My grandmother who grew 1 tree several blocks from Midway airport in Chicago had her sons (my uncles) do similar to what above poster mentioned.

Trench would be dug next to tree and then they would use twine to tie up branches then dig around rootball breaking roots along the way and push it into trench,

Plywood boards would go on top of it and then the dirt looked like a fresh grave.

Each year that tree produced many fruits i recall fondly .

It can be done its a lot of work but can be done as here in Chicago we can have some brutal winters,

I live south of Chicago but grow them in containers with1 inground.a Hardy Chicago.which in my opinion is more tolerant to the cold than brown turkey which i also grew many years ago.

Martin

dieseler, what zone are you in and do you do anything to protect the Hardy Chicago?

Zone years ago was 5 not sure maybe 5a b etc ?

I cut it back and then throw tarp over (last season) and hold with bricks etc.

Plant was 10 years old when put into ground from container.

Survived the one winter that was real cold that everyone was talking out

with no protection but produced no figs.

It ripens late in season compared to container grown.

Here shown in time stamp dated pictures was that winter on cold day.

Martin

Hey Vladimir..I was told I would do better growing even that one in a pot and waking it up way earlier than our springs since they don't even grow leaves until way after April in the ground..I did the very same thing as you and after two years, I let it die uncovered. It was unproductive no matter what I fed it..Our growing season here is just too short.

It needs ALL day very early hot sun,, warm temps and it needs to wake up very early, earlier than April...Not on our side..(

I know a guy that has been growing one on a hill side in Winchester M.A for over ten years and he cuts his way back and just covers with a 2 feet pile of leaves then lays a wire cage on top to contain the leaves..Once May comes, yes May, he uncovers by raking the leaves away. All he ever gets is mid sized to almost full grown figs that never ripen on time..He just grows it now for looks hoping some year we will get as warm as Florida..In fact, his tree faces the south on a hillside in all day sun against a wall, and still not enough(

You might have better success and less work if you dogged it up once it goes dormant, before a hard freeze and sticking it on your greenhouse..Or you could let it stay dormant and then stick it in your greenhouse for a very early start, like around March..

I think you have the right approach.

You need to hill up some dirt around the fig to insulate it from the cold. Leaves don't provide enough insulation also leaves attract rodents that would eat your fig branches.

Cut the tree back to a size you can manage (2-3'), protect the branches from rodents (tree guards or h/w cloth) place boards/old doors around the tree in lieu of the wire cage and then cover with tarp. My figs are over 22 years old and this is how I protect them. Tons of main crop figs every year.

Vladimir i'm thinking with that height you do not prune the limbs after the 5th to 6th leaf on each limb and keep any new shoots that try to develop pruned off as well.

That is a must in our colder area's otherwise the plant keeps growing and growing and will eventually put on figs but much to late to ripen.

By pruning those limbs it forces the tree to slow its vegetative growth and into fruiting phase.

Martin

Thanks Joe and Dieseler. I will try both suggestions.