How mature is it? I would think you would have to protect it for a few years while it gets established. Hard for me to comment since all figs grow here without protection, but I've read so many sad hard winter stories from fig lovers in colder zones that I'd play it safe and protect it.

Not that I want to do it but I was just curious. I have 2 chicago figs that are 5 years old. Had them in the ground the first time I got them and they died down (unprotected). After 2 years I transfered them in to pots and they are doing just great. These are what i am referring to about putting in the ground.

Tobybul2,
similar case here suburb of Chicago as we have had our HC inground last several seasons but mature at about 8years old when put inground from a large30g container.
To date none of those older limbs exist anymore as it keeps dying to soil level.

1st year inground unprotected - died to soil level came back set some figs which i removed.
May have ripened a few figs i missed but do not recall for sure.

2nd year inground unprotected - coldest winter called polar vortex set figs and ripened
the ones i knew had time to that i left on.

3rd winter/spring - covered simply by putting 30 g container over it tying branches -cold winter but not polar vortex type coldest was 17 below zero in town.
Mostly died to soil level again with a few skinny short branches at soil level
surviving .
All branches recently pinched to help set some figs.

Have spare siblings of HC in containers that were airlayered from previous seasons just in case.

It was and continues to be sort of a experiment to see how it does now such as
last winter with a simple container just covering it not going to extreme by burying it like
grandmother did with assistance from uncles did in chicago in the 1960s with a large tree that would retain its elder branches each season i recall fondly as a youngster.

Martin

Thanks, Martin. We are in the same zone so I imagine I will get the same results. Its apparent these figs are not that resistant to our subzero winters. Losing pretty much everything to the ground takes away the momentum to grow fully compounded by our short summers. I think I'll keep mine in pots for now.

Similar zone .
Been to SW Mich often put jeep in 4 wheel in the snow to Buffalo last winter to the casino.

As a side note i personally do not think any fig would not die back in our type of winters
unprotected unfortunately but as mentioned Grandmother had a 10-12 ft tree that was painstakingly buried without harm but that just too much labor at this point in life.

Martin

I live in zone 6 b an I can assure you that what ever age your tree is when you get 5 f it is dead to the highest level peotection zone

Agreed on both counts. Just thinking of the work involved in "winterizing" a fig tree does not excite me ;-)