You should do fine. I cover mine with 3 feet of dry leave and shelter the leaves from water. The last 2 winters were at or above 10F for me so my trees didn't die back to far. If I get a -20F my trees will survive from about 1 foot from the ground.

6b Steve

I have two in 25 gallon pots, 3 in 5 gallon pots. Also 15 in 2 gallon pots that I started from cuttings this spring. Also one in ground that I winterize. The inground has yet to produce fruit. The ones in 25 gallon pots each have about 25 figs. I really need to repot them. The rest are too young to produce a sizeable number of figs.

Steve I think you are a bit more south from me. It is not so much the temp but the icy wind that burns the plants.

Laura you have Celeste too? I think it will take a while until I see some fruit on mine :)

Vladimir wow, lots of figs indeed. Which varieties do you have? If I master to take care of ths one, might want to add two or three different varieties too the next couple of years

Kelley if they start to grow they should have roots? Did you just stick them in a pot? Anything else?

Susanne, I read somewhere that new growth does not necessarily mean there are roots yet (now I want to check to be sure :))

I dipped them in rooting hormone and stuck them in the pot my key Lime came in (fresh soil, of course). I've kept them watered and in full sun - so far so good! (They came from my mom's tree that has to be 30 years +/- old)

oh that is awesome. what kind of variety is it?

If I had to guess, brown turkey judging by the leaves, fruit and stature

Susanne, you are correct: new growth does not necessarily mean that roots have formed.

This is what I have:

Brown Turkey

Black Mission

Black Triana

Croatian (unk)

Desert King

La Goccia D'oro

Longue d’Aou

Marseilles Black VS

Osborne Prolific

Ronde De Bordeaux

Violette de Bordeaux

Stalk looks thick/brown enough to me to go in the ground, especially if its hardy in your area and small enough to protect easy. After pruning back for winter, cover with burlap and a large trash can (drill small holes (4) in top sides of can for air circulation). I grow mine as a main crop only and prune back to a hard single stalk with short stubby arms, from there upright arms form and will also get cut back each season to thicken. Pseudo japanese style.

Susanne, I have a brown turkey that has to be nearly 12 feet tall this year and almost as wide. That will be my largest producer. Second in line is a Peter's Honey fig, which I love. Not as large but at least 8+ feet and also with lots of figs. For some reason, those figs are larger and more mature now than the brown turkey; those are usually ready late summer. I also have a LSU purple fig that is a nice size and has some figs. I then have a black mission that is huge but NEVER has had fruit. I have no idea why. Last but not least, I have some mystery variety that some neighbor gave me from some old Sicilian guy and I have no idea what it is, but is also growing well. No celeste for me although I've heard good things about it. I have no more space in my yard for another fig tree ;-)

Susanne, you are in zone 5/6. If you are planting in ground covering with burlap and trash will not be enough and the tree will die back to the ground. It will come back the following year but you may not get figs, or if you do, they will not ripen by winter. I have to protect mine with about 15 large paper bags full of leaves and a tarp.

Thank you for the tip Vladimir. I will stick with the plan and carry the tree to the barn to live with my goats and sheep over the winter months. It will still require frost protection as it is getting so cold that the water in the bucket freezes often.

Laura I heard the Celeste is a very sweet fig and at least will have it as long as it take to see if we like the fruit. I would also love the Violet De Bordeaux. From what I heard this is the best for taste?

Ok, I REALLY need to get in on this one..)

Laura, what kind of winters do you get and what kind do you have planted in ground? Do you have to protect too? Full sunny area?

Vladimir., I can't believe you have that many!! So do I. Is a Chicago Hardy fig doable in ground here? Any others you can think of? I once tried one can't remember the name. and you are right, it would die back to the ground protected even still, then grow from the ground always to late to give me any ripe figs, do I dug it up. I gave up after that. Maybe there is still hope?

Of you potted ones, how many give you figs? I find that most of mine do not give any at all...(((

I have three figs planted in the ground (NJ/Zone 7A); I do nothing to protect them. They seem to be doing really, really well this year! In the past, I have had issues with that dreaded fig virus that causes yellowing of leaves; this year, all nice and green color (so not adding any new ones in fear of introducing that awful virus). One of the trees is a Black Mission and I wish I had labelled the other..., maybe a 'Celeste' in there as they are supposed to be humidity tolerant I believe. We had two years of summer drought previously and this growing season is a return to more normal moisture, so maybe that's why they look so lush. Exposure is either southern or western unobstructed.

For those that grow in containers, keep in mind that while they do okay in containers, they really seem to resent the warm soil temps found in a pot, in the sun (especially if your container is BLACK). Roots need to be cooler/shaded (in my experience). Also, avoid planting you fig too close to the house. Figs roots are very invasive and can/will do damage to your house.

Mike, I have 2 Brown Turkeys in 30 gal pots that each have about 18 figs on them. I have 2 year olds with a few figs each. The rest I just started from cuttings and are in 1 gallon and 5 gallon pots with no figs. My in ground is a Brown Turkey that I cover with about 15 -20 bags of leaves and a tarp.

Usually, there is snow cover so that is great mulch too, but yes, mulching is really helpful to maintain soil temps.

P.S., Now, I don't know how accurate this is, but a nurseryman told me that those anti-dissicant sprays are useful on wood too to reduce moisture loss in deciduous trees in the cold for marginal trees.