I hear that some of them are not realiably hardy here but every one that I've planted has survived for the past 6 years. I have Celeste, Texas Everbearing, Black Mission, Verte, and Kadota. Celested seems the most hardy but the figs are small (but very tasty and sweet). They do suffer from the frosty weather we've been having (like tonights forecast 28 degrees) which ruins the early or spring or breba crop, but there's always a big late summer/fall crop. I do nothing to protect mine from winter. They are planted out in the open in a sunny spot. I did nothing to ammend the soil either. I rarely water them and have only fed them once in 5 years. Keep in mind that most people get skin irritation brushing against the leaves of figs (latex allergy) so don't plant them where you will be touching them as you walk by.

John, how does your Black Mission do? I only have Celeste and didn't even know what a breba crop is until suffering the disappointment of it last spring. Overall I've been impressed with its hardiness though, having seen it root through its plastic pot into the ground one winter after I forgot to bring it in. It's thrived ever since.

I've heard they are tender but mine has been just as hardy as the others. I bought it because the label said that if grown in a pot and protected from severe cold it would make 3 crops a year. It never did that and the fruit was wimpy as far as flavor goes so I planted in the ground where it took off. It did take a few years to get big crops of tasty figs.

Has anyone tried growing here Ficus pumila? (Not edible, we know).

I've never tried F. pumila here. There was a lot of it back in Florida where I grew up. I think that's what they use to cover some of topiary figures at Disney World, which would be a cool project to try. At least until it was time to stash it somewhere for the winter.

I've seen it growing around Raleigh. It doesn't take over a wall like it does down south. At one time Plant Delights had a hybrid between it and some other fig - I had it in my yard for years but it eventually died out.

Hello Chas,

I looked up the fig trees in Costco online... They are pricey. how big are they??

Yes, I kind of felt it was a little expensive,$28, but costco plants always seem a little expensive (by costco standards) to me. However, I also recalled that figs seemed to be more expensive at the nursery, so it is probably less than there. I now see that the label says the pot is 7.68 qt.; overly precise, ya think? It is a 9.5" high and wide pot. Mine is 34" tall from top of soil to fig tip.

No sabji - this fig is a tiny leaved creeping vine. It's the one you see completely covering walls and buildings in the deep south. The leaves are about the size of a penny. There is a variegated version out there also. Raleigh is a bit north for them but they will grow here, they just don't cover things as much. I've never heard if they make some sort of fruit, but if they do it would most likely be tiny.

Thanks!! Chas and John!

I was thinking it was a fruiting fig tree. So,.. this is an ornamental kind!!