Wondering if what you have is actually a Hardy Chicago .

Maybe you can show us some pictures.

Martin

Some critter tasted one off the bush overnight and apparently wasn't impressed either! One bite and left the rest.

The hardy chicago if properly maintained such as feeding, root pruning, sun etc will grow well and is a good producer each season of very good tasting figs.

Even the first crop called breba has decent taste and not bland.

Main crop is more pronounced in flavor and very good.

Here is hardy chicago leaf picture to compare.

Martin

I can't see a difference in the leaves. Mine has produced a lot of figs this year, about 2 dozen, but the ones that I picked yesterday were the same -- nice but nothing to write home about. I would not call them flavorful. Can the feeding make a difference in flavor? What do you feed with?

I use plain old miracle grow 24 .8.16.

Make sure the the plant is not rootbound and container size is appropriate for size of tree.

Also during season when individual branches produce 5 to 7 leaves i severe the tip.

In my area just south of Chg our container plants go into attached garage for dormancy.

Martin

My first attempt at overwintering a fig in my garage failed, so I've used the basement ever since. It was in a 5 gallon bucket then, though, now it is in a bigger pot so I will have to try the garage again. The garage is attached but not insulated.

I kept some of the figs I picked yesterday in the frig overnight, just ate one and it tasted a lot better than the past couple fresh picked.

You can make a makeshift cardboard surrounding for it aped together including a top with just a few airholes and keep it on cement floor as that cement keeps basically at a steady temp for the root system.

Over the years growing and storing figs and they have been many iv'e learned from my mistakes.

Example in my outdoor shed un-insulated and drafty small potted 5g fig plants perished after that have not stored any plants there.

In attached insulated garage have lost figs that were in 1 -3 gallon pots but not always.

In bigger 20g -30g pots they survive and are kept on butting house wall or in very back of garage.

Each winter is different here some colder some milder coldest temp reading on thermometer set on back wall few years back was about 12 below zero it was minus 23 below zero outdoors and old bed sheets were thrown over them if i recall correctly and they did fine in there 20g-30g containers .

When i do airlayer a plant for a spare there usually by seasons end in a 3g pot and stored in the attic for that season.

We have no basement but thats ok as i could not lug them up and down at this stage.

Martin

Last year I overwintered some agastache (not hardy here) in the garage by sinking the pot into a box filled with wood shavings and covering with an old comforter, so I will do that for the fig. It was a milder winter than usual, but still should work for a fig in a normal winter. I did have another fig (labeled only as "hardy fig") survive in a pile of leaves and straw last year, but it took so long to sprout this spring that I doubt that it would ripen fruit. Probably wouldn't survive a normal winter either that way.

I am not sure why and if this is always true but I have noted 1st year hardy chicago fruits insipid but after a another year or 2 they become one of the best. I have heard this said about figs in general. I would have to say it is not true of my brunswick/magnolia as its 1st fruits this year are very very good. I would suggest keeping your chicago and let it fruit at least a couple more years before you give up on it completely. I also have to wonder if figs that are grown in the ground may be better than container grown??

Good looking fig!