Dirty,

I really don't think de-fruiting is necessary. Fig trees are vigorous and like to grow.

Getting a strong trunk and branch structure going is a good goal right now. I would go with multiple trunks....but that's a personal choice except up north where a main truck may completely die to the ground over winter, even with excellent protection.

Other trunks surviving is a Godsend in such cases. Of course high wind can knock a trunk over, too. It seems to me more than one trunk is good insurance, plus it looks attractive, several knobby, gnarly trunks.

Left to their own devices even dwarf figs like Little Miss Figgy can get large. However, all fig trees are extremely prunable. They should be pruned annually to get even, uniform growth and maximum fruit yield. They should also be training pruned from their youth, to get a good basic trunk (multiple trunks, if you so please), and branches going where you want them. A fig's branches, by fig folks, are called "scaffolding."

A fig tree that gets 15' x 15' at maturity, unpruned, can be kept to half that size or even less very easily, and look outstandingly beautiful, visually, as well as produce abundant crops.

You have to start pruning them when they are young, as you have started to do.

Check out the many fig pruning videos on YouTube.

I keep a Black Mission fig to maximum, end of season dimensions of 5' x 4', in a 10 gallon pot. It grows lavishly, looks beautiful, and produces abundantly. Its normal in ground size at maturity in a good, without pruning, warm, ideal climate would be about 20' x 20', even more!

I wish you much success and enjoyment with your fig trees. There's something moving about a fig tree to me: Old Worldly, Ancient, Stoic, Biblically Symbolic, Responsive to Good Care, Lush Looking, Fascinating Flowering Process, Delicious and Healthy Fruit, etc.

Moses

Best to transplant fig plant when dormant and not in leaf stage.

Have done fig plants while in full leaf but one has to slip out of pot into waiting container without rootball falling apart then pack voids of container with new potting mix. Not recommended for someone newer to fig plants.

You can grow celeste in pot no problem as one trims them each season once they are height established, grew mission some years back and grows very fast but as mentioned once established one trims them each season to keep in check along with every several years of root pruning which is a must in containers.

Yes can continue to pluck off the fruit and leave a couple for our fruits of labor to taste later in season .

Martin

My Celeste was pruned yearly the first 7-10 years and biannually thereafter. Don’t remember how old it is, 15-17 YO, guessing.

Thanks, everyone. I was told that Celeste is one of the best figs to grow in a container, so that's what I'm doing. The Marseilles VS, I can see already, is much to vigorous to containerize.

I transplanted them when they were still dormant, right before it got warm enough for them to leaf out. I'll have to watch those YouTube videos to see how to get multiple trunks. Right now, they have just one trunk, but they're only about a year old. I had a huge brown turkey fig in SC. It was not quite as big as @bossyvossy's tree, but it was bigger around. My chickens liked to roost in it and they fertilized it very well. The birds ate the top fruit, the chickens ate the bottom and what fell on the ground, and I had plenty from the rest of the tree. Made a lot of candied figs and fig preserves. Yum!

Yes, I love figs. There is something "homey" about a fig tree. I think in SC, every old homestead has a fig tree on it, usually Brown Turkey. I must have ground layered 100 babies from mine and given them away to old friends moving into new houses.

So I'll go look at the pruning videos now. Thanks, everyone.

I went ahead and pinched them to try to get some branches on the Celeste. The other one is already getting branches. That thing is going to be HUGE!

Is this the look you’re going for in your courtyard? If yes, very nice. I’m so used to seeing monstrous brown turkey or Celeste in my area, couldn’t imagine them potted.

Yep, something like that, but I'll let mine get about 6-7 feet tall. That's almost the exact size of my container.

How on earth do you pick the figs from your tree? If that was my tree, I'd be cutting it way back and keeping it smaller so I could pick them.

Yes would enjoy inground fig plants but here its too cold and protecting them is not easily doable for me.

Martin

I need a ladder. Birds take 70% or more of the fruit. Since I don’t know how to cook with figs, I look the other way. Always get a few for eating but that’s it.

Martin, maybe you could do like this guy did and graft 5 different kinds onto one bush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXZR-IboE_o

Plus, I was reading that Stark Bros. has developed a variety called Chicago Hardy fig that survives in your area.

Have hardy chicago also called bensonhurt purple and mongibello.

Mine was about 10 years old then put inground with plaint tarp dies near ground each season and produces figs late.

Its sibling does much much better in container.

Can i protect better yes but not a spring chicken anymore no loss i get plenty of figs to eat.

Martin

Honestly, one mature fig tree is plenty enough for a single person. If I let mine get huge, I'll be obliged to can them or dry them or make preserves or something. Nope. I'll keep it small so I get just enough for me.