Newbie Fig Questions

9 years ago

Hello all, I am in zone 8a and desperately want to grow figs, I bought an Italian honey last summer but my puppy ended up murdering it along with a few other trees I had purchased (RIP: apples, fig & navel orange). I currently grow everything (citrus, brugs, peaches, veggies and herbs) in pots and wanted to know if in my zone pots would be the way to go or if in ground would work? After futzing with pots and in the in and out shuffle for summer/winter I look wistfully at planting something in ground and having less maintenance but like the ability to take them with us if we move (do figs transplant well?). I dropped the ball this spring/summer and completely forgot about replacing my fig tree until my bf brought me home some figs from Trader Joe's yesterday. Should I wait until next spring to purchase trees or can I get some now? How should I go about overwintering them in pots if I do? Do they need lights (like my Citrus) or darkness (like my Brugs) while they are in my garage? Should the leaves be stripped or branches cut back or leave as is? Any other tips or varieties you recommend?

Featured Answer

Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)

9 years ago

Hi Sammers. You can grow figs in ground where you are but I am not sure if they will need protection in the winter. I will let someone else answer that question. Figs are overwintered in the dark at temperatures below freezing and watered once a month. The leaves will fall off as the weather gets colder and the tree goes dormant. No need to prune the tree. I can't help you with varieties but chose varieties that will ripen before the trees go dormant in your area.

Try two forums that have a lot more activity than this forum: Ourfigs.com and figsforfun.com.

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Comments (7)

Sammers510
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you Vladimir, I know a few people on the citrus forum grew figs but I couldn't remember which ones. The more I think about it the more i'll probably just keep them in pots. If we move I'll want to take them with us, and I am now well practiced at dragging all these pots in and out so why not. Below freezing may be harder for me to get to. The garage usually stays between 35-45 degrees throughout the winter but I can put them against the exterior wall and see if its a colder location versus the interior wall that connects to my house where the citrus goes. Would complete darkness be needed or will the lamps I have for the citrus that will be on the opposite side of the garage be a problem? I could probably rig up some sort of barrier/cover to block out the faint light they might see.
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Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
9 years ago
You would need complete darkness if they were dormant. Otherwise I think you would need to grow them under lights to prevent them from getting leggy. You need input from people in warmer zones than mine.
Sammers510 thanked Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
Jason (Zone 10b, San Diego)
9 years ago
Below freezing temperatures will kill unprotected fig trees, particularly if they are young. Keep them in your garage, those temperatures should be fine. No light is needed as they will drop their leaves and go dormant as Vladimir mentioned. They do not need to be completely darkened through, just kept cool to stay dormant. Either of the other two forums will have lots of people who can give you advice. I'd do a quick search first, prevents the occasional snarky comment.
Sammers510 thanked Jason (Zone 10b, San Diego)
Bob
9 years ago
In pots you can control the size better, in-ground tree's tend to get big. I am in 6b/7a and i have a bunch in the ground. Hardly any up-keep with them.

8a i would grow them in the ground, there are a lot of figs that are hardy and there are a lot of them that are not, you have to find-out what you like first and go from there.

Bob.
Sammers510 thanked Bob
Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have read that one should keep them between 27 F and 45 F to maintain dormancy. I had mine in the low 50's and they broke dormancy in early April and put out leaves, so I put them in my greenhouse.
Sammers510 thanked Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
Sammers510
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the advice everyone! It sounds like I shouldn't have trouble growing them. I think I am going to call up the local nursery's and see if they still have anything in stock, if not i'll wait till spring and pick up a few varieties.