a very big pot, it filled with roots, the tree was nearly five feet tall, I transplanted it within 3-4 feet of my garage on a south-facing wall, I also pruned it by topping the top and two side branches so it will fill out and produce more figs next year, it had figs but they fell off before they developed, we had a long drought, my well water is cold, I thought those might be factors I didn't get any yummy figs my heart has longed for since I had my last fresh fig, decades ago. I noticed the figs only deveoped in the crotches of the larbe leaves nodes along the main stalk. I was flying blind, I hope I haven't killed my tree.

PL