I'm keeping mine in the garage, until after the last freeze that usually comes in March. Too many heavy pots to have to lug back and forth. You're a brave soul.

Since cutting back over the years its not a chore anymore but more enjoyable taking care of the plants just not as many to move although the containers are large the 2 wheeler helps a lot. There all in locked yard until next Friday and they should get some rain as well during this period.

Sunny out today with 62 for the high unusually warm for February and the earliest ever for the fig shuffle beating the March 12th shuffle years back.

Martin

I took mine out about 2 weeks ago, temps are in the mid 60's and 70's. Most are budding and leaving out. They are all dollies so in and out of the garage is a snap.

Martin, i had a bout with the cuttings, they were starting to look dried out.

Rearrange them a different way and ended grafting 3 cutting just today.

I have a feeling that they might make-it.

Persimmonbob i hope they work out for you.

Our plants are not leafing out yet but i do see a few green buds on them most showing under the brown overwrap covering them which are starting to fall off then expose the buds.

It is 65 out now as i type and sunny but colder toward weekend and plants then come into attached garage.

Martin

The buds on my 50+ trees in the garage are beginning to swell, but not actually leafing out yet. I'm putting off the shuffle as long as possible, since my normal growing season is long enough for almost all the varieties I have. But I've GOT to get more of them in the ground this year. I'm getting too old to do the shuffle many more years, lol.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY am I starting more cuttings this year? Oh, yeah...just look at my screen name, lol..."insanity"

John

Yes age definitely plays a factor nowadays, root pruning them was never my favorite but its a little easier with less plants although back says different the next day.

Daughter not home as much to eat the figs so it is basically me and the next door neighbor as wife does not eat them.

One day we will move to nice warm climate as florida looks to be a option , tired of the snow although this year so far has been good to us here in area.

They are getting a nice gentle soaking rain today and tomorrow it may be near 70 then thursday evening they come in before thunderstorms and cooler temps.

Martin

It is time to stop collecting more figs tree's. I have 9 in containers and that is actually enough and a dozen in the ground. I got cuttings from Martin to be grown in containers, if successful with that that would be it. 9 container figs is still much, 6 would be better. 3 Black Madeira's in container would be really nice. Fingers crossed!!.

Bob.

Do you put them under lights if they leaf out and you have to move them back into the garage this early?

I was also wondering what varieties you kept after downsizing.

I got 3 shoplights in my garage but have 6 windows and garage is well insulated. Smith, Negronne, Sal c, and maybe Black Madera if everything goes well. My wife and me are not real figeaters, in season we might eat a couple dozen a day.

Don, have garage door with windows in it that shine enough light but in all the years growing fig plants they have yet to leave fully out before setting them out for the season. The ones i kept are my personal favorite on palate type for example madeira/hc/ sollies,ronde,ndb, etc etc.

Also JT bought myself from asiatica nursery, figs are large and bland tasting on palate kept for its foilage.

Rouge de bordeaux from Jon in California going into its 5th growing season has yet to produce anything ripe they drop.

Martin

That's good to know. I was getting a little worried about what to do with them as a result of the warm temps this year.

Mine is still wrapped up in the unheated garage and I haven't looked at it. I suppose I had better, because in all previous years when I kept it in the basement it had leafed out by now.

raee, I guess it is still too cold to leave them outside now. What do you do with them now? Bring them indoors at night? What is the temperature in your basement that allows them to leaf now?

I ask because mine leafed out two weeks ago - basement temp is about 57F, which is the coldest I can manage and still keep them above freezing. I don't have a garage but do have a barn which offers no protection from the cold.

I would guess the basement stays about 50F, because I keep the upstairs 60-65. This year it is wrapped up in some of that foiled bubble wrap and an old comforter in the unheated garage. It wouldn't be getting even the dim light that it got in the basement, and it would be colder out there but would be getting some of the temperature fluctuations.

In past years once it started to leaf I would bring it up and put it in front of my big south facing window.... and that is how I learned that they smell like cat urine...

Well, hopefully last night, 4-7-17, was the last time this Spring I have to do the shuffle, lol. I actually counted them as I moved them in (big mistake...now my back hurts even worse) and I have closer to 70 than 50. A grand total of 67. A lot of them need to be up-potted, so next Fall it will be even more weight to handle. Sigh...I'm getting too old for this, but the figs are so good...

Now I have to get them back OUT of the garage.

I brought mine out of the garage yesterday (had unwrapped it a couple of weeks ago, but didn't water it until yesterday) It has green buds but hadn't started leafing out.